How Sex/Life’s Intimate Scenes Were Filmed During The Pandemic

Netflix’s steamy series Sex/Life was forced to go to absurd levels to protect the show’s cast and crew during the filming of intimate scenes. Sex/Life was created by Stacy Rukeyser and follows the life of a suburban mother who takes a “fantasy-charged trip down memory lane” as her married life begins to grow stale. The show stars Sarah Shahi, Mike Vogel, Adam Demos and Margaret Odette. So far, the series has generated low ratings, but a high viewership.

Sex/Life was originally set to begin filming in March 2020, just as COVID-19 started to spread and lockdowns began around the globe. Filming later resumed in August and ran through to December 2020, having adjusted to the new standards set for productions during the pandemic like many other Netflix productions. The show has been panned as “softcore porn,” but that hasn’t stopped viewers from turning in. Sexual content has recently been heating up, not just in shows like Sex/Life, but also on Netflix’s Bridgerton and HBO’s The White Lotus.

According to the New York Post, the production had to adapt to strict pandemic guidelines when filming intimate scenes. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was mandatory for all actors. In one scene where the lead characters of Sex/Life attend a sex party, not only was the cast dressed in full PPE, but actors were selected based on “who they could perform with [who] was within their bubble”. The sequence in question made for some amusing situations, as Sex/Life intimacy coordinator Casey Hudecki explains:

“They would be in [an oral-sex] position but with their mask and shields on and it was ridiculous. You have to laugh. They don’t have to simulate the act but they are there and fully lit. There was a lot of stress in that time, so let’s acknowledge the absurdity.”

The use of intimacy coordinators is about as new for productions as conforming to the protective measures needed during the pandemic. HBO began the practice as the #MeToo movement gained momentum, utilizing intimacy coordinators for all of their shows featuring sex scenes. Other networks soon followed suit, including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and Starz. This has not only increased accountability on set, but has given the actors the opportunity to better perform these often awkward sequences with a better sense of direction and choreography, rather than being left to their own devices. Sex/Life‘s showrunner, Stacy Rukeyser, would also have the show’s writers outline the details of the sex sequences to prepare everyone for what was to be filmed. This created what intimacy coordinator Alicia Rodis (HBO’s The Deuce) calls “better sex scenes.”

While sex and cable TV often seem to be synonymous with each other, especially for those who grew up without the internet, the evolution of how it’s portrayed onscreen has had a tremendous impact. Audiences have always gravitated toward the sexual aspect of film and television, and likely always will. And with the demand for greater accountability and safety on set due to both the pandemic and the #MeToo movement, it seems that things have gotten better for those portraying it. For now, as the pandemic continues to hold on, COVID-19 protections and the guidance of intimacy coordinators on set appear to be here to stay. Sex/Life is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: New York Post

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