Cynthia Erivo says intimacy coordinators get too little credit, at London Film Festival talk
At a BFI London Film Festival Screen Talk on Monday, Cynthia Erivo praised intimacy coordinators and said she hopes her film Prima Facie prompts debate about consent and how Black women's experience of sexual assault is seen.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Cynthia Erivo spoke at a Screen Talk at the London Film Festival on Monday 12 October about her new film Prima Facie, and said that intimacy coordinators do not get enough credit. VarietyLC “Cynthia Erivo spoke candidly about the importance of working with an intimacy coordinator on her new movie “Prima Facie” at a London Film Festival screen talk on Monday” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “That was one of the takeaways from the star’s jam-packed Monday Screen Talk during the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF), which runs through Oct. 18.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1In the film, her first role since Wicked, she plays Tessa Ensler, a defence lawyer who is sexually assaulted by a colleague. It is based on Suzie Miller's stage play, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last month, and has its U.K. debut at the London festival on Tuesday, according to Variety. VarietyLC “Erivo leads “Prima Facie” as Tessa Ensler, a successful defense lawyer who finds herself at the center of a trial when she is sexually assaulted by a colleague.”“the film premiered last month at Toronto Film Festival and has its U.K. debut at London Film Fest on Tuesday.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Erivo said: "I think not enough credit is given to intimacy coordinators", adding that they are often given a hard time, that their work is important, and that it is not only about choreographing sex or love scenes but also about making sure everyone returns to their bodies safely from harrowing scenes. Variety reports the remark drew applause. VarietyLC ““I think not enough credit is given to intimacy coordinators and they’re often given a hard time for the work they have to do on a set,” Erivo added, earning applause in the room.” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “it isn’t just about choreographing a scene, a sex scene, a love scene, romantic scene” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1She said the film's intimacy coordinator, Lizzy Talbot, helped create a very safe space for filming the assault scene. Erivo called the scene "really hard" and said the hardest part was coming back from filming it. VarietyLC ““Lizzy, our intimacy coordinator, was really helpful with creating a space that felt very safe,” Erivo said.”“the hardest thing was actually coming back from filming it.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Erivo also praised co-star Daniel Ings, who plays the lawyer who assaults Tessa, saying that from the start he wanted to talk about how they could protect one another so they could go as far as needed and then come back. VarietyLC “Erivo said that she and Daniel Ings, who plays the lawyer who assaults Tessa, had many discussions about how to handle the scene” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “immediately wanted to have a conversation about how we could be protective of one another” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2She said she hopes the film starts a conversation about consent, which she described as more about how a "no" is received than how a "yes" is seen, and about "preconceived notions about how Black women particularly experience pain". She said Black women are rarely shown in films as sexual assault victims and that such assaults are often not reported. The Hollywood ReporterLC “That it’s a big complex thing that is more to do with the way we receive ‘no’ than the way we see a ‘yes.’” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “Rarely do you see films where a Black woman has experienced this in this way” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 2On her career, Erivo said she knew immediately that she wanted to do Prima Facie, which she also produced, and that she says no to many roles, guided by an "internal metronome". She said she is in her "villain era" and wants complicated, gritty roles, and recalled that Michelle Yeoh keeps asking when she will direct. VarietyLC ““I keep saying I’m in my villain era and it keeps coming up,” she said with a laugh.” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “Yeoh asked her in between Wicked scenes when she would direct for the first time.”““I say no to a lot of things,” the actress explained.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 1She also described her approach to playing Elphaba in Wicked as seeking similarities with the character and making her "as true as possible", according to Variety. VarietyLC “I’m not trying to make her different, but just trying to make her as true as possible.” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both trade outlets report the talk as a sympathetic, quote-led account of Erivo's remarks. Variety leads with intimacy coordinators and the difficulty of filming the assault scene. The Hollywood Reporter leads with consent and how a "no" is received.
- Emphasis
- Variety stresses safety on set, the role of coordinator Lizzy Talbot, Black women being overlooked in discussions of assault, and Wicked and her 'villain era'. THR stresses the consent debate, her habit of turning down roles, her production company, and mentor Michelle Yeoh.
- Leaves out or plays down
- THR does not name the coordinator or mention the Toronto premiere or the UK debut date. Variety does not mention Yeoh or the consent framing around 'no'.
- Charged language
- “candidly”“harrowing”
- For example
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“Cynthia Erivo spoke candidly about the importance of working with an intimacy coordinator” — Variety
“Cynthia Erivo knows when to say “yes” and “no” to roles, and she hopes her new film will cause a debate about how the word “no” is received” — The Hollywood Reporter
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Erivo spoke at a Monday Screen Talk at the London Film Festival.
- She said not enough credit is given to intimacy coordinators and that they are often given a hard time.
- She praised co-star Daniel Ings for wanting to discuss how they could protect each other during the assault scene.
- She hopes Prima Facie prompts conversation about consent and about how Black women experience pain.
Cynthia Erivo person
Erivo says intimacy coordinators deserve more credit and that Prima Facie should open discussion about consent and Black women's experience of assault.
“But the work that they do is incredibly important.” — Variety
“It really is about the consent and the way her lack of consent is received.” — The Hollywood Reporter
BFI London Film Festival event
The festival hosted Erivo's Screen Talk in its 70th edition, which runs through Oct. 18, and gives Prima Facie its U.K. debut on Tuesday.
“the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF), which runs through Oct. 18.” — The Hollywood Reporter
Left2 articles
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Sympathetic Leads with Erivo's defence of intimacy coordinators and the emotional toll of filming the assault scene, with applause noted.
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Cynthia Erivo Hopes ‘Prima Facie’ Will Lead to Debate About “How Lack of Consent Is Received”
Sympathetic Leads with Erivo's hope for debate on consent, then covers her career choices and mentors, including the intimacy coordinator remark.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 12 Oct 18:24 First VarietyLC Cynthia Erivo Says ‘Not Enough Credit Is Given to Intimacy Coordinators’: ‘They’re Often Given a Hard Time’ but ‘What They Do Is Important’
- 12 Oct 18:41 +17m The Hollywood ReporterLC Cynthia Erivo Hopes ‘Prima Facie’ Will Lead to Debate About “How Lack of Consent Is Received”
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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