Heather Graham‘s relationship with intimacy coordinators in Hollywood has not been smooth sailing.
The actress opens up, sharing her view based on her personal experience in the industry. Working on sets and projects with a number of explicit scenes since the early 2000s, she has seen both sides of the coin in the industry.
Sex has been a big topic of discussion for Heather Graham, especially because her big break in the entertainment industry came from having steamy roles. Other huge aspects of her life revolve around health and wellness.
Heather Graham Says Intimacy Coordinators Make Her Uneasy On Set
Graham, who rose to stardom with her outstanding role as Rollergirl in “Boogie Nights,” shares how different acting sets were back in her early days. The Paul Anderson film features the actress as the naive porn star in the adult entertainment industry, showing her in various nude scenes. Looking back, the star notes the changes in the ways such scenes are filmed, especially with the presence of intimacy coordinators.
Graham admits that she sees the vision in their presence on set and understands that having them as part of the crew comes with good intentions. Nevertheless, having been in the entertainment industry for so long without having intimacy coordinators, their presence feels odd to her. “There’s this random person in the room just staring at you when you’re, like, pretending you have sex. It’s kind of awkward,” the star explains.
In recent years, intimacy coordinators have become the norm on projects with steamy scenes; they help to choreograph the scenes while making sure the actors feel comfortable. Graham tells US Weekly that she acknowledges their purpose, saying, “I know that they have a beautiful intention, and they really want to help and protect actors.” However, it often feels like there are too many eyes watching her as she tries to get into character fully.
The ‘Boogie Nights’ Star Recalled Other Encounters With Intimacy Coordinators
The actress shared a recent incident that occurred while filming her upcoming horror comedy “They Will Kill You.” The coordinator on set was an adorable lady in her 20s, according to Graham. During the scary scenes, the star felt less worried about the job and more about the person meant to oversee it. “We were doing this scary scene, and I felt like I had to take care of her. The movie star recalled, “She’s like, ‘This is really disturbing.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, I’m sorry, it’s kind of awkward,” Graham added.
On another project, the intimacy coordinator seemingly switched roles into creative direction and started directing “The Hangover” star on how to have sex in a scene, which made her have to use her voice. Graham reportedly told the coordinator that she was not asking for notes, and if she had any inputs, she could share them with the director.
Graham felt having two different people telling her what to do on set was confusing, and so she had to draw a line. Despite her personal notion about it, she sees that younger actors could benefit more from the help of intimacy coordinators. “It might be better if you’re younger and don’t know how to stand for yourself and speak up for yourself. At this point, I feel like I’m strong enough,” the actress stated.
The Entertainer’s Reason For Getting Into Roles With Sexual Contents
The on-screen star previously shared that accepting her role on “Boogie Nights” was a huge step out of her comfort zone. She had initially turned down projects involving explicit content due to her upbringing. “I grew up in a religious family, and they were like, ‘Don’t do anything with any sexual content,’” Graham shared on a podcast two years ago.
“But try to be a woman in Hollywood in your early 20s, mid-20s, and then to try to get no roles with any sexual content, it’s like impossible,” she added, noting that she had to go against her family’s wishes. Accepting the role of Rollergirl was a major turnaround for her career. Although the 56-year-old star found her debut nude scenes terrifying, she rose to the occasion.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Graham had some concerns as a woman in the industry. Nude scenes create a space for vulnerability and for viewers to see certain flaws. Ultimately, she had to get it all out of her head and channel her character’s inner mindset. With this, the actress found the courage to perform her best in the film.
The Hollywood Icon Admitted That Sex Is Part Of Her Personality
Over a decade ago, the “At Any Price” star got candid about her real-life relationship with love-making. Despite being a pro at intimacy on screens, she reportedly struggled to come to terms with the actual process. Metro reported that Graham previously admitted that it took her a while to admit that she feels good about sex, as she constantly questioned her motives behind the feelings.
“Sex is a part of who I am, and it took me a long time to feel good about it,” she disclosed before saying, “I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad to be a person who really enjoys sex. Sex is an aspect of my personality.” She addressed the bias women face for being vocal about their sexuality. The entertainer voiced that the ultimate form of freedom is for a woman to be able to express her sexuality.
She also stated that the American culture at the time did not provide a safe space for women to express themselves sexually. To prove her point further, Graham cited that there are so many movies about men’s fantasies, but little to no attention is given to those of women.
Heather Graham Is Focused More On Her Health These Days
Graham believes that her health takes the number one spot in her life, even above her career. She insists that health is everything; hence, she pays closer attention to what she eats, exercises, and meditates. While she admittedly had unhealthy habits in the past, she has made conscious efforts to put that life behind her.
Graham previously revealed that she tries to stay away from white flour and sugar completely. In the same vein, she does not see the use of GLP-1s like Ozempic as something to include in her regimen. Instead of turning to pharmaceuticals for weight loss, the actress says working out, doing yoga, and dieting do the trick for her.
She also has never gone under the knife for any cosmetic procedures, although she has tried Botox, fillers, and microneedling. The Blast notes that Graham stressed her desire to be as natural as possible and enjoy her life to the fullest.
