Vogue: 5 years after #MeToo, Ita O’Brien explains why the job of intimacy coordinator is essential in cinema
Ita O’Brien’s first time working as an intimacy coordinator was in 2018 for Sex Education. The result is brilliant as the series is a tremendous success. The mechanism is then launched for Ita, which surrounds more and more takes for Netflix, HBO, BBC or even Warner Bros. productions . Historical fictions such as Gentleman Jack or The Last Duel by Ridley Scott (film for which she collaborates with actors Matt Damon and Adam Driver), to the triumph of the series.
From I May Destroy You to marvelous adaptations of the works of Sally Rooney, Normal People and Conversations With Friends, Ita O’Brien is always on the lookout for cinematic nuggets where intimacy is at the heart of the narrative. In these last two programs, it is indeed intimacy, in its most vulnerable aspect, which drives the story forward. It’s rare to see this on screen, but it’s beautiful. Behind this authenticity, there is the confidence of the actors, free to play serenely because they are supported by their intimacy coordinator. A support that Michaela Coel does not fail to welcome in her speech when she received the 2021 BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Best Actress award for her performance in I May Destroy You.
“Thank you Ita for making our industry a safe space, for creating physical, emotional and professional boundaries so that we could do works about exploitation and abuse without ourselves being abused in the process.”
MICHAELA COEL
This is how the creative industry welcomes intimacy coordination. In order to grasp all its facets, I spoke with Ita O’Brien.