Ewan McGregor Says It Was 'Necessary' To Have An Intimacy Coordinator For Sex Scenes With His Wife

Ewan McGregor is opening up about the benefits of having an intimacy coordinator on set during sex scenes with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Despite them being married since 2022, McGregor, 52, told Radio Times in a recent cover story that the experience was necessary for the pair, who star together in the upcoming drama series A Gentleman in Moscow.

Its still necessary, because its also about the crew, McGregor explained in the story published Tuesday. And its odd to be naked in front of people, its odd to be intimate in front of the camera.

If you were doing a dance scene, youd have a choreographer, he added. Its an important part of the work now, because its somebody that the director and actors meet in the middle.

McGregor went on to explain why hiring intimacy coordinators is also essential for a young actors protection considering his daughters, Esther and Clara,  are also actors now. 

My [Esther] daughter is 22. If an older, famous director goes to a 22-year-old and says, I want you to be naked in this scene, that actress might feel, Oh, my God, Ive got to do it, my career might depend on it, the Star Wars alum said. 

And then five years after that, she could look back and go, I wish I hadnt. Why am I naked in that scene? Its unnecessary, the Scottish actor added. 

McGregor stars as Count Alexander Rostov in A Gentleman in Moscow while Winstead plays Anna Urbanova. 

The series is set in the 1920s and follows a Russian aristocrat [who] is spared from death and placed on house arrest while the Bolshevik Revolution plays out before him, according to the shows synopsis . 

Back in 2011, McGregor admitted hes not a fan of sex scenes, slamming them as awkward during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

I dont like them very much, he told Norton at the time. They are awkward because it is a strange and bizarre thing to be doing. Its not a normal situation, I am 40 now, and the actresses get younger and younger.

A Gentleman in Moscow hits Paramount+ with Showtime on March 29.