# Working with an Intimacy Coordinator: What Actors Should Expect > What an intimacy coordinator does, what the nudity rider is and who writes it, what happens in the conversation before the scene, and how a closed set and stage intimacy direction work. A plain step-by-step for actors. - URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/working-with-an-intimacy-coordinator - Published: 2026-10-16 - Last updated: 2026-10-16 You've booked the part. Then you read the script properly, or your agent forwards a document called a rider, or the schedule says "closed set" next to one of your days. The scene has a kiss, or more, and someone mentions an intimacy coordinator. If you've never worked with one, it's easy to fill the gap with whatever you've read in press stories. What you need is the ordinary version: who calls you, what you sign, what gets rehearsed, and what you're allowed to say along the way. The short version: an intimacy coordinator is a choreographer and a go-between for scenes with nudity, simulated sex, or other intimate contact. On union screen work, you should hear about nudity or simulated sex before you audition (if production knows by then), agree to it in writing in a rider before the shoot, talk it through with the intimacy coordinator if one is engaged (producers must use best efforts to hire one for these scenes), rehearse it as fixed choreography, and shoot it on a closed set. In theater the same job is called intimacy direction, and the stage unions have their own rules. ## What an intimacy coordinator does SAG-AFTRA's [standards and protocols for intimacy coordinators](https://www.sagaftra.org/standards-and-protocols-use-intimacy-coordinators-0) describe the job in three parts. The coordinator is an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach or choreographer for nudity, simulated sex, and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes. In practice that means they sit between you and everyone with power over the scene. They talk with the director about what the scene needs to show, with you about what you've agreed to, and with costume and the assistant directors about the practical side, like modesty garments and barriers. Then they help stage the moments so they look the way the story needs while staying inside what everyone agreed. On SAG-AFTRA contracts, the union's [2026 contracts booklet on sex and nudity](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Sex%20Nudity%20and%20You%20Member%20Booklet.pdf) says producers must use best efforts to engage an intimacy coordinator for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex. Best efforts isn't a guarantee, so if one hasn't been mentioned for a scene like that, it's fair to have your rep ask. ### Coordinator, director, professional: the names Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, a training organization, explains on its blog that [intimacy direction is the theater and live-performance term](https://www.idcprofessionals.com/blog/what-is-an-intimacy-director-or-coordinator), and intimacy coordination is the term for TV and film. The names mirror fight work: a fight director on stage, a stunt coordinator on screen. "Intimacy professional" covers both. ## The process, step by step Every production runs a little differently, but on a union screen job the order looks like this: 1. **The notice.** You or your rep learn about nudity or simulated sex before the first audition, or as soon as production knows. 2. **The audition.** There are limits on what can be asked of you in the room. 3. **The rider.** Production sends a written description of the nudity and contact, which you and your rep review and negotiate before you sign. 4. **The conversation.** If there's a coordinator, they meet with you one-on-one to go over the rider and your boundaries. 5. **The choreography.** The scene is staged as specific, repeatable moves, with garments and barriers sorted in advance. 6. **The closed set.** On the day, only people essential to the scene should be present or watching the monitors. 7. **Afterward.** If there's a coordinator, they stay available for questions and may check that the final cut matches your rider. The rest of this guide takes those steps one at a time. The union rules below are paraphrased from SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity documents. Contracts change at each negotiation, so check the current version with your union or rep before you rely on any detail. ## Before you audition: the notice SAG-AFTRA's [quick guide to scenes involving nudity and simulated sex](https://www.sagaftra.org/quick-guide-scenes-involving-nudity-and-simulated-sex-0) says the producer must tell you or your representative about expected nudity or simulated sex before the first interview or audition, if the producer knows by then. It should be in the casting notice. If production only learns about it after you're cast, they must tell you as soon as practicable. That's why the breakdown matters. Our guide to [reading a casting breakdown](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-read-a-casting-breakdown) covers where that information appears and what to do when a notice is vague. A vague line about "intimate scenes" is worth a question from your rep before you submit, not after you book. The same quick guide says simulated sex is prohibited at auditions and interviews. If a [chemistry read](https://www.offbook.com/blog/what-is-a-chemistry-read) might involve a kiss or other contact, you or your rep can ask in advance what the session will involve. ## The nudity rider: what it is and who writes it A rider is an addition to your contract. Under SAG-AFTRA's rules, appearing in a scene with nudity or simulated sex is conditioned on your prior written consent, given in a rider. The quick guide says the rider should describe the general extent of the nudity and the type of physical contact, with the relevant script pages attached if they're available. Production writes the first draft and sends it to you. You and your representatives review it and negotiate. The intimacy coordinator doesn't write your deal, but SAG-AFTRA's standards say the coordinator confirms your consent for the descriptive language in the rider when they meet you. The union's 2025 agreement covering intimacy coordinators also says producers give coordinators the final, agreed-upon riders. ### The 48-hour rule The quick guide says the rider must reach you at least 48 hours before call time on the day the scene is shot. That window can be waived if you were cast, or brought in to replace another performer, less than 48 hours before call time. The 2026 booklet also says last-minute changes are prohibited: if production wants to change what was agreed, you get another 48 hours before call time. Read the rider like a script. Is it specific about what will be seen and what contact happens, or does it use loose words that could stretch? Your rep can push for clearer language. Clear wording protects everyone, including the coordinator, who has to stage the scene to match it. ### Changing your mind SAG-AFTRA's [2026 contracts booklet](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/Sex%20Nudity%20and%20You%20Member%20Booklet.pdf) and its [quick guide](https://www.sagaftra.org/quick-guide-scenes-involving-nudity-and-simulated-sex-0) say you may withdraw your written consent at any time before footage is captured, and you can do it verbally. If you withdraw, production can use a double, including by digital means, within the terms of your original rider. ## The conversation before the scene SAG-AFTRA's standards say the coordinator meets with each performer one-on-one before rehearsal and filming of an intimate scene, confirms consent for the rider's language, and makes sure consent continues through rehearsal. It's a working conversation about the scene, not a test of how relaxed you are. It goes better if you arrive having thought about a few things: - What the scene is doing in the story, so you can talk about the moment in character terms rather than only physical ones. - Where you're comfortable being touched, where you aren't, and anything that's off-limits entirely. - What you'd like to wear underneath, and any questions about garments, barriers, or how a moment can be masked. - Anything about your partner or the setup you'd like the coordinator to raise for you. American Theatre's feature ["Intimate Exchanges"](https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/10/23/intimate-exchanges/) describes a distinction from intimacy training that is useful here. A director can give permission for a touch, but only the actor being touched can consent to it. That's why the coordinator talks with each actor in the scene, and you can ask the coordinator to walk you through the agreed choreography for both of you. You're allowed to say no, and you're allowed to say "I don't know yet." A good coordinator will take either answer to the director and look for another way to stage the moment. ## Choreography: rehearse it like a fight The core of the work is turning an intimate scene into choreography: where hands go, for how long, on which line or count. The same American Theatre piece describes intimacy director Sina working movement first and adding emotion once the actors are ready. You learn the shape, then you act inside it. You don't have to improvise or wonder how far the take will go, because the moves are set and the same every time. If the director wants something new on the day, it goes back through the coordinator, and through your rider if it changes what you agreed. Come in knowing your lines cold, so rehearsal time goes to the movement. If no one is around to run the scene with you, Offbook can read the other part: realistic voices read every other character and wait for your line. Our guide on [hitting your mark on set](https://www.offbook.com/blog/hitting-your-mark-on-set) covers working to marks and camera on set. ## On the day: the closed set A closed set has a precise meaning in SAG-AFTRA's quick guide. The set must be closed to everyone not essential to filming or rehearsing the scene. The guide lists examples of people who shouldn't be there: performers not in the scene, crew who aren't needed, financiers and studio executives, location owners, and visitors. It covers screens too. The guide says monitors should be viewed only by essential members of production, with a secure, private location as best practice. It also says recording on a personal device, including a phone, is strictly prohibited on set. SAG-AFTRA's 2025 agreement covering intimacy coordinators counts the coordinator, when one is on set that day, as essential to the scene, so a closed set doesn't keep them out. Tell the coordinator (or stop) as soon as something drifts from what you agreed. It's easier to fix early than after the scene is done. ### After the shoot SAG-AFTRA's standards say the coordinator stays available after filming if you have questions or concerns, and may check that the final cut matches your rider. Keep your copy of the signed rider, so you and your rep know exactly what you agreed to. ## On stage: intimacy direction and Equity's rules The theater version has the same aims and a different rhythm. Instead of one shoot day, you'll perform the moment every night, so the choreography has to hold up through a run. American Theatre describes the protocol from Intimacy Directors International as built on pillars: context, communication, consent, and choreography, with closure, a way to mark the end of the work, added later. The rules depend on the Equity agreement. Actors' Equity's [Off-Broadway agreement for 2024-2028](https://members.actorsequity.org/docs/aememberportallibraries/default-document-library/off-broadway-lnf-2024-2028.pdf) says you won't appear nude or simulate sexual acts on stage unless you've been told and given written consent in a rider by the time you sign. You get at least 48 hours to decide and a chance for a real conversation with the producer and creative team. Significant changes after signing need an additional rider, with another 48 hours. The same agreement says nudity shall not be required in the rehearsal room. You get skin-colored garments at the designer run, you can mark intimacy while cues are being written, and the producer provides a robe. Nudity should only be performed once technical elements are finalized, or on the final day of tech before the first paid public performance, whichever comes first. Other Equity agreements have their own wording, so check yours. Film and stage acting differ in more ways than this one. Our guide to [film acting versus theater acting](https://www.offbook.com/blog/film-acting-vs-theater-acting) covers the rest. ## Questions actors ask ### Do I need an intimacy coordinator for a kiss? It depends on the production. SAG-AFTRA's standards describe the role as covering nudity, simulated sex, and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes, and the 2026 contracts booklet's best-efforts rule is for nudity or simulated sex. The 2026 booklet says producers will consider requests for a coordinator on other scenes, so if you'd like one for a kissing scene, ask your rep to raise it. ### Who does the intimacy coordinator work for? Production hires them, but SAG-AFTRA's standards describe them as an advocate and a liaison between actors and production. Their job is to make the scene work as agreed, which includes speaking up when something goes beyond the rider. ### What if I'm working on a non-union project? The rules in this guide come from union contracts and apply to productions working under them. On a non-union job, you can still ask for the scene's details in writing before you agree, and ask whether an intimacy coordinator will be there. ### Can nude footage from my scene be used in the trailer? SAG-AFTRA's quick guide says nude footage or stills can't be used in promotional material without your prior written consent, and that consent must be its own explicit clause in your rider. Check that clause before you sign.