Sean Bean’s “Snowpiercer” co-star is speaking out, following an interview Bean gave in which he claimed Lena Hall was “up for anything” in their onscreen sex scene, simply because she “had a musical cabaret background.” According to Hall, that is not the case.
In his interview with the U.K.’s Times, Bean questioned the necessity and efficacy of intimacy coordinators on TV and film sets, arguing that they often “spoil” the spontaneity of a sex scene, and ruin “the natural way lovers behave.” When reminded that intimacy coordinators “are there to protect actresses after #MeToo,” the actor shrugged it off saying, “I suppose it depends on the actress. This one had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.”
“This one” he was referring to was Hall, as Bean spoke specifically on a certain “Snowpiercer” scene he did with her in a bathtub involving a mango. But in an eight-part Twitter thread, Hall is setting the record straight on the idea that she is “up for anything.”
“Just because I am in theater (not cabaret, but I do perform them every once in a while) does not mean that I am up for anything,” she wrote. “Seriously does depend on the other actor, the scene we are about to do, the director, and whatever crew has to be in there to film it.”
Using “Snowpiercer” as an example, Bean noted that the network edited that mango scene for final air, saying, “I think they cut a bit out, actually. Often the best work you do, where you’re trying to push the boundaries, and the very nature of it is experimental, gets censored when TV companies or the advertisers say it’s so much.”
Hall used her Twitter thread to clarify additional aspects, including that it “wasn’t a naked scene.” She largely praised Bean for those moments, saying “Sean is an awesome actor and made me feel not only comfortable but also like I had a true acting partner in those bizarre scenes.”
Speaking on the idea of intimacy coordinators in general, Hall noted that, for her, it depends on the situation.
“If I feel comfortable with my scene partner and with others in the room then I won’t need an intimacy coordinator,” she wrote. “BUT if there is any part of me that is feeling weird, gross, over exposed etc… I will either challenge the necessity of the scene or I’ll want an IC.”
Hall added that she does think intimacy coordinators “are a welcome addition to the set,” and advocated that creators go one further and also start recruiting mental health experts on sets.
“I feel that when an actor has to do a scene that is extremely emotional (like committing suicide or being raped) there needs be some kind of mental health person available to talk to post shoot,” she added. “Even though we are only acting we are still experiencing trauma.”
You can read Hall’s full response in the Twitter thread below.