O.K., great, I said. But cut to the chase. Am I back to taking off my clothes on camera?

No, Ms. Rodis said. There still wouldn’t be any nudity. She was calling simply because I’d be playing a porn star in some intimate scenes, and she wanted to make sure I felt safe and knew there would be someone on set who had my fully clothed back.

On some level, I think I was confused. Why was I being treated this way? You know — like a human being, with thoughts and feelings, who deserved respect? But I quickly realized what a no-brainer it was for “The Deuce” to employ someone like Ms. Rodis. In human terms, the producers were showing sensitivity to actors; in business terms, they were stopping potential problems (and their expensive repercussions) before they started.

On the day of the shoot, Ms. Rodis watched over the set like a chaperone at prom. She made sure the man playing opposite me sanitized his hands before we started, and then wiped them down after every single take. She checked in with me constantly, bringing water and coffee and mints. She also choreographed certain movements, much like a stunt director. Ms. Rodis pointed out that in a simulated sex scene, an actor may be touched on a vulnerable part of the body, and therefore deserves the same attention and protections as in a combat sequence. Otherwise, she told us, intimate scenes won’t look seamless and natural.

She gave us direction on how to make certain moments steamier, and when to pull back. My scene partner and I felt comfortable and protected. So much so that after one take in which we got a little too comfortable and went a little too far, she walked over with some notes. Think of a flame, Ms. Rodis told us. “My job is to make sure there’s a spark,” she said, “but also to keep it from turning into a forest fire.”

A good intimacy director advocates what is best for the scene and what is best for the actors, who are, of course, just people who want to be safe. In one scene, I was pressed up against a wall of prison bars, and a lot of skin was showing. Ms. Rodis made sure I realized what was coming across on camera. I did, and kept going; it was a choice I felt empowered to make.

Intimacy directors, or coaches, are a relatively new trend in TV — just the other day, I spoke with a major casting director who had never heard of the concept. Neither have many of the actors with whom I’ve compared notes recently. But some have begun to work with intimacy coaches and realized the benefits they provide. It’s not just women. One male actor I spoke to found that his intimacy director not only kept everyone safe and made parameters clear on set, but also added a layer of choreography and attention that was beyond the realistic purview of the director.

Just before my first take on “The Deuce,” as I stood in the small room with two men who had their hands all over me, the one who spoke first was from the wardrobe department. “You look perfect,” he said, as he adjusted my costume with some tape, to accentuate my cleavage and cover my bra.