Over the last few years, Hollywood has started to make greater use of intimacy coordinators, who help manage the filming of sex scenes in film and TV. This job seemed more pertinent after the explosion of the MeToo movement, which called attention to how women in the industry were often preyed upon by men who abused their authority without any consequences.
Alicia Rodis, who worked as an intimacy coordinator on the HBO show "The Deuce," which is about the American porn industry in the '70s, explained her job like this: "I am here to give a voice to actors, especially actors who feel like they don't have one. And I'm also here for the producers, to make sure that they know they're doing their best to make sure the set is safe." Although it looks real enough on camera, for actors, sex scenes are work, and Rodis helps it feel that way by "separating the sexuality between the characters and what's actually happening between the actors."
