'Anora' Is an Oscar Favorite, but Why Wasn't There an Intimacy Coordinator on Set?

Although it's far from a sure thing, Anora is one of the favorites to walk away with the Best Picture prize when the Oscars are handed out on March 2. The movie, which tells the story of an exotic dancer who meets a young, wealthy Russian and gets married to him in a whirlwind marriage, naturally has some fairly explicit scenes.

Given the nature of those scenes, many wanted to know why there wasn't an intimacy coordinator on set during the production. Here's what we know.

An intimacy coordinator is someone who works on a film or TV set with the explicit goal of making everyone comfortable during particularly intimate scenes. Actors sometimes have to expose themselves or simulate sex acts during filming, and an intimacy coordinator exists to make sure no one crosses any lines or does anything inappropriate. It's a relatively modern innovation but one that appears to have made many sets safer and more comfortable.

In spite of the explicit content in Anora, the film didn't have an intimacy coordinator because its star Mikey Madison said that she did not want one.

"It was a choice that I made; the filmmakers offered me, if I wanted, an intimacy coordinator," she explained in speaking with Pamela Anderson for Variety. "Mark Eydelshteyn, who plays Ivan, and I decided it would be best to just keep it small."

"My character is a sex worker, and I had seen Sean [Baker]'s films and know his dedication to authenticity. I was ready for it. As an actress, I approached it as a job," she explained.

Mikey made it clear that she was offered a coordinator and decided that, for the sake of keeping the film's shooting schedule tighter, it would be better to go without one.

Director Sean Baker added that he thinks intimacy coordinators are only needed sometimes, but he will always have one if an actor requests it.

“I think with intimacy coordination, it’s a case-by-case basis, film-by-film basis," he said. "If an actor requests one, 100 percent. But I have directed approximately 10 sex scenes throughout my career, and I’m very comfortable doing so. It is our No. 1 priority to keep our actors safe, protected, comfortable and involved in the process.”

The comment sparked heated discourse online, as some felt that the decision about whether to have an intimacy coordinator was not just Mikey's and Sean's to make. Intimacy coordinators help keep everyone safe on a set, including other actors as well as members of the crew.

"An intimacy coordinator is not just there for the lead actors.” Jessica Steinrock, CEO of Intimacy Coordinators and Directors Inc., told Variety. “When framed as ‘Do you want this support or not?,’ it makes sense to me that someone might opt out because they personally do not feel the need for additional advocacy or support, not fully recognizing how the role also supports others on set.”