‘Swarm’ Intimacy Coordinator Addresses ‘Silly’ Controversy Surrounding Chloe Bailey & Damson Idris’ Sex Scene: ‘We Are Not Filming Pornography’

‘Swarm’ Intimacy Coordinator Addresses ‘Silly’ Controversy Surrounding Chloe Bailey & Damson Idris’ Sex Scene: ‘We Are Not Filming Pornography’

Swarm‘s intimacy coordinator is finally weighing in on THAT sex scene between Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris.

The first episode of the Amazon Prime Video series introduces Marissa, played by Chloe Bailey, and Khalid, portrayed by Snowfall star Damson Idris. Marissa shares a home with her foster sister Dre (Dominique Fishback), who harbors an unhealthy bond with her and is fixated on a (fictional) pop artist with the likeness of Beyoncé.

At one point in the episode, Dre stands in the hallway, observing and listening to the couple engaging in sexual activity — a scene spearheaded by Sasha Smith.

Smith‘s role as an intimacy coordinator involves advocating for the actors in intimate situations that are likely to be vulnerable. She said her process begins after reading the script and selecting all the intimate passages before she proceeds to call a production meeting.

As far as the scene involving Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris, which garnered a lot of criticism, Smith said,

“We are at work. We are not filming pornography, even though there is nothing wrong with that; it’s just not the job that those actors were brought in to do. It was silly.”

She added,

“One person on Twitter said that they evaluated it for 45 minutes and said they were certain that there were no barriers in between them, which just means that we placed the actors in the right position with the camera at the right angle.”

Smith spoke positively of her interactions with Bailey and Idris, noting that despite the briefness of her job, she prepared ahead of time and corresponded via email with the two to ensure their comfort throughout.

She said,

“The entire time we were on set, you could tell that they were comfortable with one another and making jokes, which were appropriate, of course, but taking care of each other and making light of the day’s work since it’s not your typical day at the office. But even still, there was no actual situation. There was nothing out of the ordinary for me in my day job as an intimacy coordinator.”

She added that because it was Bailey’s first sex scene, she had a whole phone discussion with her, noting both actors were wonderful, professional, and funny.

Smith also expressed,

“Then, once it hit the air, or hit the TV, it was taken a little out of context. I think it’s just this attachment we have to celebrities right now and that we feel a bit entitled to all their waking moments. But, to me, it was just a regular day on set with two incredibly lovely people.”

As previously reported, fans were shocked to see Bailey in a sex scene. The Georgia singer/actress acknowledged in a previous interview that she was nervous about recording the naked scene because of her own limited sexual history. However, Idris — who is currently dating socialite Lori Harvey — made her feel completely comfortable.

What are your thoughts on what the Swarm director shared? Let us know in the comments!

[VIA]