Emily Osment says she asked for an intimacy coordinator on Young Sheldon because of the real-life age gap with co-star Montana Jordan. Her account appears in Jessica Radloff’s book about the CBS sitcom. Here is what she said.
An intimacy coordinator is a crew member who plans scenes involving physical closeness. They set boundaries with the actors and agree in advance on what will be filmed. Osment played Mandy McAllister, and Montana Jordan played Georgie, whose romance with Mandy began in Season 5. Osment says the age gap between the two actors shaped her request.
Young Sheldon aired on CBS. The book looks back on the show’s production.
According to the account, Osment asked producer Tim Marx to bring in an intimacy coordinator for the next few episodes, as the relationship developed.
Osment said the planned kissing scenes made her uncomfortable. “That made me uncomfortable. He was a baby! A baby with a mullet.” At the time, according to the book’s account, Osment was 30 and Jordan was 18.
Osment also said she did not know whether Jordan felt able to ask for that: “I don’t know if Montana even knew if he could ask for that.”
For more on TV intimacy standards, see TV intimacy standards explainer. For more on the show, see Young Sheldon coverage archive.
Why did Emily Osment request an intimacy coordinator on Young Sheldon? She says the real-life age gap made the planned kissing scenes uncomfortable. At the time, she was 30 and Jordan was 18, according to the book’s account.
Her stated reason is specific. It concerns her discomfort with the planned kissing scenes.
Emily Osment says she asked for an intimacy coordinator on Young Sheldon because of the real-life age gap with Montana Jordan. Her account appears in Jessica Radloff’s book. The account says she was 30 and Jordan was 18 when the kissing scenes came up.
