'Bridgerton' director didn't want the most sensual scene this season to feature penetrative sex, says intimacy coordinator

• Insider spoke with "Bridgerton" intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot about season two's sexiest scenes.
• Talbot said director Cheryl Dunye didn't want this season's big sex scene to feature penetration.

When "Bridgerton" premiered in late 2020, it made waves as one of the few TV shows that dared to feature sex scenes solely through the lens of female pleasure.

For season two, director Cheryl Dunye wanted to stay true to that vision, according to intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot.

This season's main sex scene comes in episode seven, when Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) finally act on their forbidden romance.

Duyne, who directed episodes seven and eight, told Insider's Claudia Willen that she wanted to portray Kate as a woman who emanates "empowerment," "satisfaction" and "control" during her most intimate moments.

Talbot echoed this sentiment, telling Insider that Dunye wanted to make sure the scene was told from Kate's point of view.

"It was really lovely working with Cheryl because she was so intentional about making sure that we weren't going to get into penetrative sex, which I certainly appreciated," Talbot told Insider. "Because that was my take on it too, that we were going to see it again from an angle of female pleasure — and she was supportive and on board with that."

Talbot said "Bridgerton" has made it a point to move away from sex scenes that show penetrative orgasms, which have long been the norm in Hollywood.

"We want to make sure we really are reflecting the female gaze," she continued. "So we do see foreplay, and we can often make foreplay the star of the show. That's the approach we take every single time."

Talbot emphasized this by choreographing all of Anthony and Kate's passionate moments — even those as small as their fingers grazing — from Kate's perspective.

"Because Kate is such a pivotal character this season, if we're going to earn the sex scenes at the end from her point of view, it makes sense to start that way and continue all the way through," Talbot said.

It was the same technique Talbot used when choreographing Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset's (Regé-Jean Page) first sex scene in season one.

"Daphne is watching Simon from the bed and she's actually covered and he's the one that's exposed, which is very unusual," Talbot said. "You don't normally see that, it's usually the other way around. So again, it's just reflective of how this show works."

While the first season of "Bridgerton" followed Daphne's sexual awakening, Talbot said the show took a different approach to intimacy for Kate because she's "more savvy and knows what she wants."

"Kate always has such an air of confidence about her," Talbot said. "Just even from the looks and glances, the way she holds herself, all her facial expressions, you know this is someone who knows what she wants."

"So in the sex scenes, you can really see her guide Anthony to what she's looking for, which is quite a strong move — especially for the time period."

While many fans and critics have been disappointed by the lack of sensual scenes in season two, Talbot said Anthony and Kate's story was all about "the slow sizzle."

"I think we've done the characters justice," she added. "And I think we have really ensured that every sex scene has been earned properly."