HBO intimacy coordinator reveals clear policy if actor gets aroused while filming

Sex scenes take a lot of planning and no one knows this better than intimacy coordinator Alicia Rodis.

The in-house intimacy coordinator for HBO studios has been involved in dozens of TV shows from Law & Order and The Penguin to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

Working with the director or showrunner, they determine who will be present during filming — often limiting the crew to a 'closed set' — and clarify exactly what will be filmed.

They also coordinate with wardrobe, makeup, and the props departments to manage details such as appropriate clothing or effects like fake sweat.

Central to the process is each performer’s nudity or simulated-sex rider, a contractual document outlining what the actor is comfortable showing or simulating on screen.

Since 2000, the amount of sex and nudity in films has decreased by almost 40 percent (TriStar Pictures)

“With actors, I make sure I read exactly what it is in their nudity or simulated-sex rider so that there are no surprises. I ask them if they’ve had experiences doing intimacy on set before and what they need,” Rodis told Backstage in 2024.

To avoid getting aroused on set, coordinator's will tend take a break whenever someone gets a little too excited.

Another way to keep things as professional as possible is to wear modesty garments - coverings that shield certain body parts from the camera and prevent genital-on-genital contact.

A lot goes into a sex scene (Lionsgate)

“We take a shibue, open it up, and put a silicone guard underneath so everyone becomes like a Barbie doll,” she explained.

Garments include stick-ons, genital pouches, nipple pasties, pads for comfort and props or prosthetics placed between performers.

“There are times in the [script] where it just says, ‘They undress and begin having sex,’ and that’s the line,” said Rodis.

“There are so many nuances as far as: What exactly is the story we’re telling? What kind of sex is this? What are we showing, and what do we know the actors are OK with?”

Nicole Kidman once had special clause inserted for sex scenes (A24)

In a previous interview with Variety, she explained how important it is to get a coordinator at casting level.

"Different sets are going to work [in] different ways, so we find the ways that this will work for everyone, but consent is one of the pillars of the work that I do, and consent begins in casting," she said.

"We need to know what people are signing on for — at least the general idea — and so do they: How can you consent if you’re not informed?"