After Nicole Kidman revealed that there were times she 'didn't want to orgasm anymore' while filming her new movie, many people have probably been left wondering about the on-set protocol for filming intimate scenes.
In her new flick, Kidman stars alongside Harris Dickinson in in thriller Babygirl, written and directed by Halina Reijn.
The film, which is set to release in the UK later this year, sees Kidman playing the role of Romy, a high-ranking CEO and married mother who begins a love affair with her young intern called Samuel.
But sometimes, it was all a bit too much.
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"There was an enormous amount of sharing and trust and then frustration," she told The Sun. “It’s like, ‘Don’t touch me’. There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more'.
“Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life!
“I’m over it. It was so present all the time for me that it was almost like a burnout.”
For those who are unaware, intimacy scenes are strictly regulated and require an on-site intimacy coordinator to help actors to feel comfortable, and to ensure that everyone on set has consented to what is about to be shot.
What are the strict rules for intimate scenes?
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According to SAG AFTRA, ‘work that involves nudity or simulated sex places performers in uniquely vulnerable situations’ which ‘should be, something a performer is proud of and something they engage in willingly’.
That’s why there are strict rules in place to ‘protect a performer’s immediate and ongoing comfort and safety’.
They do this by ensuring the actors have ‘appropriate notice of nudity and simulated sex required from a role and audition process’ and ‘an opportunity to provide meaningful, written consent free of pressure or coercion’.
They’ll also have something given to them which outlines ‘parameters of nudity or simulated sex’ as well as providing them with ‘safe and secure working conditions that are not detrimental to their health, safety, morals and career.’
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Also, at no point will anyone working with SAG-AFTRA contracts be asked to engage in real-life sex acts.
They’ll also have to wear a modesty garment (unless the actor and producer agree to go fully nude).
What is the set supposed to look like?
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The set must be closed to ‘all persons who are not essential to the filming or rehearsal of a scene, meaning that only those necessary to be physically present in the moment are allowed on set.’
Those who aren’t essential might include other performers not involved in the scenes, crew members who don’t need to be there at the time, ‘financiers and studio executives, location owners and visitors.’
Those looking at the monitors are heavily regulated to, as they should only be looked at by those who are essential to the production of the scene and in a secure and private location.
Under no circumstances should anyone record the scene using a personal device, and a lot of times sets won’t allow those devices on set to avoid the possibility.
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For the actors, a cover-up needs to be provided when they aren’t rehearsing or shooting the scene, or where there’s a pause in between shooting or rehearsing, so that they aren’t exposed for any longer than they need to be.
What isn’t allowed during post-production?
According to the website, nobody is allowed to double the actor through the use of digital tools or through hiring a body double to depict the person as nude unless they have received consent from the performer.
Also, they absolutely cannot show the performer in the nude in promotional material unless they have had written consent from the person whose body will be used.
All in all, it appears that the rules are incredibly tight and ensure the utmost safety of everyone involved- as they should.
Babygirl will be in UK cinemas on 10 January, 2025.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Celebrity, Entertainment, TV And Film, Nicole Kidman
Britt Jones