{"id":3053,"date":"2025-10-14T14:04:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T14:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=3053"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:58:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:58:08","slug":"why-julia-roberts-didnt-use-an-intimacy-coordinator-on-after-the-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/14\/why-julia-roberts-didnt-use-an-intimacy-coordinator-on-after-the-hunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Julia Roberts Didn\u2019t Use An Intimacy Coordinator On After The Hunt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spoilers ahead. <\/strong>After The Hunt<\/a><\/em> is a perfect Oscar-bait film. Filled with hefty dialogue, emotional scenes and topical questions, Luca Guadagnino<\/a> draws out incredible performances from Julia Roberts<\/a>, Ayo Edebiri<\/a> and Andrew Garfield<\/a>. The drama follows Yale University professor Alma Imhoff (Roberts), who is caught in the middle when her student prot\u00e9g\u00e9e, Maggie Resnick (Edebiri) accuses Alma\u2019s friend and colleague, Hank Gibson (Garfield) of sexual assault. For over two and a half hours,\u00a0After The Hunt<\/em>\u00a0is unrelenting, making audiences feel increasingly uncomfortable with its\u00a0<\/span>blurred lines and unanswered questions. There\u2019s no comic relief or light moments to take you away from the tough topics, which makes <\/em>Guadagnino\u2019s piece stick with you long after the credits have finished rolling.<\/p>\n

Roberts and Garfield\u2019s characters have a will-they, won\u2019t-they style relationship throughout the film, with Hank making it clear that he adores Alma. While Alma is married to Frederik Imhoff (Michael Stuhlbarg), the pair eventually break into a round of passionate kissing near the end of the film. It\u2019s raw and hard to watch, with Alma changing her mind halfway through and having to yell at Hank to stop and push him off her. <\/p>\n

When Refinery29 Australia<\/em> spoke to Roberts about After The Hunt<\/em>, she surprised us by revealing the actors had decided not to use an Intimacy Coordinator for this scene. There was no nudity involved, which may have contributed to the decision. \u201cThey asked us if we wanted [an Intimacy Coordinator], I said no, Andrew said no,\u201d Roberts explains. \u201cAndrew and Luca and I had a lot of conversations, we had a lot of rehearsal that morning, and then Andrew and I, when we were back at the dorms where we get ready, he came to me and was like, you know, \u2018Is there anything you are not comfortable with?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Between the two of us, I am completely at ease\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guadagnino is famous for preferring fewer takes when it comes to making films, so Roberts and Garfield only shot one take of the scene. \u201cAll this conversation, and then it was like 35 seconds and then over. It was crazy,\u201d Roberts adds.<\/p>\n

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[Andrew] came to me and was like, you know, \u2018Is there anything you are not comfortable with?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Between the two of us, I am completely at ease\u2019.<\/p>\n

Julia Roberts on her Intimate Scene with Andrew Garfield<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

The role of an Intimacy Coordinator was popularised in 2018, after the #MeToo movement took hold, and it focuses on keeping actors, directors and sometimes crew safer when it comes to intimate scenes. \u201cAn Intimacy Coordinator position interrupts the production power dynamics and provides a confidential space for actors, directors and producers to discuss concerns and potential barriers to consent,\u201d Michela Carattini, SAG-AFTRA-accredited IC Trainer and Company Director of Key Intimate Scenes<\/a> tells R29<\/em>. \u201cAn intimacy coordinator provides risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies to support the actors, the director, the production, and in some cases, the crew. \u2018Intimate scenes\u2019 can vary in definition, but universally include scenes with simulated sexual activity (including sexual assault) and\/or nudity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carattini notes that in Australia, while it\u2019s recommended to use an Intimacy Coordinator when there are intimate scenes, it\u2019s not currently mandated. However, due to Screen Safe Australia adopting Australia\u2019s National Intimacy Guidelines into Work, Health and Safety mandates, productions are left open to \u201cnegligence or duty of care claims\u201d if anything goes wrong. <\/p>\n

In terms of Garfield and Roberts\u2019 decision to forgo using an Intimacy Coordinator on After The Hunt<\/em>, Carattini says this can be \u201cperfectly valid\u201d depending on the circumstance. \u201cThe decision not to use an intimacy coordinator has to be made by the production, the director and all the actors involved in the intimate scene together, in terms of whether they are all willing to take steps to minimise risks. It is comparable to a decision not to use a stunt coordinator for a scene involving stunts,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt is important to remember that the purpose of an Intimacy Coordinator\u2019s work is to support consent, empowerment and safety. If those things have truly been supported for everyone involved, it is perfectly valid not to use an Intimacy Coordinator \u2014 although I grant it would be much harder for those without expertise to assess this accurately.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It is important to remember that the purpose of an Intimacy Coordinator\u2019s work is to support consent, empowerment and safety. If those things have truly been supported for everyone involved, it is perfectly valid not to use an Intimacy Coordinator.<\/p>\n

Michela CarattinI, SAG-AFTRA-accredited IC Trainer<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Some viewers may also wonder why you would consider an Intimacy Coordinator for a kissing scene without nudity or simulated sex, but Carattini says the question should always be asked. \u201cWhether or not to use an Intimacy Coordinator for a kissing scene only is an open question, and very much depends on the director\u2019s vision and the individuals involved. Each actor brings their individual history and lived experience, possibly including trauma, to their roles and with their bodies,\u201d she tells us. \u201cFor some, kissing is less psychologically safe than simulated sex, and from a physical safety perspective, bodily fluids are being exchanged \u2014 which they are not for simulated sex without mouth to mouth kissing.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a film which broaches the heavy topic of sexual assault, it\u2019s important that After The Hunt<\/em> producers offered Roberts and Garfield the chance to work with an Intimacy Coordinator should they require it. The more normalised the position becomes, the more protected those who feel vulnerable or unable to speak up will be.<\/p>\n

After The Hunt is<\/em><\/strong> in theaters Friday, October 17. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This story was originally published on Refinery29\u2019s Australian edition. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

How I Got My Job: Intimacy Coordinator<\/a><\/p>\n

Julia Garner Loves ‘Weapons’ As Much As We Do<\/a><\/p>\n

The Roses Tackles Gender Expectations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spoilers ahead. After The Hunt is a perfect Oscar-bait film. Filled with hefty dialogue, emotional scenes and topical questions, Luca Guadagnino draws out incredible performances from Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield. The drama follows Yale University professor Alma Imhoff (Roberts), who is caught in the middle when her student prot\u00e9g\u00e9e, Maggie Resnick (Edebiri)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3053"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3053"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3056,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3053\/revisions\/3056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}