Gwyneth Paltrow had to film numerous intimate scenes with co-star Timothée Chalamet for the upcoming table tennis drama, Marty Supreme — marking her return to acting after several years away, this project introduced her to the concept of intimacy coordinators.
Speaking to Vanity Fair for a cover story interview, the Academy Award winner revealed she was unfamiliar with intimacy coordinators when filming began, and both she and Chalamet decided to proceed without one.
“There’s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed … We said, ‘I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back,’” Paltrow recalled of the steamy production.
Discussing how the film’s intimacy coordinator attempted to guide one of their intimate scenes, Paltrow shared, “I was like, ‘Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on.’”
The practice of employing intimacy coordinators has become increasingly prevalent in the entertainment industry. However, productions typically allow performers to choose whether they want such support. Paltrow expressed that extensive coordination would have restricted her artistic expression on “Marty Supreme.”
“I don’t know how it is for kids who are starting out, but … if someone is like, ‘OK, and then he’s going to put his hand here,’ I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that,” she explained.
The debate over intimacy coordinators’ involvement in films featuring intimate and nude scenes remains contentious, particularly on social media. Mikey Madison and director Sean Baker faced significant criticism in late 2024 for their decision to forgo an intimacy coordinator on their Oscar-winning film Anora, despite its explicit content.
Helmed and co-written by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme features Chalamet as a table tennis hustler who becomes romantically involved with a married woman, portrayed by Paltrow.
“They meet and she’s had a pretty tough life, and I think he breathes life back into her,” Paltrow teased of her and Chalamet’s romance in the film. “But it’s kind of transactional for them both.”
Previously, Paltrow and Chalamet, who share a 23-year age difference, attracted media attention when photographers captured them filming a passionate kissing scene for Marty Supreme. Paltrow indicates this represents just a fraction of their on-screen chemistry.
“We have a lot of sex in this movie,” she informed Vanity Fair. “There’s a lot — a lot.”
A24 is set to release Marty Supreme on Dec. 25.
