Oscar-nominated actress Florence Pugh has ignited a firestorm across Hollywood after labeling certain on-set sex-scene instructions “completely inappropriate” and exposing the uneven reality of intimacy coordinators in a bombshell interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, released Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Oppenheimer and We Live in Time star, speaking with unflinching candor, described directives from directors and coordinators that crossed personal boundaries—requests she says no actor should ever face, even in the name of art. “There are plenty of things I remember where it was just completely inappropriate to have asked me to do that, to have directed me in that way,” Pugh declared, refusing to name specific films or individuals but making clear the incidents occurred early in her career, before intimacy coordinators became industry standard.
Pugh’s revelations come as Hollywood grapples with post-#MeToo reforms. Intimacy coordinators—choreographers of on-screen sex scenes akin to stunt coordinators—were introduced in 2018 to safeguard performers. Yet Pugh pulled no punches: “There are great ones who turn it into the dance of intimacy… and then there are bad ones that make it so weird and so awkward.” She accused some coordinators of overstepping, inserting themselves unnecessarily, or failing to shield actors from exploitative direction.
The actress, who shot her first major intimate scenes in 2016’s Lady Macbeth at age 20, emphasized that even confident performers like herself—“I’m quite happy in my skin, I’ve always been able to make sure I’m heard”—were not immune to discomfort. “It’s a job that’s still figuring itself out,” she said, calling for better training and consistency.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, reports a 40% drop in harassment complaints since mandating intimacy coordinators on major productions. Yet Pugh’s account exposes cracks: pre-planned boundaries (safe words, no-touch zones, closed sets) now protect stars, but execution varies wildly. Sources tell us several A-listers are privately reaching out to Pugh, signaling a potential wave of similar testimonies.
Pugh’s co-star Andrew Garfield, who shares explicit scenes with her in We Live in Time, admitted on the press tour they “pushed further than needed” but stressed mutual consent. Still, Pugh’s broader critique targets systemic issues, not individual projects.
The interview, clipped and shared across platforms, has exploded online. On X, #FlorenceSpeaksOut trended with over 180,000 posts in 24 hours. Supporters hailed her bravery: “Finally, someone says what we’ve all whispered,” wrote one verified director. Critics, however, were brutal: “You sign the contract, you do the scene. Stop the victim narrative,” fired back a prominent film producer.
Fox News, NY Post, and Variety ran front-page coverage, with headlines ranging from “Pugh’s War on Hollywood’s Dark Side” to “Star’s Sex-Scene Regret?” Pugh previously slammed media obsession with her Don’t Worry Darling scenes in 2022, calling the focus “disgusting.” This time, she’s flipping the script—demanding accountability from the industry, not the press.
Pugh, currently filming Marvel’s Thunderbolts and prepping Dune: Part Three, says modern protocols—weeks of planning, contractual nudity clauses, and emotional context discussions—have transformed intimacy on set. But her warning is clear: without universal excellence in coordination, the progress remains fragile.
As studios scramble, insiders predict emergency SAG-AFTRA meetings and possible revisions to intimacy guidelines. One top coordinator, speaking anonymously, admitted, “We’re not perfect. Florence just held up a mirror.”
For an industry still healing from Weinstein-era scars, Pugh’s voice—raw, unapologetic, and undeniably powerful—may be the catalyst for the next reckoning.