Amanda Blumenthal is LA's first intimacy coordinator. She choreographs on-screen sex scenes and looks after actors' wellbeing, and has worked on Euphoria, The Affair, The L Word and plenty more. Amanda talks about how she forged this new role in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Amanda Blumenthal was working as a sex and relationship coach, when she saw that the HBO show Euphoria was hiring an intimacy coordinator. This was back in 2018, when no one really knew what an intimacy coordinator was. But Amanda thought she could do it — and when she went for the interview, she was hired on the spot.
Amanda is now LA’s first intimacy coordinator for film and TV. An intimacy coordinator is someone who choreographs simulated sex on-screen.
Amanda has now worked on over 500 intimate scenes, including on The Affair, The L Word and Carnival Row. And her background as a sex and relationship coach helps her navigate difficult situations and attune to how the actors’ are feeling. Because this job is more than just physically coordinating sex scenes, she’s responsible for looking after actors’ wellbeing during intimate moments.
We chatted about how she helps actors (who are professionally conditioned not to say no) to figure out their boundaries; and how she deals with situations where actors feels uncomfortable. We talked about working in a brand new role, #MeToo, how directors deal with being told no, and Normal People... (because I couldn’t speak to an intimacy coordinator without talking about Normal People).
Amanda says her job is basically about helping people feel safe at work — but it’s also about the fact that storytellers have a responsibility to create authentic, representative depictions of gender and sexuality on screen.
Learn more about Amanda's work at intimacycoordinator.com.