Heather Graham didn’t hold back as she addressed the realities of filming intimate scenes in Hollywood today.
The actress, 56, shared her unexpectedly uncomfortable experiences in front of the camera and how the process of filming steamy scenes has drastically changed over the years
“Can you just get all these people out of the room?” she once had to say.
Heather Graham didn’t hold back as she addressed the realities of filming intimate scenes in Hollywood today
Image credits: Andy Wenstrand/SXSW Conference & Festivals/Getty Images
Heather Graham entered the world of acting in the 1980s and took on different roles until her breakout moment in Boogie Nights. She portrayed the character of Rollergirl and handled numerous steamy scenes in the film.
Decades after the notable film credit, she said a lot has changed in Hollywood since then, especially when it comes to filming mature content. She admitted needing time to get used to having intimacy coordinators hovering around actors on set.
Image credits: Gordon Cowie/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“I think the MeToo movement was amazing [and] I think there is a very good intention behind intimacy coordinators,” she told Us Weekly.
“But it is odd when you come up without having them, and suddenly there’s this random person in the room just staring at you when you’re, like, pretending you have s*x,” she said.
The Hangover actress said having intimacy coordinators hovering around actors took some getting used to
Image credits: US Weekly
Intimacy coordinators are trained professionals who contribute to choreographing and overseeing sensual scenes on a set. Their key role is to ensure the safety, comfort, and consent of involved actors throughout the process.
While Graham said they have a “beautiful intention” and “really want to help and protect actors,” she said, “it’s kind of awkward” sometimes.
“As the actor, sometimes I’m like, ‘Can you just get all these people out of the room?’” she added.
Image credits: Lifetime/IMDB
In some situations, the actress said she struggled to balance instructions from both the intimacy coordinator and the director.
On one occasion, the intimacy coordinator “started directing me on, like, how to have s*x in a scene,” she recalled. “They were like, ‘When you do this, you can do this.’ And I was like, ‘You’re not the director, OK? I’m not asking for notes on how to have s*x in the scene. I just felt, like, ‘Shut up.’”
She then asked the intimacy coordinator to pass the instructions to the director because she didn’t want to have two different people directing her.
“It’s confusing,” she said.
The 56-year-old actress recently starred in the action-horror film They Will Kill You, which premiered on March 27
Image credits: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Graham’s notable career included several sensual film titles, including Killing Me Softly and About Cherry.
Her latest action-horror film They Will Kill You sees her playing a cult member, where her costars Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, and Tom Felton battle their way through a nine-floor hotel.
The actress said she was more concerned about the intimacy coordinator than her scene in the horror film.
Image credits: Lifetime
“I just did this other horror movie, and there was this adorable intimacy coordinator,” she told the outlet. “She was in her 20s, super sweet. We were doing this scary scene, and I felt like I had to take care of her.”
“She’s like, ‘This is really disturbing.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, I’m sorry,’” she added. “It’s kind of awkward.”
Image credits: Lionsgate/IMDB
The Hangover actress spoke about her decision to follow the “non-traditional path” and live a child-free life at the age of 56.
“I think that the culture is more accepting of it now. I think in the past, it was this idea of like, ‘Why aren’t you doing that?’ But, I think less people are doing it [now] than they were,” she said during an episode of The Bossticks this week.
She said it’s “great” for people to have kids if they have “this love in [their heart]” and “want to give it to kids.”
“But, I don’t think everyone should feel obligated,” she added.
Graham spoke about taking the “non-traditional path” and living a child-free life
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live
Another topic she recently addressed was her take on plastic surgery and how she has undergone noninvasive treatments like microneedling, Botox injections, and lasers.
She said she was open to undergoing surgery in the future to alter her appearance, but added, “I don’t want to look freaky.”
“My goal is to look natural,” she told Us Weekly.
Image credits: Phase 4 Films/IMDB
Although she’s not fully sure about going under the knife, she said she was happy opting for “halfway steps” like radio frequencies and ultrasounds to tighten her skin.
“Some of those laser treatments are torture,” she admitted. “Like, an hour and a half of your face getting blasted.”
While she’s open to trying different procedures, she said it was important to see the beauty in aging as well.
Looking “slightly older” is better than “looking like you had some kind of weird plastic surgery,” she said.
Netizens shared their own opinions on having intimacy coordinators on set
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