Lea Vivier: Finding Her Feet in Intimacy Coordination
Lea Vivier has spent more than a decade acting on stage and screen in South Africa. Now based in Portugal, she is venturing into a new chapter: intimacy coordination. It's unfamiliar terrain, but one where her experience as a performer gives her a rare perspective on what actors need in vulnerable moments
"I had only learned all the exercises and how to hold the space during the course, but hadn't used that knowledge and inhabited it," Lea says, recalling her first days leading a set. Stepping into the intimacy coordinator role, she immediately felt the weight of responsibility. Every decision could affect the actors' comfort, their performances, and the production's rhythm.
Even so, her acting career was a lifeline. "I have worked on set as an actress for 10 years, and I have worked with intimacy coordinators on multiple occasions. And when I walked onto set, I immediately thought to myself, 'Oh, but this is a familiar space. I know this space. I know how this works!'" That lived experience allowed her to approach the work with both empathy and insight, recognizing the actors' perspectives because she had lived them.
Her strategy is grounded in attention and observation. "I tend to focus more on what their bodies are telling me. How are they reacting?" She watches the preparation before each take, noting subtle gestures and small shifts in posture, because these can reveal unspoken discomfort or anxiety. For Lea, noticing the physical cues is just as important as listening to words.
From years on set as an actor she knows the limitations and stress scheduling and time constraints can add to any scene. On a long-form production, she had only minutes to choreograph a complex intimate scene. "It was more about giving them broad brush strokes. And saying, 'You're going to have to try and find your own method of getting there that feels most natural because of the time constraint.'". Her guidance is light, strategic — she can't force solutions, only create the framework for actors to explore safely and authentically.
Most importantly she knows that for actors trust is a fragile thing, and that it must be earned, and that there is a fine line to tread when supporting actors. "As a newbie, it can be hard to know when to push, and when to back down," she reflects. Referencing a recent interview with actor Florence Pugh she says "I think even the very experienced ICs, sometimes get it wrong sometimes, because you're not in people's bodies, and you're not in people's heads… ICs are human. As are all other crew members on set, and sometimes they do get it wrong". It's a delicate balance, and one she hopes to strike, whilst reflecting on ways to improve as she goes.
Lea's background as a performer shapes how she interacts with actors. "I often think 'I kind of have an idea of what it's like for you because I've been you, so I'm going to try and give you what I've been given in the past and hopefully it's gonna help." That empathy allows her to navigate delicate situations with care, offering support where it's needed and stepping back when performers can manage independently.
"I think knowledge is only truly cemented when you act on it, when you get the lived experience. In the meantime, I lean on my lived experience as an actor," she muses. Lea sees the work not as a checklist, but as an ongoing conversation between the actor, the director, and the unseen rhythms of the scene. From performer to intimacy coordinator, she is carving a path that honors the vulnerability of actors while asserting the importance of safe, thoughtful storytelling. It's a role she is still discovering, one take, one scene, and one carefully held space at a time.
Interviewed in 2025 by Tina Redman