New realities on set with Ita O'Brien

Ita's credits include Sex Education and most recently she worked on Michaela Coel's powerful drama ‘I May Destroy you’, which deals with race, sex, consent, and rape.

One of the things that have gotten me through lockdown has been Normal People; the 12-part drama adaptation of Sally Rooney’s smash hit novel by the same name. The series was directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hette Macdonald and its record-breaking success has quickly made it the most-watched and talked about series this year. I inhaled all 12 episodes in one go and have just started re-watching it.

One of the aspects that really stood out for me was how the intimacy between the two main leads, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, seemed so delicate and natural. Overseeing these scenes was Intimacy coordinator, Ita O’Brien.

I caught up with Ita over Zoom. She is a hard lady to get hold of at the moment, thanks mainly to the huge success of Normal People. Although many have only realised the importance of her work recently, it’s worth noting that Ita has been developing and teaching the Intimacy work since 2015.

Ita was working as a movement practitioner and writer and had been looking at developing a piece that explored the dynamic of perpetrator and victim. She was investigating the practices and principles that needed to be put in place to keep actors safe and to explore this challenging body of work in a healthy way. This process led to the development of the Intimacy On Set Guidelines {https://www.intimacyonset.com/intimacy-on-set-guidelines.html} in early 2017.

The exposure of Harvey Weinstein and subsequent #MeToo movement in October 2017 caused a seismic shift in the film and TV industries. No one was prepared to turn a blind eye to predatory behaviour anymore. So Ita’s work was not only recognised, but her Intimacy Guidelines now support the codes of conduct drawn up by theatre and film productions, recommending how best to carry out intimate content in a professional way.

Ita explains that an Intimacy Coordinator is a practitioner who puts in place a professional structure for the intimate content, just like a stunt coordinator creates a structure to carry out a risk assessment, and then choreographs and rehearses the fight scene.

“The shift is that we are really inviting open communication around intimate content. In the past, people invariably have been embarrassed to talk about the intimate content. Therefore, by putting in place a structure that invites agreement and consent of touch, simulated sexual content, and nudity, we can work freely and professionally with everywhere that is within the actor’s agreement and consent”.

This industry shift has not been an easy one. The role of the Intimacy Coordinator is new, and many may not have worked with an IC before so are not sure what to expect.

When I ask Ita what her biggest challenge has been thus far, she feels that resistance has been the biggest hurdle.

“Some producers have employed an Intimacy Coordinator because it’s good practice but then don’t want them to ‘interfere’ or expect them to get the paperwork signed but say/do nothing. Or sometimes experienced directors feel that they just don't need it or might fear that the Intimacy Coordinator could take over the direction of the scene”.

The real change comes from understanding that actually, the Intimacy Coordinator is there to listen and serve the director’s vision, while also safeguarding the actors so that they can work freely and comfortably within the structure of the guidelines, allowing all to serve the director’s vision, and the actor bringing all of their skill as an actor to the intimate content.

“I even have actors saying to me, oh, I don't want to rehearse the intimacy, I don't want to make it a bigger thing than it needs to be” Ita explains that with clear communication and rehearsal, it just becomes like any other scene that's everybody understands and knows exactly what's happening. The actor becomes completely autonomous and totally in control of their performance.
She continues “It's what I love hearing from Paul and Daisy saying that they felt safe, but they felt empowered, and Lenny Abrahamson [the director] saying that he also felt empowered”.

The process of communication is essential even before getting to set. The Intimacy Coordinator will have spoken to the director about the scenes, so that the director's vision of the scene is listened to and understood. She will then speak with the actors privately about what is required and discuss any concerns they have and if there is anything that they are uncomfortable with.

After these conversations, if for example the actor says they are comfortable with some nakedness, but they do not want to show buttocks, then the Intimacy Coordinator will go to wardrobe and make sure that they have flesh-coloured shorts to wear etc. By having all of those conversations well in advance, everything can be put in place by the time the actors actually get to set, allowing them to be totally comfortable, with no surprises sprung on them on the day.

The intimacy in Normal People has come up in pretty much every interview I have seen or read with Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones. They have both spoken with such honesty about how comfortable those scenes were for them both with the help of Ita’s structure.

The fact that they had rehearsed and had those important conversations ahead of time enabled them to concentrate on their performances and on the emotion between the two characters, instead of worrying about the nudity or the intimacy.

There is little doubt that the enormous success of the series will help normalise the role of the Intimacy Coordinator on set.

With many of us out of work, some are seriously considering career transitions, I ask Ita what it takes to become an Intimacy Coordinator?

“It takes someone with maturity that is able to have a sense of presence and can hold that space. Someone that has an awareness of when someone is vulnerable, who can observe and understand body language. It’s important to understand the actor's process in order to be able to achieve the director's vision. Body knowledge and choreographic background are essential, in order to support the physicality being discussed for the scene”.

The Intimacy Coordinator training is rigorous through 4 stages over 12 - 24 months. There is continuous assessment throughout each stage, and only suitable practitioners will be invited to progress to through to final accreditation. Through the training, it will become evident if you are suitable for the role. However, Ita explains that it really depends what the person brings to the role and that it mostly boils down to the person's disposition.

“You might have a brilliant drama teacher, who may not actually have the right kind of temperament to be an Intimacy Coordinator, so will be invited to integrate the Intimacy Guidelines into their practice. Or you may have someone who's an actor with loads of film work, who isn't quite so practiced at teaching, but who makes an excellent Intimacy Coordinator on set”.

Getting to where she is now was not an easy journey; Ita reminds me of the challenges she faced at the start and how she overcame them by being resilient and authentic.

I found interviewing Ita O’Brien an inspiration. In particular how she persevered in trying to bring change and how she pushed through her vision. Her pioneering work has challenged and changed the industry but most importantly it has normalised the importance of good practices on intimate scenes.

Now I just need to do some serious negotiating with my toddler so that she agrees to go to sleep and I can continue watching I May Destroy You!