Intimacy Coordinator: EK Intimacy

Elle McAlpine talks about her work on Poor Things

With 'Poor Things', Emma was working with a lot of supporting artists. So, a lot of my work was working very closely with them because, you know, I think initially they were like, "why do we need an Intimacy Coordinator?" I think the production felt that from the start. They'd said it in the press. Emma said, she's like "I didn't really feel like I needed an Intimacy Coordinator." And I remember saying to her, I was like, you know, your character's having a lot of intimate relations with men that she doesn't know. And by default, there are a lot of supporting artists coming in. My work can be to help them, because they are also coming into a space where there is a huge power dynamic situation going on where you've got a very famous actor, you've got a very famous director, you've got a famous DOP (Director of Photography). Like, there's a huge level of pressure that these supporting artists are gonna feel coming into a room like that. So let me just do my work to give them a space where they can feel safe and let me be in the space. And they know that I'm that person that they can come to if they're feeling uncomfortable, so they don't have to, you know, bother the director. And so that's kind of how I sold myself to that production. I was like, "They will need me. You might not, they will."

— Elle McAlpine, EK Intimacy

Read more:
Sarah Smith (2023) ‘Poor Things’ Intimacy Coordinator Elle McAlpine on How She Creates Authentic on Screen Sex. DIRECTORS NOTES