Ewan McGregor: I was coached for sex scenes with my wife

Ewan McGregor has revealed that he needed an intimacy co-ordinator for sex scenes with his wife.

The Scottish star is married to the actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and the pair both appear in the upcoming thriller series A Gentleman in Moscow.

Despite their relationship status, the husband and wife co-stars found it “necessary” to have an intimacy co-ordinator oversee their sex scenes.

An intimacy co-ordinator ensures that performers are comfortable with what is being shot, and the role has become increasingly popular among actors who wish to avoid being forced into uncomfortable or distasteful situations.

McGregor, 52, told Radio Times: “We did have an intimacy co-ordinator.

“It’s still necessary, because it’s also about the crew, and it’s odd to be naked in front of people; it’s odd to be intimate in front of the camera.

“If you were doing a dance scene, you’d have a choreographer.”

‘An immediate connection’

Winstead, 39, said she enjoyed the experience of shooting with her husband: “A lot of people would say, ‘Oh, not all couples work well together.’ For me, that’s hard to imagine, because it was so the opposite,” she said.

“To work with an actor who you have that immediate connection with… there’s no block to get over, there’s nothing to work through. It’s just there, it’s simple and pure. It was amazing.”

McGregor, who is known for his roles in the Star Wars franchise and Trainspotting – which contained a famous sex scene shot when he was 25 – said that intimacy co-ordinators were invaluable and kept vulnerable young stars safe.

McGregor’s intimate scene in the Danny Boyle cult classic was with fellow Scot Kelly Macdonald, who was only 19 when she was cast.

He has four children with his first wife Eve Mavrakis, including actress Esther McGregor, who appeared in the 2022 Star Wars spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi, based on the character her father had played years earlier.

He told Radio Times: “My daughter [Esther] is 22. If an older, famous director goes to a 22-year-old and says, ‘I want you to be naked in this scene,’ that actress might feel, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got to do it. My career might depend on it.’

“And then five years after that, she could look back and go, ‘I wish I hadn’t. Why am I naked in that scene? It’s unnecessary.’ Now there’s somebody she talks to whose career doesn’t rest on the shoulders of this person,” he added.

#MeToo’s lasting impact

While spouses are not often on-screen together, other stars including Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet have spoken out in favour of intimacy co-ordinators, which have become commonplace on set following the #MeToo scandal triggered by the film producer Harvey Weinstein’s abuse of actresses.

However, some actors have dismissed the new trend, with the Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean saying that over-choreographing of intimate scenes ruined performances.

He said that being overseen “would inhibit me more because it’s drawing attention to things”, arguing that “the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise”.