Porn stars need protection on set, and far more than just the safe sex kind. In an industry where the newfound popularity of OnlyFans blurs the lines between amateur and professional pornography, anyone can become a porn star and distributor. Unfortunately, much of the post #MeToo regulations that Hollywood has encouraged, like intimacy coordinators for sex scenes, have passed adult film sets by.
Performers need advocacy and support on and off set
This has created a minefield of on and off-set problems for adult stars, both amateur and professional. Lianne Young, a former award-winning porn star herself, offers a free service for adult stars – backed by the official porn union, the Adult Performers and Artists Guild – who are being ripped off or abused. Lianne herself was horrifically attacked by disgraced adult star Ron Jeremy in the early 2000s and now seeks to change the adult industry from within via ed
When the phone rings late at night, Lianne knows the call could demand anything from an emergency intervention to prevent a young adult star from taking their life, to telling someone what to do after a severe sexual injury on set. The reality of on-set sex without safeguards can be horrific.
“One model I counsel was doing an anal scene with three guys, one after the other,” says Lianne. “When you’re doing that it’s important to get the angle right, be comfortable, and have trust with your co-stars. The second guy started without warning and she was in a huge amount of pain. The producer didn’t offer her any help and there was no reprimand for the guy who did it. When I was working as an actress, one woman was doing a rough scene and she got torn. She ended up wearing [adult diapers] for a time.”
Porn lags behind mainstream film sets
A new group exists to help guard against on-set abuses and improve safety: porn intimacy coordinators. Avril Clarke is one of the few intimacy coordinators for adult films working for Erika Lust’s ethical porn company. Her job is to meet each performer and producer beforehand, ensure they understand the scenes and safe words and stand ready with towels, fluffy slippers, and a bathrobe for when the shoot ends.
Just off camera, Avril stays within the performers’ eye line at all times and is always available for the actors throughout the filming process. She receives a script before each shoot and goes through every scene – her hard rule is ‘no surprises’ for performers, producers, or for her, she says.
“Since we do have “real sex” it’s also important for me to know what the director has in mind for the shoot. Where will the sex scene take place? Does it involve BDSM? Is there an anal sex scene? Will there be a use for toys? This allows me to understand the feel of the overall film, the narrative they are creating and will be able to best support the performers knowing all the actions that will take place.”
The role of intimacy coordinators in porn is comparatively new, but it is now a part of the staff list in all Netflix/HBO shows with sex scenes. As Hollywood coordinator Ida O’Brien says you have consultants on stunts, lighting, and make-up – why not sex?
“They would never talk about a stunt and say, “We’ll give you the swords, we’ll put you in front of the camera, and you’ll just get on with it.” Everybody knows that’s ridiculous, but that’s the equivalent of what’s happening with intimate content.”
While porn has never been more popular – half of the UK watched porn clips on Pornhub during lockdown according to OFCOM – the complete absence of insurance and safeguards means porn is often unregulated.
Serious sexual injuries may grab attention, but other mundane mishaps on set are more common, according to Lianne. “Few porn sets have any insurance at all,” she says. “When you’re walking naked or in heels around cables, cameras, lights, and beds, you can imagine how common trips, slips, and falls are. Sadly for most stars, any time off work you have to cover yourself and so I advise stars to get personal insurance.”
But Avril says intimacy coordinators can ensure sets are broadly safer – including STI testing and a consent and boundaries list. Actors with Avril can also fill out a form called “How to help a performer in crisis,” which helps staff know how to best support a performer if an uncomfortable moment were to arise, says Clarke.
“If someone were to have a dissociative moment or a trauma response on set, it’s my responsibility to ensure that the person signals to me so I can create a safe space for them both physically and emotionally. They can also express any limits in advance, safe words, and other important information such as allergies or preferences when it comes to the products they wish to use on set from contraceptives, lubrications to sex toys.”
On set with the intimacy coordinators
Avril Clarke’s role as an intimacy coordinator is to be a buffer between stars and directors, part big sister, part invigilator. Outside the sex industry, in her non-profit The Porn Conversation, she also goes out to teach families and educators how to broach the subject of porn with kids and teens, helping them understand the realities of what porn is compared to non-filmed sex and how it can impact behaviors.
On set, on the day of each shoot, Avril takes a moment to check in with each star individually before the hustle and bustle starts. She also ensures that all actors understand their contracts and all the requested items for a sex box – a box that is filled with sexual health and wellness goodies: internal and external condoms, sponges, lubricants, and toys – are present. Any performer has the opportunity to leave or make requests at any point.
But for the performers themselves, many of the issues arise off of their sets and after the shoots. The former producer of former porn site GirlsDoPorn, Michael Pratt, is still wanted by the FBI after his site duped women into believing that sex shoots they filmed with the site would not be posted online, with some told they were only for a private Australian collector. All of the videos appeared globally on PornHub attracting millions of views, with 22 women subsequently being awarded $13 million in damages after they suffered abuse, lost jobs, or became estranged from their families.
Even with legal and safely-shot pornography, Lianne says prospective stars should sit down for an entry interview to understand the permanent shadow sex work can cast.
“The adult industry never quite lets you leave. Some producers will just keep re-releasing your stuff,” says Lianne. “Even old videos will get re-edited and re-released and re-uploaded. Someone messaged me to say, “Oh you had a porn released in 2011.” But I hadn’t made one since 2001, the producer had just re-edited it into a new release.”
As many stars discover, there is limited income in porn – Lianne says it is the only industry where pay has gone down in the last ten years and the cliche of sun-kissed Californian film sets has all but disappeared – and many actors will have to go and top up incomes with self-promotional, self-managed platforms like OnlyFans.
This can mean you end up being in character 24/7, even if you are a male actor, says Lianne. “A lot of male actors can be paid as little as £100 for a shoot and the video stays out there forever. One guy was sacked from a call center because his colleagues found a video he did online. How can you be sacked when the customers only hear your voice? The other issue is, what do you put on your CV after your adult career? You have a big blank where you worked in the industry. How do you fill it on your CV and what do you say in an interview?”