There may not have been sex scenes in “Young Sheldon,” but star Emily Osment still requested an intimacy coordinator because of her “concern” around co-star Montana Jordan’s age.
In Jessica Radloff’s new book chronicling the making of the series, titled “Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy,” she explains Osment’s discomfort shooting kissing scenes with Jordan because of their age gap. While filming their initial episodes, Jordan, who played George Cooper, was 18 while Osment, who played Mandy McAllister, was 30.
“That made me uncomfortable. He was a baby! A baby with a mullet. So I spoke to Tim Marx, and obviously they were not able to get one that late in the day, but for the next few episodes they had one there, since the relationship between them escalates,” Osment said. “It made everything easier having one there. I think it’s something that’s really important.”
She added, “I don’t know if Montana even knew if he could ask for that. Like, let’s give him the option, too. Make him comfortable. And he’s such a sweet kid, I think he would just eat his discomfort. But I love those guys, and I’m really happy it got to the point where they were able to do that [for us].”
Director Alex Reid acknowledged that because they didn’t have sex scenes on the CBS show, they “totally dropped the ball” while filming kissing scenes between Osment and Jordan.
“I have a photo between takes of them sitting in that car when we shot that, and they’re looking off in other directions. I showed it to Emily and she said, ‘Yeah, that was so uncomfortable for both of us, because we didn’t know each other.’ It wasn’t even about the lack of an intimacy coordinator. It’s just you’re having to make out with somebody you just kind of met. Obviously they worked that out, and they have a great chemistry now, but that was kind of embarrassing.”
Co-creator Steve Molaro noted that Osment had “every right to ask” for an intimacy coordinator and eventually “she was comfortable without one.”
The fictional couple is now at the center of their own show, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” despite the network’s initial concerns about exploring a relationship with such a significant age gap, another subject Randloff’s book explores.