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In Hollywood, actors get support from professionals during the filming of sex scenes; but in Korea, there is still no such professional support for actors
By Kang Hyun-kyung
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision, ruling against actor Cho Deok-je, who was accused of sexual harassment during the filming of a sex scene for the 2016 movie, "Analog Human." He was sentenced to a one-year jail term, which was suspended for two years for his inappropriate physical contact with actress Ban Min-jeong in a scene that was filmed in April 2015.
Ban claimed Cho put his hands in her pants without prior consent, an allegation the male actor denied. The Supreme Court sided with the actress, confirming that Cho was guilty of sexual harassment.
Despite the court ruling, Cho claimed he was innocent and posted several messages on the internet to clarify what actually happened during the filming. In January, he was put behind bars for defamation.
The case shows that, whether intended or not, actors can be exposed to sexual harassment or other types of sexual abuse during the filming of sex scenes.
Allegations about chronic sexual harassment and misconduct in the film industry were revealed in 2018 during the #MeToo movement, which brought down many established figures.
Some studios in Hollywood have created a new job to protect the cast involved in sex scenes. People who do the job are called "intimacy coordinators."
According to the Directors and Coordinators Organization, "intimacy professionals" are performer advocates and movement designers that improve the artistry and experience for all during the production of intimate scenes. "Most of all, our work assists in preventing sexual harassment in the workplace," it reads on the organization's website.
American paid television network, HBO, became the first network to hire an intimacy coordinator for its 2018 film, "The Deuce," for the filming of sex scenes.
Alicia Rodis is HBO's first intimacy coordinator. She oversaw the actors involved in the sex scenes and their concerns, and tried to make their voices heard during the filming process. HBO later hired intimacy coordinators for all of its shows and dramas in order to protect actors from sexual abuse during filming.
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| A scene from HBO's 2018 film "The Deuce" / Courtesy of HBO |
Unlike in Hollywood, in the Korean film industry, there are no professionals hired to take care of actors and their concerns in the filming of sex scenes.
Park Joo-seok, an executive of a Seoul-based film studio, said he hasn't heard anything about people called intimacy coordinators. "I've been involved in the production of several films but none of the studios have ever hired people like intimacy coordinators. In the Korean film industry, there's almost no institutional support for actors in the filming of sex scenes," he told The Korea Times.
Kim Dong-won, vice president of Taewon Entertainment, confirmed there is no institutional support for actors who are concerned about sex scenes. "Producers and staff filming such scenes usually help the cast when they express discomfort," he said.
Without proper measures, actors need to take care of themselves to make sure they are not sexually harassed or victimized via sexual misconduct during filming.
Some A-list actors, who are wary of their body parts being exposed, use body doubles for the filming of sex scenes. Those actors who cannot or are not allowed to use substitute actors undergo what is called "a construction project," a slang term referring to the making of a protective guard or device worn in order to prevent actors from being sexually harassed or abused. In addition, the device is also used to prevent certain actors or actresses from being accidentally exposed.
Usually female staff in the make-up or props departments are assigned to actresses to create such devices prior to the filming of sex scenes. However, they are not professionally trained to deal with the legal or psychological aspects of maintaining the line between filming such scenes and potential sexual abuse.
Actress Ra Mi-ran spoke about this practice in the film industry on a TV show in June 2014.
She said that she had once performed a sex scene without receiving a protective guard.
Without proper measures to protect actors during the filming of sex scenes, some actors have openly mentioned their discomfort while filming.
During a press conference for the 2010 film "Secret Love," a romance film revolving around a woman who is in love with the younger brother of her deceased husband, actress Yoon Jin-seo said that shooting sex scenes is tough for all actors. "This time, I was drained both mentally and physically," she confessed.
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