After an intimate scene from The White Lotus sparked widespread discussion, Aimee Lou Wood opened up about the meticulous planning and collaboration behind the moment, highlighting the crucial role of intimacy coordinators and her co-star Walton Goggins.
Her remarks sparked a heated discussion online about the need for intimacy coordinators, especially after Wood, 30, admitted she used to say “yes” to many scenes when she was younger.
The HBO show sees Aimee and Walton playing Chelsea and Rick—two halves of a mismatched couple with a 22-year age gap.
Aimee Lou Wood spoke about her experience working with an intimacy coordinator for The White Lotus
While Rick can’t seem to keep up with Chelsea’s unwavering positive energy, he shares a steamy moment with her in the second episode of Season 3, which aired on Sunday, February 23.
“I AM ON THE FLOORRRRR,” one viewer said after the episode.
“That scene was pretty hot and I am sure the actors’ comfort levels were a large factor in making it that way,” said another viewer.
“This scene really was so well done and I understand why it was necessary because up until this point, I was frequently asking myself if he even liked her,” another said.
Another said, “This ep I was like, ‘okay I see why they’re together.’ I get the dynamic, & it’s genuine with them,” one viewer commented.
A number of viewers praised the intimate scene between characters Rick and Chelsea in the recent White Lotus episode
Aimee spoke about the effort that went into creating the intimate scene with the series’s intimacy coordinator, Miriam Lucia.
“I love intimacy coordinators, and I think they’re absolutely essential,” Aimee told Elle.
Working with Miriam did not seem “formal” or “heavy,” the actress said.
“She’s so informed by us. She’s like, ‘You tell me your vision for this scene, and I will make sure that we can execute that in a safe way where everyone’s happy,’” she told the outlet.
Aimee believes the steamy scene was important in showing a tender side to the characters that viewers otherwise don’t see
As Aimee and Walton “designed” the scene, they were well aware of how important it was to show viewers the “tenderness” between Rick and Chelsea that they otherwise don’t see.
“We were like, ‘This is what we think should happen. This is why we think it’s important.’ Because we don’t see a lot of tenderness from Rick to Chelsea the rest of the time,” the actress said.
“So we have to make sure that when they’re physical and intimate in that way, that you see the love … We wanted it to be very tender,” she added.
For Aimee, creating the steamy scene for The White Lotus marked a career first for her: it was the first time she was given the opportunity to review a scene post-shoot and approve it.
If there was anything Aimee was not happy with, showrunner Mike White was reportedly ready to adjust the footage to ensure her comfort.
“That was the first time that had ever happened, that someone had straight away been like, ‘Come in this room and watch it,’” Aimee recalled.
The 30-year-old actress believes it is “essential” to have intimacy coordinators on set
“She’s like, ‘Obviously it’s your body,’” she added, noting that showing one’s bare body is still “a big deal.”
Aimee noted that the writer was ready to cut away from the scene “before anything happens.”
“And I was like, ‘No, I actually think it’s great because it shows a facet of their relationship that we otherwise wouldn’t really get. So it was important to keep those scenes,’” she explained.
The entire process was vastly different from her previous experiences, said the actress, who admitted she agreed to a lot of intimate scenes during the making of S*x Education.
“S*x Ed taught me a lot, and I had to do so much stuff in Season 1 that, after that, I was like, ‘Right. Now, we’re going to be more discerning,’” she said.
She asserted that she was “looked after” during the filming, but she wouldn’t question whether stripping down for a particular scene was relevant to tell the story.
Aimee admitted that when she was younger, she used to say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah” to stripping down for scenes without questioning the need for it
“I was young and I was so looked after, but I think I was very much just like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!’” she recalled. “And now, I’m more like, ‘Do we need this? Is there a way to tell this story with just a look or just a kiss?’”
“I think it’s always about asking, What is the scene saying? Because if we can say it without doing a full-blown nude s*x scene, then let’s try that,” she went on to say. “I’m definitely more aware of that now.”
The actress’s comments sparked a widespread discussion about intimacy coordinators on set
Image credits: Max
Her comments opened up a discussion on Reddit about the need for intimacy coordinators on sets.
“I’m going to be honest, this should be standard,” one said after Aimee shared her experience on White Lotus.
“Actors absolutely should have a say in how these kind[s] of scenes are rehearsed and shot and know how they fit into the larger narrative because at the end of the day it’s their bodies up on screen in hi-def, streaming media,” one Reddit user said.
Another wrote, “Aimee Lou Wood noting that even while well protected on S*x Education, she still had a tendency to agree on stuff, puts even more importance on intimacy coordinators.”
“It sounds like it was a good experience for everyone involved, and that’s exactly how scenes of intimacy should be,” said another. “Glad to hear it was done with a lot of care.”
“It’s almost like women are conditioned to not be able to say no without consequences,” a social media user said
