Cynthia Erivo says intimacy coordinators deserve more credit ahead of Prima Facie London debut

Cynthia Erivo says intimacy coordinators do not get enough credit for guiding actors through difficult scenes.

She made the remarks at a London Film Festival Screen Talk on Monday, 12 October, ahead of the U.K. debut of her film Prima Facie, according to Variety.

Erivo leads the film as Tessa Ensler, a defence lawyer who is sexually assaulted by a colleague. The story is based on Suzie Miller's stage play of the same name. Daniel Ings plays the fellow lawyer who assaults her.

An intimacy coordinator is a specialist who plans intimate scenes with the cast and looks after their welfare during filming. Erivo said the role goes well beyond staging those moments. She described it as helping performers settle in their bodies again after emotionally hard takes.

The coordinator on Prima Facie was Lizzy Talbot. Erivo praised her work on the production. She also produced the film.

Erivo had thanked Talbot before. At the Toronto International Film Festival in September, she said Talbot helped her find a way back after a tough scene, according to Yahoo. Prima Facie premiered in Toronto last month.

Its U.K. debut follows quickly. The film screens at the London festival on Tuesday 13 October at 21:15 at Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall, with tickets starting from £10, according to the BFI. The festival also lists a Screen Talk with Erivo linked to her performance in the film.

For audiences, this means a short wait. Prima Facie is advertised for release in U.K. and Irish cinemas from 13 November, according to Sony Pictures UK.

Erivo is a Tony winner who earned an Oscar nomination for playing Elphaba in the first Wicked film. Her comments put the focus on the crew around the actors when stories turn on assault and consent.