Toni Collette says intimacy coordinators actually make her 'more anxious' on set and once 'asked them to leave'

• Toni Collette told the Times of London that intimacy coordinators have made her feel "more anxious" on set.
• An intimacy coordinator works to ensure intimate scenes are comfortable and consensual.

Toni Collette says intimacy coordinators have, at times, made her feel less comfortable on set.

In an interview published Friday with the Times of London's Polly Veron, Collette shared her feelings regarding intimacy coordinators. Collette is currently promoting her upcoming Amazon Prime Video series, "The Power."

"I think it's only been a couple of times where they've been brought in, and I have very much trusted and felt at ease with the people I was working with," Collette said.

"It just felt like those people who were brought in to make me feel more at ease were actually making me feel more anxious. They weren't helping, so I asked them to leave," she continued.

According to SAG-AFTRA, an intimacy coordinator is "an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes."

When asked whether she would've been more comfortable with intimacy coordinators earlier on in her acting career, Collette said "It depends," and added that their presence on set brings "new energy."

"You never know what you're going to get and it's a miracle that a film ever comes together, let alone thrives. I've been very fortunate in that I've only worked with a few arseholes over the several decades that I've managed to keep this boat afloat," Collette continued.

In 2020, Insider spoke with Ita O'Brien, an intimacy coordinator who worked on Hulu's "Normal People," about their role on sets.

"Trust that we are there in service. It's not about just protecting actors," she added. "While that's part of it, it's absolutely to serve the production, serve the director's vision, and then to serve the actors, to create a really safe and empowered environment to create the best work they can," O'Brien said.

"The Power" is derived from a 2016 Naomi Alderman novel. It follows Jos Cleary-Lopez (Auli'i Cravalho), a teenage girl who developed the power to electrocute people and things. Collette plays her mother, Margot, and actor John Leguizamo plays her father, Rob.

"The Power" begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 31.