Lena Hall Responds To 'Snowpiercer' Costar Sean Bean's Comments About Intimacy Coordinators

Sean Bean is in some hot water after his comment to The Sunday Times that intimacy coordinators “ruin” and “spoil the spontaneity” of sex scenes in movies and TV shows. Now, Bean’s “Snowpiercer” costar Lena Hall has some comments of her own to clarify what the actor said about an intimate scene they had together in the show’s latest season that involved a mango.


READ MORE: Sean Bean Thinks Sex Scenes In Film/TV Are “Ruined” By Intimacy Coordinators On Set

In his interview with The Sunday Times, Bean spoke about the scene with Hall, and whether or not the intimacy coordinators on set helped the scene. “I suppose it depends on the actress,” said Bean, “This one [Hall] had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.” Not so fast, Mr. Bean. Even though Hall has starred in Broadway productions like “Hedwig And The Angry Inch” and “Kinky Boots” doesn’t mean she’s ready to work without coordinators on set.

EW reports that Hall took to Twitter to set the record straight. “The infamous mango scene wasn’t a naked scene,” she wrote in a Tweet. “I was ‘naked’ (but not really naked) in the bathtub/suicide scene (which I guess is in that same moment) but Sean Bean was in the bathtub fully clothed in a tuxedo.” She went on, “Just because I am in theater (not cabaret, but I do perform them every once in a while) does not mean that I am up for anything. Seriously does depend on the other actor, the scene we are about to do, the director, and whatever crew has to be in there to film it.” Foot, meet Sean Bean’s mouth.

Even though Bean’s comments are a little out of line, Hall continued to call Bean an “awesome actor” who “made me feel not only comfortable but also like I had a true acting partner in those bizarre scenes.” She continued, “”It was us against the world and we were gonna tell that story. If I feel comfortable with my scene partner and with others in the room then I won’t need an intimacy coordinator. BUT if there is any part of me that is feeling weird, gross, over exposed etc… I will either challenge the necessity of the scene or I’ll want an IC.”

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, intimacy coordinators have become the norm on film and TV sets to oversee scenes of sexual intimacy. Hall concluded her follow-up about Bean’s remarks praising that ICs “are a welcome addition to the set,” especially for heavy scenes, but also noted that “every single person and scene and experience is different.” In Bean’s case, he found the IC’s presence on the set of “Snowpiercer” stifling creatively but incorrectly assumed Hall’s theater background made her as comfortable with the scene as he was.  

Some actors have taken Bean to task for his comments. “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler responded to Bean’s remarks by praising ICs because they “establish an environment of safety for actors,” but wouldn’t brook his need for less inhibition on set. “Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe,” she noted, “Wake up.” “She-Hulk” lead Jameela Jamil also had some choice words for Bean. “It should only be technical. It’s like a stunt,” Jamil said about sex scenes. “Our job as actors is to make it not look techincal. Nobody wants an impromptu grope.”  

Bean can’t eat his words in an era where social media reigns supreme, but maybe the actor wishes he could. Hall, Zegler, and Jamil are all correct in asserting why intimacy coordinators matter. Acting may be a performance, but it’s also a job. And those jobs require standards and practices where every worker, regardless of race, gender, and sexuality, should feel comfortable, even more so when shooting sexually intimate scenes. Intimacy coordinators provide that, and if actors like Bean find that inhibiting, the appropriate response is this: too bad.