How I Learned to Become an Intimacy Coördinator

Filming sex scenes is no easy feat, from the choreography to the . . . logistics. And then that’s before you take the actor’s comfort and dignity into consideation. So, while the idea of the on-set “intimacy coordinator” is less than a decade old, it’s all but standard at this point. But what does it actually entail? Well, certification, for one—which Jennifer Wilson gamely undergoes for her feature on the burgeoning profession. This being The New Yorker, there’s no stooping for easy laughs; instead, Wilson explores the ins and outs of a fascinating profession.

For one of our first in-person lessons, we gathered around a table lined with silver mannequin torsos. Scattered beneath them was the latest in barely-there wardrobe technology—strapless thongs, penis pouches, pasties. (Duenyas’s background is in experimental theatre and burlesque; he used to strip at the Box, an erotic night club in New York, where he became known for a saucy routine involving a mannequin leg.) He recommended a brand of flesh-toned body tape called K-Tape, noting that it also came in green and could thus be easily painted out in postproduction. “Are the pouches one size fits all?” Giselle, a cheery woman in her forties from Yorkshire, England, asked. “No, there are different pouch profiles,” Duenyas replied diplomatically.