Reader discretion is advised. How many times have you watched a steamy sex scene in a movie or a racy hookup in a television show and wondered how they did it? What we see on the big screen is deceiving. According to many actors and directors, some of the most iconic sex scenes in film history are not as desirable as they appear.

The triumph of those steamy sex scenes, however, has been hugely reliant on a behind-the-scenes crew member: the intimacy coordinator. In the wake of the MeToo movement in , HBO became the first network to commit to hiring intimacy coordinators when filming nudity or sexual content; since then, other leading organisations have followed suit. In a condensed period of time, the intimacy coordinator has become essential to the industry — so what are the tools and tricks of the trade and how is a sex scene actually filmed? We choreograph the scene and block it, in a private rehearsal. The actors discuss with each other where they are comfortable being touched, and how. Then I pass on the riders to the script supervisors, who ensure that information is passed on to the editing team. I make sure the set is closed and the monitors are flagged.

To hear most actors tell it, filming sex scenes is no turn-on. There are big cameras, of course, and big crew members that come with them. Speak to the filmmakers, though, and you get a different take.

It takes a lot of movie magic romance to make it appear as though actors in a sex scene are actually in the throes of passion. Most famous movie sex scenes are choreographed right down to each passionate kiss and every gentle caress although, in rare cases, actors actually did get intimate on camera. Ever wonder how sex scenes are filmed?