The upcoming Peaky Blinders film brings Cillian Murphy back as flat cap icon Tommy Shelby, this time in a fresh era and with a new romantic storyline led by Rebecca Ferguson.
Set several years after the TV series concluded, the Netflix project finds the once-exiled Birmingham figure drawn back into his old world during the turmoil of World War Two. His return is sparked by the arrival of a new character, Kaulo Chirklo, one of a set of twins portrayed by Ferguson.
Ferguson, known for roles including Dune, shares intimate scenes with Murphy in the film. But despite the industry’s increased reliance on intimacy coordinators, she has said she didn’t feel she personally needed that kind of on-set oversight, though she did admit to an unusual exchange with her co-star while discussing how to approach the scene.
Ferguson told the Radio Times that she doesn’t need the extra help in the bedroom, saying: “I think it’s wonderful that we can have intimacy coordinators and sometimes they are needed, but for me, it’s very off-putting and it makes me feel very uncomfortable because I have enormous boundaries and I can verbalise them.”
Intimacy coordinators have become a routine part of many modern productions, particularly those operating under SAG-AFTRA guidelines. The role is designed to help performers communicate boundaries clearly, keep scenes safe and professional, and reduce the risk of disputes or legal issues if expectations aren’t followed.
As she explained her preferred way of working, Ferguson questioned whether a coordinator needed to remain actively involved once boundaries were established.
Questioning the utility of having a coordinator oversee her scene with Murphy, Ferguson added: “So we could sit down and say, what do you need to feel safe? What do I need to feel safe? And then she could step out of the scene.”
On SAG-AFTRA’s website, they state that all union-made films must simulate sexual behavior under the purview of an intimacy coordinator, stating that ‘at no time should a performer auditioning or working under a SAG-AFTRA contract engage in, or be asked to engage in, actual sex acts.’
They add in their guidelines: “Actual sex includes genital contact without a physical barrier, regardless of whether the performer is clothed or unclothed.”
Ferguson also opened up about how she approached planning the scene with Murphy, suggesting her preparation may have taken him by surprise because of how closely she’d paid attention to his past work.
Married mom-of-two Ferguson said: Ferguson told Radio Times: “I had called Cillian and asked him how he wanted to work. It sounds so silly, but I said, ‘I’ve studied your sex scenes…’:
The Swedish-born actor continued: “And he went, ‘That’s really weird and awkward.’ And I went, ‘I know, but bear with me. This is not just a regular sex scene.
“This is not us getting our kit off, getting on with it, bish bash bosh. This is a moment of release. This is a moment of intimacy, there’s magic.'”
Murphy has previously described himself as ‘shy’ and has spoken before about the behind-the-scenes process used to judge whether a pairing will work on screen. He has said productions sometimes rely on a so-called “chemistry test” before committing to a romantic dynamic.
He told the Guardian in 2023: “They put two actors in a room to see if there’s any spark, and have all the producers and director at a table watching. I don’t know what metric they use, and it seems so outrageously silly, but sometimes you get a chemistry and nobody knows why.”