‘No Time to Die’: Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas Allegedly Worked With an ‘Intimacy Coordinator’ for Sex Scenes
The James Bond series is set to have one more movie added to its long list of highly sexual and action-packed films. Actor Daniel Craig has Ana de Armas playing his love interest in the upcoming 25th Bond film.
Due to the concerns over simulated sexual experiences and the exploitation of similar situations in the past, did the two actors consult an intimacy coordinator during filming?
Craig and Armas have worked together before
Daily Mail writes that Craig chose to include the Cuban actor in the Bond film due to his experience with working with her on the set of Knives Out. According to the Los Angeles Times, Craig said, “She’s got the chops. She can do it all. And it’s about time people sat up and noticed.”
Craig is set to return to the scene of the Bond films in his last appearance as James Bond. He makes the longest played Bond character with 15 years of experience and feels it is time to pass it on.
Ana Armas’s career start in the U.S. was rocky
After leaving Cuba for Spain when she was 18, the actor worked her way through college and acting school to make her debut in the Spanish movie Virgin Rose (Una rosa de Francia) in 2006, the same year Craig first played James Bond.
She continued to play in Spanish TV until she made her crossover to Hollywood. Once on American soil, Armas found it difficult to work, mainly due to her lack of English-speaking skills. Armas learned as she continued, not allowing the language to hold her back.
Eventually, she secured a role in the film 2015, Knock Knock, starring Keanu Reeves. After the 2015 release, she secured a role in Ryan Gosling and Robin Wright in 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 and another with Craig in Knives Out. She now is set to play Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, and No Time to Die among other productions.
The role of Craig and Armas intimacy coordinator
Due to the sensitive nature of filming intimate scenes, it has become commonplace to hire an intimacy coordinator. Craig and Armas had one on set to assist with devices and settings and to make sure everyone was comfortable, and no one was violated.
Previous to the #MeToo movement, Bond girls did not have advocates for intimate scenes and had to voice their discomfort and concerns with the scene. The #MeToo movement and was created to bring awareness to stories of sexual misconduct and prevent further harm.
The SAG-AFTRA defines an intimacy coordinator as “an advocate, a liaison between actors and production … in regard to nudity and simulated sex” according to an article by The Hollywood Reporter. They are there to direct intimate actions, work with costuming, and monitor closed sets as well as plan where and how touching and exposure is managed.
‘No Time to Die’ has faced delays
The 25th James Bond movie is to be produced by Eon Productions and has been delayed several times. The first delay was from the creative disagreements of Danny Boyle and John Hodge, who both left directing the film. Once replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, the pandemic slowed final production and release.
No Time to Die is set to premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 28, 2021. Its theatrical release will be on September 30, 2021, in the United Kingdom and October 8, 2021, in the United States.
