30 seconds with... an intimacy coordinatorAre you manenough to wearsquare-toe shoes?Sure, we may have resolved
long ago, as a species, that
square-toe shoes must never
walk the earth again. We’d seen
them on the feet of second-tier
NBA players, Ross from Friends
and the kind of guys who try to
chat up women at bus stops.
We’d noted their ability to
ruin even a decent suit. But
those – those – were the
old styles. Now, fashion
brands have found a way
to bring back the square
toe in a way that, dare
we say it, is really quite
appealing. Unlike the
old gen, which were a
by-product of low-rent shoe
manufacturers peddling a
novel shape, these new ones
are aggressive, intentional and
laced with irony. Case in point:
Bottega Veneta (below) and
Prada (right and above right).
Pull on a pair with impunity. CBShoes by Bottega Veneta,
THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM IS OUT ON 27 MARCH. from £720. bottegaveneta.comThe Australian Dream tells Goodes’ storyAussie Rules footballer
Adam Goodes in action for
the Sydney Swans, 2015If it were fiction, it’s a plot line Don
DeLillo would not turn down. It’s 2013
and garlanded Aussie Rules footballer
Adam Goodes, playing for the Sydney
Swans, is racially abused from the stands
by a 13-year-old girl who calls him an “ape”.
After Goodes points her out to stewards, she
is removed from the ground. But that’s not
the end of it. An outpouring of hate comes
down on Goodes as he is booed relentlessly
on the pitch and finds himself at the centre of
a media storm.
Of course, it’s not fiction, but real life, and it
forms the central narrative in Daniel Gordon’spowerful, enraging and profoundly affecting
documentary The Australian Dream.
On one level a superior meditation on the
role of sport in contemporary culture, it is also
a moving history lesson in Australia’s shameful
treatment of its indigenous population. At its
centre, Goodes cuts a heroic figure – tolerant,
humane and with deep reserves of strength- although one cannot help but fear for the
toll such a role places upon an individual. It’s
easy to point the finger at Australian society,
but Colin Kaepernick’s experiences in the US
and the rise of racism in football over here
mean that this is a story that comes, sadly, with
a universal resonance. John Naughton
DETAILS − BRIEFINGThe Australian Dream is a study in
sports that’s full of hope and dreadThe one docwe can’t stopthinking aboutthis month...When HBO needs to shoot a sex
scene, it calls Alicia Rodis. She is part
of a growing industry of intimacy
coordinators who negotiate boundaries
and choreograph the action. Niche
specialism? Sure. Fun? Surprisingly soÉWhat are the hardest scenes to work on?
ÒSometimes we have background
performers who are coming in to do
group sex scenes. Some of them are castthe night before, so it’s a lot of quick
assessments. I’ve done scenes on shows
such as The Deuce where we have 30
people doing various forms of nudity and
simulated sex Ð and no rehearsal day.ÓDo you struggle to keep a straight face?
ÒIt’s an absurd situation sometimes.
Humour is often welcome. When I come
on set, people think I’m HR, like, ÔOh,
God, don’t make any jokes.’ No. It’s OK.ÓWhat makes a good sex scene?
ÒThat it is part of the story. There are
so many times you see a sex scene
and it seems like it’s a separate movie,
particularly if people are nervous and
are just trying to get it done. That’s the
wonderful thing about this job: allowing
people to have a voice.Ó TBEDITED FOR BREVITY. READ THE FULL
INTERVIEW ON GQ.CO.UK.PhotographsGetty Images; Madman Entertainment; Shutterstock04-20DetailsBriefing_3528100.indd 81 13/02/2020 08:51
APRIL 2020 GQ.CO.UK 81