‘Bridgerton’ Intimacy Coordinator Shares Details Behind the Reality of Filming NSFW Scenes

One person who has become a surprising star thanks to Netflix‘s Bridgerton was not even in front of the camera. Intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot has gained notoriety for her work on the show, which includes several sex scenes that push the boundaries of television. Her work has been written about so much that Saturday Night Live even parodied it when Rege-Jean Page, who plays the Duke of Hastings, hosted last weekend. In her latest interview, Talbot described how difficult it was to direct scenes that make steam emit from your televisions.

In a recent interview with The Times, Talbot said there were “no protocols” in place for sex scenes before she worked on the show. “Everyone was relying on the good graces of their scene partner and the good intentions of their director, but that’s the safety net, and you can see for so many people that just wasn’t enough,” Talbot explained. Talbot’s job now involves creating an environment where actors feel comfortable before filming starts. They had to “work out consent boundaries” between the stars.

“It might be that we are working with containers, like, ‘You can put your hand from the top of my neck to the top of my lower back or anywhere in between. You’ve got the freedom to do what you want in that area, but it doesn’t go anywhere else,’” Talbot explained. She believes that if there are rehearsals for the sex scenes similar to stunt rehearsals and dance rehearsals, this can take the “awkwardness and the fear” out of filming them because an actor will begin to feel like they are “just another scene at that point.”

In late January, Talbot told the Independent that each actor has their own comfort levels when it comes to intimate scenes. For example, she spoke with Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne and shares plenty of sex scenes with Page, before filming to understand what she was comfortable with. Talbot also had her own experience as an actress in her teens before she became a fight choreographer. “It struck me when I was working on domestic violence scenes that there was a crossover between fight choreography and intimacy,” she explained to the Independent. “We have protocols for fights but not for intimacy and those scenes can also be dangerous.”

It also helped that Talbot got along well with Bridgerton director Julie Anne Robinson. Talbot said Netflix was nervous she would take directing out of the hands of directors and Robinson had some bad experiences with intimacy coordinators in the past. But Talbot and Robinson clicked quickly and began to trust each other. Bridgerton showrunner Chris Van Dusen also told E! News that the show’s sex scenes are “heavily choreographed” and extensively rehearsed. There’s no reason to suspect Talbot will not be needed when Bridgerton returns for a second season.