The discussion around sex on screen and the role of intimacy coordinators is the central topic of Kate Blackmore’s smart and enlightening debut documentary Make It Look Real.
The film demystifies the process by following intimacy coordinator Claire Warden—whose credits include TV shows such as Gossip Girl and Billions, and films like Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story—as they workshop and support the filming of intimate scenes. We see Warden working with the principal actors to navigate multiple sex scenes, and with writer-director Kieran Darcy-Smith as he refines the screenplay. Make It Look Real guides the audience through the full process, from inception and negotiation to on-set dynamics.
Warden compares the role of intimacy coordinators to that of stunt coordinators. No film would dare spring unrehearsed or unplanned stunt work on performers, and matters of intimacy should be treated with the same care, she argues. Her open, warm, and authoritative manner goes a long way in helping her navigate the space between a director’s vision and an actor’s boundaries.
Each of the actors she is working with has a different level of comfort with nudity and simulated sex. Sarah Roberts wants to avoid nudity entirely; Albert Mwangi is open to partial nudity and some simulated sex acts; and Tom Davis is the most comfortable with nudity and sex on film. Warden draws on her experience to guide them through their options, demonstrating how sex can be simulated without breaching personal limits. On set, she coaches them through the subtle changes in movement that make faux-intercourse appear convincing on camera.
One of the most enlightening scenes features Warden showing Darcy-Smith footage from her previous work, explaining how she collaborated with creatives to choreograph a sensual, intimate threesome while protecting the performers, involving hands strategically covering modesty garments.
Make It Look Real attempts to broaden its scope with archive audio from well-known actresses—including Emilia Clarke, Nicole Kidman, and Jodie Foster—recounting traumatic on-set experiences. However, there is a lack of any substantial counterpoint or critical voice questioning the practice, something that feels like an oversight at a time when some high-profile actresses have publicly rejected the need for an intimacy coordinator on set.
The film does not specifically look at intimacy coordination through a queer lens, but Make It Look Real is an invaluable educational tool on the practice. While it centers on the work of one coordinator, it successfully opens up a vital industry conversation; one that balances artistic vision with personal boundaries and affirms the growing importance of safe, consensual storytelling. For anyone curious about what it really takes to make intimacy look real on screen, this documentary offers an honest and compelling answer.
By Chad Armstrong
Make It Look Real premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival, recently screened at SXSW Film & TV Festival, and receives its Sydney premiere at the Sydney Film Festival from Thursday, June 12th, 2025. For more details and to purchase tickets head to sff.org.au.
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