Laura Dern couldn’t have asked for a better onscreen partner in Lonely Planet than Liam Hemsworth — especially when it came to some of their more intimate scenes.
The two play lovers in Netflix’s new romance film, which takes place amid an idyllic Moroccan backdrop and stars Dern, 57, as Katherine, a famous author trying to get past her writer’s block (and some inner demons) in a less-distracting environment, away from home.
Enter Owen (Hemsworth, 34), a young man who is at the retreat to support his author girlfriend, Lily (Diana Silvers), but begins questioning their relationship after a series of mishaps. When he and Katherine meet, sparks fly instantly — and at one point, culminate in a steamy bedroom romp.
Dern tells PEOPLE that there was “definitely an intimacy coordinator” on set, but even aside from that, she “was so lucky” to work with Hemsworth, whom she calls “literally the safest person I could ever talk through everything in my …