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Young Sheldon's Montana Jordan Was "A Baby With a Mullet" to Co-Star Emily Osment, Who Asked for an Intimacy Coordinator
Emily Osment's discomfort with Young Sheldon's kissing scenes came down to one number, her co-star's age, and it changed how the production handled the Mandy storyline.
The age gap behind the request
Emily Osment's stated discomfort on Young Sheldon was that Jordan was eighteen. [1] She put it bluntly: "He was a baby! A baby with a mullet." [1]
Osment and Jordan did not share sex scenes, but she felt uncomfortable because of their age difference. [2] Osment joined the CBS series in 2022 as Mandy McAllister. [2]
What Osment asked for
Osment spoke to executive Tim Marx. [2] The production could not get an intimacy coordinator that late in the day, but had one for the next few episodes as the relationship escalated. [2]
She said having an intimacy coordinator present made everything easier. [3] Her concern was for Jordan: she worried he might not have known he could ask for one. [1] She wanted to give him the option to make him comfortable, and feared he would just endure his discomfort. [1]
The production's response
Director Alex Reid, who directed many of Mandy's episodes, supported Osment's decision. [1] Reid said Osment was completely right in her request. [1] He acknowledged that production initially dropped the ball and overlooked having an intimacy coordinator. [2]
Reid said the show had no sex scenes, so the team was not used to that kind of work, and the scenes were just kissing. [1] He added that the kissing scenes were awkward because the actors had just met each other. [2]
Co-creator Steve Molaro said Osment had every right to ask for an intimacy coordinator. [1] He said she was later comfortable without one. [1]
Where things ended up
Reid said the actors worked through their discomfort and now have great chemistry, though the situation was embarrassing. [1]
The details appear in Jessica Radloff's book Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, an oral history of the series. [2] Osment began her career as a child actress in two Spy Kids films and as Lilly Truscott on Hannah Montana. [1]
What it means for you
If you watch the Mandy episodes, the kissing scenes you see were shot with an intimacy coordinator present for the episodes after the first, as the relationship escalated. [2] The production's own director said those scenes were awkward because the actors had just met. [2]
If you want the full account, it is in Radloff's oral history of the series. [2]
Sources
- ‘Young Sheldon’s Emily Osment Reveals She Requested An Intimacy Coordinator For Teen Co-Star Montana Cooper: “He Was A Baby!” — Deadline
- ‘Young Sheldon’ Star Emily Osment Requested Intimacy Coordinator Over Age Gap With Montana Jordan: “He Was a Baby!” — The Hollywood Reporter
- ‘Young Sheldon’ Star Emily Osment Requested an Intimacy Coordinator — Variety
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