Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche says intimacy coordinators are not the sole component prerequisite for a good performance.
In a new interview with The Guardian tied to the release of her vérité documentary In-I In Motion, the Parisian-born director and performer was asked about her take on the relatively new role.
“I’ve been approached about that,” she said (with an eye roll, per the interviewer). “The vocabulary is all: ‘Are you agreeing that he touches this?’ The body becomes a puzzle!” The Queen at Sea star added she “of course” understands that safeguards can be useful for less seasoned actresses, but maintained she’s glad her film opts for a more intuitive approach. “Our film goes against what is being said today,” Binoche said with a smile. “And I like it!”
Binoche, who will soon be seen in Merci Charlotte, continued: “It’s not as simple as having an intimacy coordinator on set. When you’re in a love scene it needs to come from the heart, the guts, the need. And so if you’re thinking of the movement you’re going to do and not of the feeling, you’re in a bad situation. When you’re embodying lovers, you overcome some fears of touching bodies. You really have to go beyond your comfort zone because otherwise you become a prude and not truthful to what’s happening in life.”
The actress is among a chorus of stars veteran and new who have discussed their nuanced takes on the job, which cropped up largely in response to the #MeToo movement and numerous anecdotes from women about on-set impropriety and sexual misconduct. Recently, Florence Pugh, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet, among others, have offered their thoughts on the role.
Elsewhere in The Guardian piece, Binoche weighed in on another hot topic — AI in Hollywood.
“I’m not thinking about it too much,” she said in response. “They were saying that painting was going to disappear because we had cameras, or that theater was going to die when cinema arrived. So I don’t think you should be worried. It’s called artificial intelligence. It’s not spiritual intelligence or human intelligence.”
