2020-07-01RedUK

Smart women

39

July 2020 | REDONLINE.CO.UK

W

hat do Normal People, Sex

Education and Gentleman Jack

have in common? Besides being

undeniably fantastic, they all portray

engaging and honest sex and

intimacy – and that’s largely down

to Ita O’Brien. As the pioneering creator of Intimacy on

Set guidelines, she works on theatre, TV and movie sets

to choreograph sexual scenes within a safe and supportive

environment. Here, she explains how she did it...

I STARTED DANCING AGED THREE AND ATTENDED THE ROYAL ACADEMY

OF DANCE, FOLLOWED BY BUSH DAVIES SCHOOL. When I finished

school, I worked as a musical theatre dancer for 10 years.

It was amazing – I danced in the West End and toured in

musicals, such as Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor

Dreamcoat and On The Town.

IN 1990, A CAR ACCIDENT DAMAGED MY BACK. I knew I had to change

path, but dancing was all I’d ever known. I thought, ‘If I’m

not a dancer, who am I?’ It was hard, but the shows I had

danced in inspired me to think more about storytelling,

so I started an MA in acting at Bristol Old Vic in 1996.

TRANSITIONING INTO ACTING WAS CHALLENGING. As a dancer, you

strive for perfection, but as an actor, you strive for truth. It

was especially hard because, after meeting my partner, I fell

pregnant in my first year. I had my son, Zac, over the summer,

then studied for my second year with a baby. A year after

I finished the course, I was pregnant with my daughter, Zoe.

IN 2014, I WAS WORKING ON MY OWN PLAY, WHICH EXPLORED

THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN PERPETRATOR AND VICTIM. I worked on

putting practices and principals in place to keep my actors

safe while exploring this dynamic. Throughout my career,

I had seen how actors were told to ‘go for it’ in scenes

with intimate content. This means actors’ private bodies

are brought into their work, and it can trigger feelings of

shame. If an actor is touched in a way they’re not prepared

for, it can have serious repercussions, and some actors

may be traumatised by their experiences. Fighting scenes

Smart women

HOW I

GOT HERE

Ita O’Brien, movement director and founder of Intimacy on Set, who has

worked on Normal People and Sex Education, shares her career journey

are carefully choreographed, so I wondered why intimate

scenes weren’t crafted in the same way.

I STARTED TEACHING WHAT I WAS DEVELOPING IN DRAMA SCHOOLS, AND

SOON MY GUIDELINES WERE CREATED. When the Harvey Weinstein

scandal erupted in 2017, there was a realisation across the

industry that codes of conduct were needed to keep actors

safe. I went to Equity, the trade union for creatives, told them

I had guidelines ready and started working with productions.

MY WORK INVOLVES ENCOURAGING OPEN COMMUNICATION, CONSENT

OF TOUCH AND CHOREOGRAPHING INTIMATE CONTENT. I ask actors

for their ‘no-go’ zones and chat through concerns, before

feeding back to directors and working out creative ways to

best serve story and character. Then, we rehearse specially

devised choreography to ensure actors feel confident.

SEX EDUCATION WAS THE FIRST TV PRODUCTION I WORKED ON. This

initiated a huge interest in what I was doing, so I founded

Intimacy on Set to develop best practice training to serve

the industry across the globe.

WORKING WITH DIRECTOR LENNY ABRAHAMSON ON NORMAL PEOPLE

WAS A PRIVILEGE. It was a joy to intimacy coordinate his

vision in the scenes with Paul Mescal (Connell) and

Daisy Edgar-Jones (Marianne). They’re superb actors.

I’m proud of the response it has had.

SOMETIMES, DIRECTORS RESIST MY INVOLVEMENT, BUT I TRY NOT TO TAKE

IT PERSONALLY. This work is so important, and I’m confident

the industry is changing for the better. When the scenes

I work on resonate with viewers, and actors tell me they’re

grateful I was there, it makes everything worthwhile.

Find out more about Ita’s work at intimacyonset.com

‘I KNEW I NEEDED TO

KEEP ACTORS SAFE IN

INTIMATE SCENES’

IN

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IEW

:^ A

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