Filming sex scenes can be awkward but it’s probably even more so if you’re directing your daughter in one or having your father watch it unfold. That’s the case for Ethan and Maya Hawke, who have collaborated on the upcoming Wildcat, about Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor.
In a new profile in Variety, both Hawkes (does that make them a kettle?) recalled filming the intimate Wildcat scenes. As Ethan Hawke put it, “We needed to take care of Rafael and Cooper,” he said, referring to actors Rafael Casal and Cooper Hoffman. “I think it was weird for them…[Maya and I] were so comfortable with it. I couldn’t care less.”
Maya Hawke said that professionals were on the Wildcat set during such scenes. “We made sure to have an intimacy coordinator on set for them. So that they felt safe and comfortable and not like they were being spied on…” to which her father interrupted, “…by some creepy dad.”
Wildcat premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1st. It will also screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. Although there are only a few published reviews, they do skew positive, with critics citing the movie’s ambitions and respect for its subject.
As per Telluride’s official program guide, Wildcat “entertainingly dramatize[s] scenes from O’Connor’s admired stories—The Life You Sav eMay Be Your Own, Revelation, Good Country People and Everything That Rises Must Converge—placing them in the poignant context of O’Connor’s intense religious concerns, and her struggle with the dire illness that threatened to overwhelm her. Ms. Hawke triumphantly embodies the artist’s unmatched combination of bitter humor, incisive intelligence and spiritual vulnerability.” In addition to the aforementioned Casal and Hoffman, the cast also includes Philip Ettinger and Laura Linney as O’Connor’s mother.
Intimacy coordinators have been utilized for a few years now, with part of their purpose being to ensure a safe environment for actors filming more provocative scenes. Even for controversial movies like Blonde, their work has been praised as a vital part to modern movies.
Do you find it strange that Ethan Hawke had to direct Maya Hawke’s intimate scenes in Wildcat or is that just part of the job? Give us your take in the comments section below.