Making sex scenes look natural in the #MeToo era

Actors Erica Lovell and Ross Walker during an exercise in a workshop led by "intimacy coordinator" Ita O'Brien in Sydney, Australia.
Actors Erica Lovell and Ross Walker during an exercise in a workshop led by "intimacy coordinator" Ita O'Brien in Sydney, Australia. PHOTO: NYTIMES
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SYDNEY • In the soft afternoon light, men and women huddle in groups, their images reflected in floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Some kiss. Some fondle one another. Some touch fingertips, tension sizzling.

The men and women are actors. They are taking part in an "intimacy workshop" - part of a growing trend to carve out safe spaces in the theatre and film industries.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 24, 2019, with the headline Making sex scenes look natural in the #MeToo era. Subscribe