‘Sex/Life’ Intimacy Coordinator Casey Hudecki Answers Burning Questions: ‘It’s Quite a Process’

Credit: Netflix

‘Sex/Life’ Intimacy Coordinator Casey Hudecki Answers Burning Questions: 'It's Quite a Process'

Not an easy task. Sex/Life includes many very risqué love scenes — which means a lot of work was put in behind the scenes. The Netflix series follows Sarah Shahi's Billie Connelly as she tries to rediscover the spark in her marriage to Cooper (Mike Vogel) while remembering the wild life she had with ex Brad (Adam Demos). The drama, which jumps between different time frames, shows Billie facing many different sexual experiences with both men — something that Shahi, 41, was actually excited to do as an actor. “I’ve often felt that when you have sex scenes in film and television — unless it’s a lesbian piece — they’re kind of depicted through the male point of view. It’s often the woman having sex the way a man wants to have sex,” the City on a Hill star told Us Weekly exclusively in June. “I thought this was a real opportunity to flip that on its head. Now, you have female sexuality represented by women on screen. … I felt like this was such a statement, to show that we are these incredible sexual beings.” She also shared that she really wanted to do something more risqué “I have always been trying to get into projects like this. I just never got hired,” she shared at the time. “Everyone was always trying to hire me to be the tough chick and paid me to keep my clothes on. I’ve been wanting to be a bit risky and cry and show emotional vulnerability for a while now.” [jwplayer DHFUGjEL] Casey Hudecki was brought onto the show as the intimacy coordinator, working with the cast and crew on any nude scenes or scenes involving simulated sex. "With Sex/Life, it was very focused on female pleasure, and there were some new stories in there. My personal favorites were always the stories between Billie and Cooper because Billie and Brad were this nostalgic fantasy. Billie and Cooper were like the harsh light of day reality with kids," the stunt coordinator explained exclusively to Us. "We actually don't tell those stories as much, so I find those really interesting to tell." She went on to break down some of the most difficult scenes to film, conversations that happened and more. Scroll through the gallery below and watch the exclusive video above for more. [podcast_block]

Credit: Netflix

The Sex Party

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sex party featured in the show included many real-life couples. "That was the only way to do it in a COVID-safe way," Hudecki said. "So some of the conversations were like, 'OK, so whatever you do in your personal life is one thing, what are you comfortable doing?' 'What are your boundaries here?' Because the circumstances are very different. The context is different. So it's always a conversation, no matter what."

Credit: Netflix

The Challenges

The car sex scenes between Billie and Brad — and later, Billie and Cooper — were the toughest. "The challenging sex scenes for me were always sort of the best ones," she told Us. "Logistically difficult, like the car!"

She was also very proud of the first sex scene between Billie and Cooper, while he was distracted by the football game. "You root for them, and you just see them missing each other," she said. "Those were my favorite."

Credit: Netflix

That Shower Scene

Although it wasn't a sex scene, the shower moment showing Brad fully nude was also one that Hudecki was involved with to make sure that everyone felt comfortable.

"An intimacy coordinator, nudity is as much my job as simulated sex [is], so we knew that scene was coming up from day one. So I had a conversation with him very early on," she shared with Us. "We talked about what the options were for that scene for, like, logistically how those would each play out. We got into detail, and he had time to make his decisions. So that's what mattered to me and that he felt confident on the day."

Credit: Netflix

It's Hard Work!

"With any simulated sex scene, you are performing that scene for much longer than any couple would be actually doing that action. So it actually gets very hard on the body," the coordinator shared, noting that they have to film from so many different angles. "You're doing it for hours and hours. It's exhausting. It's hard on the body."

She explained that the sex scene in the first episode between Cooper and Billie in the kitchen was tough. "We talked a lot about that scene going in because it was going to be so emotional and difficult and complex. And we really wanted to make sure that it looked consensual, so we built into the choreography, all of these moments of consent where she says yes," she explained. "I had stunt pads on her because she's getting pushed against the table, the stairwell. ... It can be very hard on the body."