Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson are supporting the new Time's Up campaign to stop TV and film bosses using digital body doubles to make sex scenes more explicit.
New industry guidelines, drawn up by the leaders of the Time's Up organisation, are calling for changes in the use of CGI nudity and their recommendations are being backed by British Film Institute bosses.
The initiative, which also includes additional rules about the use of CGI nudity, encourages actors to negotiate contracts, which not only make it clear what they are and are not willing to do during sex scenes, but also how far directors can go in depicting sex scenes for their characters.
"The nudity, simulated sexual content, and agreed choreography of the intimate scene portrayed through doubling shall be limited to what was originally agreed to by the actor," the guidelines state. "This applies to digital or body doubling."
Supporting the Time's Up initiative, Harris says, "I absolutely welcome these guides which have been created by my sisters at Time's Up. They demonstrate that no matter your situation, you have options. These guides help arm people with the resources and information needed to determine the best path forward."
Wilson adds: "Our industry is a truly wonderful one but one that has existed without necessary safeguards. Whatever the experience, whether negotiating a sex scene for the first time or witnessing abusive behaviour on set, these guidelines are there as an essential resource. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, and these offer a huge step towards that becoming a reality."
The new guidelines also allow actors and actresses to consent beforehand for the use of "digital doubling or digitization", including CGI being used to superimpose body parts of a performer onto another.
They can also make clear which body parts they want shown or touched in a scene.
Time's Up UK chairwoman Dame Heather Rabbatts says, "The entertainment industry is not a typical workplace so figuring out your rights and options around workplace harassment, discrimination, and misconduct can be confusing. We have developed these resources together with our sisters in the US, for people in the entertainment industry who find themselves in situations that are at best awkward, or at worst, dangerous."
