Toni Collette Has Asked Intimacy Coordinators to Leave on Set: ‘They Weren’t Helping’

Toni Collette is addressing the role of intimacy coordinators on set.

The Oscar-nominated star admitted that sometimes intimacy coordinators had made her “feel more anxious” at times during productions. “I think it’s only been a couple of times where they’ve been brought in, and I have very much trusted and felt at ease with the people I was working with,” Collette told The Times UK of working with intimacy coordinators.

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“The Power” star continued, “It just felt like those people who were brought in to make me feel more at ease were actually making me feel more anxious. They weren’t helping, so I asked them to leave.”

Collette looked back on her earlier career, saying that intimacy coordinators (which are now an industry norm) bring a “new energy” to crews.

“You never know what you’re going to get and it’s a miracle that a film ever comes together, let alone thrives,” Collette said, adding that it “depends” whether or not an intimacy coordinator would have changed past experiences with “arseholes” she’s worked with. “I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve only worked with a few arseholes over the several decades that I’ve managed to keep this boat afloat.”

The “Mafia Mamma” actress previously told IndieWire that she has turned down working with intimacy coordinators as she “felt like they were encroaching upon the process” at times.

“I’ve denied them access to the actual scene because I didn’t feel like I needed them,” Collette said. “It really is there as a safety net. I’ve worked with some wonderful, wonderful people and I have felt so safe. So it’s not always a necessity, but it’s there if you need it.”

Collette added during an interview with Variety that “if I’d been with other people where I didn’t feel as comfortable, I probably would have welcomed [an intimacy coordinator’ there. But I just felt so secure in our world that I didn’t feel the need for her presence.”

The “Staircase” actress is set to star in Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming sci-fi adaptation “Mickey 17” with Robert Pattinson. Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” breakout Naomi Ackie. Collette is also making her directorial debut with the adaptation of the novel “Writers and Lovers.”

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