Russell T Davies criticises 'privileged' Hollywood stars' intimacy coordinator comments

Russell T Davies has criticised Hollywood stars who dismiss intimacy co-ordinators, calling such views "privileged" and arguing that actors with less power on set need their protection.

Speaking to the Mirror, the It's a Sin and Queer as Folk creator singled out Ironman star Gwyneth Paltrow, describing actors who hold such views as "disgraceful human beings".

Previously, Paltrow said she asked an intimacy co-ordinator to "step back" while filming intimate scenes with Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, saying she felt "very stifled" by the guidance.

Davies made the remarks ahead of his new Channel 4 drama Tip Toe, which features sexually explicit scenes filmed around Manchester's Canal Street.

Since the #MeToo movement, Davies said intimacy co-ordinators - who help during the filming of sex scenes - had become an essential part of many productions.

Referring to Paltrow's comments, he said actors with her level of influence had little understanding of what it was like for less powerful performers on set, adding: "They are disgraceful human beings.

"They have so much power and so much privilege and they have no idea what it is like to be a jobbing actor with no power on a set. Shame on them."

Paltrow, 53, won an Oscar in 1999 for the Harvey Weinstein-produced Shakespeare in Love, and was later among the first high-profile people to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment.

She played Pepper Potts in several Marvel movies and appeared in the Netflix series The Politician, but said she considers Marty Supreme her first serious film role since 2010's Country Strong.

In March 2025, Paltrow recalled how the film's co-ordinator had asked if she would be comfortable with a certain move during one intimate scene with Chalamet.

"I was like 'girl, I'm from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera's on'," she said.

"We said 'I think we're good. You can step a little bit back'.

"I don't know how it is for kids who are starting out, but... if someone is like, 'OK, and then he's going to put his hand here,' I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that."

Paltrow's views have also been shared by actors Kim Basinger and Sean Bean.

In February 2025, Basinger, who starred opposite Mickey Rourke in the 1986 erotic drama 9 1/2 Weeks, told Variety she would not have wanted an intimacy co-ordinator involved in filming, arguing that actors should be able to work out such scenes between themselves.

Meanwhile, in August 2022, Game of Thrones star Bean said intimacy co-ordinators could "spoil the spontaneity" of scenes.

However, many actors have praised intimacy co-ordinators, saying they make filming sex scenes safer and more comfortable by choreographing them in the same way as stunt sequences.

Others have said they wished such support had been available when they were starting out.

In 2022, Dame Emma Thompson described them as "fantastically important", while Kate Winslet said in 2024 that she would have benefited from having one throughout her career.

Reflecting on filming intimate scenes, Winslet said it would have been reassuring to have "someone in my corner", adding that she often felt she had to "stand up for myself" on set.

Davies's upcoming five-part Channel 4 series Tip Toe follows electrician Clive, a father of two teenage sons, and Leo, who runs a bar in Manchester's Canal Street LGBT district.

The series follows Davies' acclaimed work It's a Sin and Queer as Folk, both set against LGBT life in Manchester and beyond.

Director Phil Collinson, who worked on It's a Sin, also praised intimacy co-ordinators, saying he recognised their value while filming the award-winning drama.

"I'd never done it before - it's an incredible experience," he said.

"Before that point, I was just left out there. It was like 'go on, make this sexy'.

"And then it'd be me and two actors all looking at each other and lots of people just with their arms folded."