Kate Winslet hid in the boot of a car to guide a young co-star through a sex scene.
The 45-year-old actress took on the role of an intimacy co-ordinator to support her on-screen daughter Angourie Rice, 20, while shooting upcoming HBO series Mare of Easttown.
Angourie was 19 at the time of filming an “intimate scene in a car”.
“Because there were no clothes that come off in the scene they didn’t consider bringing in an intimacy coordinator,” said Kate, who plays a small-town Pennsylvania detective in the series.
“And I just got the sense that she was nervous. So I said to her, I’m going to be around for this, I’m going to stay, I won’t leave the set.”
“She said: ‘Thank god Kate, thank you so much.’ And I ended up being in the car. I ended up being in the boot of the car.”
The actress decided to adopt the role of intimacy coordinator after realising that there would only be two male camera operators in the car – “the only other people in their space.”
“I knew it would make them feel better to have that one person who would be able to put their hand up and say: ‘Actually we need to cut now, is everyone feeling OK?’”
Speaking to Samira Ahmed during a live recording of the How I Found My Voice podcast, Kate said that she wishes she’s had intimacy coordinators to help with past roles.
“Sometimes even directors don’t feel comfortable communicating with actors about intimate scenes, even if it’s just kissing.”
Kate also told how she didn’t have an intimacy coordinator for the lesbian sex scenes with Saorise Ronan in her most recent film, Ammonite.
“It’s interesting we didn’t have them on Ammonite and I think its partly because at the time we made the film, it was 2019. Intimacy coordinators were only just slightly becoming a thing, they weren’t a legal requirement on film sets. “
“Ammonite was truly a very low budget film, we didn’t have stunt doubles, hand doubles we barely even had a packed lunch. It wasn’t something that was ever offered to us.”
“But Sairose and I, we felt quite confident in what we wanted to do with the characters in those intimate scenes. I think the two of us together sort of looking after each other made us feel a bit better.”
But the actress admits that the introduction of intimacy coordinators has made a huge difference: “I definitely wish I had them in the past I definitely do.’ Kate said.
“I just could have done with that friend really. Just having a friend to say “can you ask him just to not put his hands there?” So it’s not you having to say, which can be pretty awkward.”
