33. Sex Scenes

April 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Choreography of Simulated Intimacy

A few years ago, while working on the HBO series The Deuce, Alicia Rhodes was assigned the sex scene of a lifetime. "There is a scene where one of the characters went into this warehouse and it was filled with folks having sex," she recalls. "This was a massive day on set where I think we had around 38 background performers who were in different various states of undress." Rhodes spent days calling each performer, explaining what was expected, how the scene would be shot, and ensuring barriers were in place between those simulating sex. "It ended up being just a very large strategic dance that we all set in motion that day."

Rhodes is an intimacy coordinator—someone who oversees sex scenes and any scene involving intimacy, from a simple kiss to a 38-person orgy. Her job involves prosthetics, pubic hair wigs, body doubles, emotional counseling, and some very explicit contracts. And it exists because for most of cinema history, intimate encounters were treated with far less care.

From Laissez-Faire to Oversight

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Show Intro & Content Warning** - Host Zachary Crockett sets up the episode and issues a warning about adult content.
2 (01:11) **The Birth of the Intimacy Coordinator** - Alicia Rhodus describes coordinating a massive 38-person orgy scene for the HBO show *The Deuce*.
3 (03:16) **The Pre-Modern Era of Sex Scenes** - The episode contrasts the current system with the laissez-faire and often exploitative history of filming intimacy in Hollywood.
4 (05:15) **The Stunt Coordinator Analogy** - Rhodus’s shift from acting to stunt work showed her a better model for handling high-risk scenes.
5 (06:03) **The Me Too Reckoning and a New Market** - The Harvey Weinstein scandal and the Me Too movement created the economic demand for intimacy coordinators.
6 (07:08) **The Nudity Rider: A 786-Page Contract** - Attorney Matthew Swanland explains the legal framework that protects actors before they even step on set.
7 (08:44) **The "Craziest" Rider and Negotiating Details** - Swanland reveals the graphic specifics of a *Westworld* nudity rider and explains how lawyers negotiate for modesty garments.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Behind these steamy sequences, there are body doubles, pubic wigs, legal documents, and dedicated choreographers who make sure everyone is comfortable. Zachary Crockett fast-forwards straight to the good parts. This episode was originally published on January 21st, 2024.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.