TIL: Intimacy Director Is a Thing

consent, boundaries, checking out, checking off, 3 levels of touch (see image above), desexualization (lip-to-lip contact instead of kiss, counting seconds (part of choreography), leaving no time for hormones???)

I'm the only one in the session that is not an actor, and it's pretty cool to see them in person and discuss the topic.

Instructor was Danica Jackson, a certified intimacy director (it took months to get certified, wow).

I asked about what container is because I was 3 minute late and missed it, and she did an example with an actress. I love learning by examples!

Danica was also the director for Jekyll and Hyde, she talked about the kissing scenes and how she hated to learn about the awful details of sex workers of Victorian England.

I love the idea of checking off, using physical cues / activities to remind oneself that the work is done and she's not in acting anymore. Because acting a bad guy can cause trouble if one can't separate acting from real life.

Another interesting example Danica gave was Waltz, where it's expected that the man put his right hand on the woman's shoulder blade.

When one of the actor was sharing the story of how he felt when acting a bad guy, they walked about how the ability to empathize is actors' nature. Someone said she cried during commercial.