You know what they say: no risk, no reward: Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times actors made the executive choice to do their scene in the nude.
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00:00Hey, you got here fast.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:04And today we're counting down our picks for the times actors made the executive choice to do their scene in the nude.
00:09The bed looks so beautiful and I was overcome with foolishness. I'm sorry.
00:19It's clear that this Scandinavian-American hunk took the role of Russian gangster Nikolai Luzhin very seriously.
00:25You're in the very wrong place, Anna Ivanovna.
00:27You belong in there with nice people.
00:31Stay away from people like me.
00:33Not only did Mortensen immerse himself in his character's culture and even communicate with actual Russian mafia members,
00:40but he insisted on being completely naked to shoot the action-packed bathhouse scene.
00:44What begins as a soothing steam culminates in a fight that the actors actually choreographed themselves
00:49in accordance with director David Cronenberg's desire for authenticity.
00:54And for an extra layer of vulnerability, both Mortensen and Cronenberg decided Luzhin needed to be naked throughout.
01:00The result is an infamously violent and gritty sequence.
01:11In this classic teen comedy, Elizabeth plays Nadia, a foreign exchange student who unknowingly becomes part of a stunt that involves a webcam.
01:19Hey, hey, hey, guys, guys. Check this out. Oh, my God.
01:24Protagonist Jim secretly records Nadia as she explores his porn collection,
01:28and a very private moment ensues for multiple strangers to see.
01:32Strip.
01:35Strip?
01:36Slowly.
01:37Many years later in 2020, the actress would discuss her part in the film in Danny Wolfe's documentary Skin,
01:42a history of nudity in the movies.
01:44Here, Elizabeth revealed, get it?
01:46That she improvised certain movements to add to the scene's comedic awkwardness.
01:52The situation may come across as a bit creepy to viewers today,
01:55but the actress's willingness to bear it all helped drive home the film's genre-defining status.
02:03This MCU miniseries premiered on Disney Plus in 2024 to widespread popularity.
02:09Catherine Han stars as the powerful and enigmatic witch Agatha Harkness,
02:14previously seen in the WandaVision series.
02:16In the first episode, Agatha realizes she's lost all her powers.
02:20You seem pretty lucid for a change.
02:22Uh, aggressive, even.
02:24To emphasize that Agatha had been stripped of her abilities and identity,
02:27Han made the bold choice to shed her clothes for this pivotal scene.
02:30Although the script had Agatha wear a robe,
02:32Han believed her character wouldn't care about her identity.
02:35This leads to an important, yet hilarious moment
02:38where a frantic, nude Agatha confronts her bewildered neighbor.
02:45In this 2021 HBO miniseries,
02:47Isaac and his longtime friend, Jessica Chastain,
02:50both deliver intense, raw performances.
02:53Everything that you hated about me,
02:55somebody else would love me for exactly the same thing.
02:58They would accept me for exactly who I am.
03:00Why would you do that?
03:03Either they're lying or they're very inexperienced.
03:06But Isaac's on-screen nudity wasn't as planned as viewers might think.
03:10Chastain agreed to go fully nude for the series,
03:12but on one condition.
03:14She and Isaac had to show the same amount of skin.
03:16So, like, there's a shower scene that I have in episode two,
03:19and you see my body, and so now, like, you see his body.
03:22Isaac agreed without realizing how much the camera would actually make obvious,
03:25and it wasn't until he got a good look at the episode
03:28that he discovered just how exposed he was.
03:30This unintentional yet daring moment
03:32added another layer of realism to the intense marital drama,
03:35making the chemistry between the leads all the more memorable.
03:38How are you not ashamed?
03:46I've never been more ashamed in my whole life.
03:52Farrell's performance in this 2003 comedy classic
03:55helped cement him as a household name.
03:57We're going streaking through the quad!
03:59One of the most memorable moments comes when his character,
04:02Frank the Tank Ricard,
04:04drunkenly streaks down a busy street,
04:06only to be caught by his new wife.
04:08Frank!
04:09Hey, honey!
04:10Farrell has explained that his choice to perform the stunt himself
04:13wasn't just for shock value.
04:15Rather, it had purpose.
04:17He was fully committed because the scene fit perfectly
04:19with Frank's downward spiral,
04:21and the authenticity of the act added to the impact.
04:23Farrell's fearlessness in this scene
04:25solidified his status as a comedy legend.
04:27Honey, do you think KFC's still open?
04:32Mendes may not have had a large role in this 2001 crime thriller,
04:35but her intuition made a lasting impact.
04:38This is your house.
04:41I'll be right back.
04:42Her character wasn't originally meant to be nude
04:44during the tense scene between Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington.
04:48Congratulations, son.
04:50You made it.
04:52You passed the test. You're a knock. You're in.
04:55However, during filming,
04:57Mendes suggested to director Antoine Fuqua
04:59that it would make sense for her character to be naked.
05:01Mendes later explained that, like many others on this list,
05:04she has no problem shedding her clothes
05:06All right, let me see your hands.
05:08Where is he?
05:09The window.
05:10if it serves the story and is done for artistic reasons
05:13rather than exhibitionism.
05:14Ultimately, Mendes' decision to bear all
05:16added a layer of realism to the film.
05:19Sutherland, who passed away in June 2024,
05:22was a celebrated and sought-after actor.
05:24So when he was cast in Animal House
05:26as Professor Dave Jennings,
05:27he didn't take the silly throwaway role too seriously.
05:30Anybody like to smoke some pot?
05:32In fact, he spent a lot of his time on set
05:34joking around with co-star John Belushi.
05:36During one scene,
05:37Sutherland decided to drop his underwear
05:39and flash his bare bottom,
05:40assuming the gag wouldn't make the final cut.
05:42But it did.
05:43Sutherland's playful improvisation
05:46And even helping co-star Karen Allen
05:48feel more at ease with her own nude scene.
05:54This Juilliard alumna has enjoyed phenomenal success,
05:57earning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe,
05:59and more for her immersive acting style.
06:02Here's Anna.
06:03Would you like to come and sit down?
06:06Anna!
06:07Anna!
06:08Anna!
06:09Anna!
06:10Anna!
06:11Anna!
06:12Anna!
06:13Would you like to come and sit down?
06:15Anna!
06:16In 2023, Chastain starred opposite Peter Sarsgaard
06:19in Michel Franco's Memory,
06:21which received excellent reviews,
06:23as well as an epic eight-minute standing ovation
06:25at the Venice International Film Festival.
06:27Get the f*** away from me!
06:28The script originally called for a gripping encounter
06:30in a bedroom,
06:31but Chastain suggested moving it to a bathtub instead.
06:34From there, she and Sarsgaard improvised
06:36a passionate and emotionally charged sequence,
06:39which they completed in a single take.
06:44It beautifully showcased two great actors
06:46delving into their characters' complex relationship.
06:52As both the creator and star of this HBO series,
06:54Dunham aimed to portray real women in their 20s
06:57with honesty and vulnerability.
06:59What do you want?
07:00I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time,
07:03and thinks I'm the best person in the world,
07:05and wants to have sex with only me.
07:07Her character, Hannah, is impulsive,
07:09narcissistic, neurotic,
07:11and on many occasions, nude.
07:13I can't take a serious naked picture of myself, okay?
07:16That's just not who I am.
07:18Then just be who you are.
07:19By frequently appearing naked,
07:21Dunham defied Hollywood's conventional standards
07:23of who should or shouldn't be shown nude on screen.
07:25Her portrayal promoted body positivity
07:27and challenged the industry's narrow definitions of beauty.
07:30Dunham also emphasized the importance of sexual expression,
07:33giving herself the freedom to depict Hannah authentically,
07:36with all her flaws and imperfections.
07:38I do a lot of sex scenes in the show,
07:39and I'm usually nude for them,
07:41because unlike so many films we see where women are having sex
07:43in like a kind of a perky negligee,
07:45a lot of times people get naked to have sex, I think.
07:47Her bold choices helped redefine on-screen nudity,
07:50fostering a more inclusive and realistic view of beauty.
07:57As an actor, when you get an instinct,
07:59sometimes it's best to just go with it,
08:01even when that instinct is a little, well, unusual.
08:042023's black comedy thriller Saltburn
08:07features Keoghan as Oliver Quick,
08:09an Oxford student who befriends the more popular Felix Catton.
08:12I'm sorry, I don't know your name. I'm Felix.
08:14Oliver. Oliver? Yeah.
08:16Oliver. Oliver, I love you.
08:18Near the end, Quick visits a graveyard
08:20and performs a rather puzzling ritual there,
08:22one that involves the removal of clothing.
08:33Keoghan improvised this racy scene,
08:35wanting to explore a dark, twisted and lustful place
08:38within his character's psyche.
08:40This brazen choice paid off,
08:42and the film, as well as Keoghan himself,
08:44ended up enjoying several accolades.
08:55Netflix's The Witcher was a huge hit when it premiered in 2019.
08:58One of the biggest breakout stars from it
09:00has to be Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg.
09:03And no, it's not just because Chalotra
09:05opted to film her nude scenes.
09:07The female lead in Love Interest,
09:09the title character Yennefer,
09:11naturally had multiple revealing scenes in the first season.
09:13I was right about you.
09:15You do know something of pleasure.
09:17Pleasing,
09:19but highly effective, I'll admit.
09:21In an interview with the British newspaper Metro,
09:23Chalotra admitted to using a body double
09:25in the character's first intimate moment.
09:27However, she quickly became uncomfortable
09:29with anyone else portraying Yennefer,
09:31deeming it all still acting.
09:33From there, Chalotra stepped up to film her nude scenes,
09:35and we're sure certain viewers did not complain.
09:45Parks and Recreation.
09:47In a season two episode of this fan-favorite sitcom,
09:49Chris Pratt's Andy Dwyer misreads a signal
09:51from his ex Anne after she invites him over to her house.
09:53Thinking they're getting back together,
09:55Andy arrives completely naked.
09:57I said, hey, Andy, it's Anne.
09:59Can we talk at my house?
10:01That's not how you said it.
10:03You were like, hey, Andy, it's Anne.
10:05Can you talk at my house?
10:07Oh, my God, you're such a baby.
10:09It's a funny moment as Amy Poehler's Leslie
10:11is the one to open the door,
10:13but Pratt didn't feel like he was getting
10:15the best response from Poehler and Rashida Jones.
10:17I know what I'm gonna do.
10:19I'm gonna drop my trowel as an improv.
10:21I'll show open the door, and then that will be the take
10:23that they'll use, right?
10:25By the way, it is the take that they'll use.
10:27Pratt opted to do the stunt for real.
10:29One reaction Pratt didn't anticipate
10:31was that of NBC, which wrote him
10:33a very stern rebuking of his actions
10:35for not getting consent from cast and crew.
10:37It said, first of all, this is not a joke.
10:39You're being reprimanded.
10:41This is the last warning.
10:43It can't happen again, and also,
10:45we don't want you going around
10:47and talking about this letter
10:49like it was something, some kind of joke.
10:51While there wasn't much behind the scenes fallout,
10:53we have to agree with the network.
10:55Number eight, Kate Winslet, Ammonite.
10:57Mary, my Mary.
10:59I can't believe you're here.
11:01How was the journey?
11:03I wish you would have let me send a carriage.
11:05It feels a very long way from mine.
11:07Since as far back as the 90s,
11:09Kate Winslet has shown her dedication to her roles,
11:11even if it means doing things other actors
11:13would find uncomfortable.
11:15So it comes as no surprise that she reportedly turned down
11:17using a body double for this 2020 romantic drama.
11:19Your proposition makes me feel like
11:21some fancy bird in a gilded cage.
11:23In the film, Winslet plays
11:25real-life paleontologist Mary Anning,
11:27depicting Anning's supposed relationship
11:29with geologist Charlotte Murchison.
11:31Winslet naturally had multiple intimate scenes
11:33with co-star Saoirse Ronan,
11:35and jumped at the chance to be her real 40-something self
11:37post-Children.
11:39In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter,
11:41she also said that she didn't shrink or change herself
11:43for the sake of being naked, but rather the opposite.
11:45We, for one, can definitely respect that.
11:47Go to bed.
11:49Won't that wait till the morning?
11:51I'd turn in his grave if he thought I'd gone to bed
11:53without cleaning his tools.
11:55Good night.
11:57Number 7.
11:59Joseph Morgan. Titans.
12:01Actors often work hard to get into shape for a role,
12:03and if part of that training is for a nude scene,
12:05why shouldn't they get to show off if they want to?
12:11Actor Joseph Morgan
12:13stepped into some big shoes when he joined
12:15the live-action Titans series in season 4
12:17to play the iconic villain Brother Blood.
12:19Midway through the season,
12:21the character has a dramatic and fitting appearance
12:23as he steps out of a pool of blood,
12:25with nothing covering him but the red substance.
12:27Your transformation is now complete.
12:29Morgan told TV Line that he was offered a double,
12:31but turned it down to make his training
12:33all the more worthwhile and do the comics moment
12:35justice on screen.
12:37Let's just hope for him, though. It was corn syrup.
12:39Come. We must prepare for the journey ahead.
12:43What's next?
12:45Next, we bring back your father.
12:47Number 6. Hugh Jackman.
12:49X-Men Days of Future Past.
12:51While Titans is a streaming show,
12:53you really don't expect nudity in a big-screen
12:55superhero adaptation. But thanks to
12:57Hugh Jackman, we got it.
12:59Basically, your body will go to sleep while your mind
13:01travels back in time.
13:03As long as you're back there, past and present
13:05will continue to coexist.
13:07But once you wake up,
13:09whatever you've done
13:11will take hold and become history.
13:13In this generation-bridging sequel,
13:15Jackman's iconic Wolverine has his consciousness
13:17traveled back in time to 1973,
13:19precisely to a moment where he awakes
13:21next to a beautiful woman.
13:23Jackman was asked by producers whether Wolverine would be wearing
13:25boxers or briefs to bed, but Jackman
13:27explained that if the mutant had done the dirty deed
13:29the night before, he'd be all natural.
13:31And what happened to your clothes?
13:33Oh. Would you believe me
13:35if I told you I was sent here from the future?
13:37So they filmed the scene of Wolverine looking
13:39at himself in the mirror, with Jackman bearing it all.
13:41Well, technically, Jackman wore
13:43a green sock in case they had to digitally erase...
13:45Well, you know.
13:47Obviously it's PG-13, so you can't have bits
13:49and pieces flying about, right?
13:51The censors in America don't like that kind of stuff.
13:53Number 5. Jennifer Lawrence.
13:55Red Sparrow. For some actors,
13:57nude scenes can unfortunately make them feel objectified
13:59and boxed in. For others,
14:01it can conversely be liberating, which is thankfully
14:03what Jennifer Lawrence experienced while filming
14:05Red Sparrow. In 2014,
14:07Lawrence and several other celebrities had their
14:09privacies breached when nude photos made their
14:11way online, which Lawrence called
14:13unbelievably violating. When Lawrence was
14:15offered the lead role in the spy film Red Sparrow,
14:17she leaped at the opportunity.
14:19Don't look at her.
14:23I want to watch you do it.
14:25Director Frances Lawrence, no relation,
14:27gave her final say about any sexually
14:29explicit material, but Jennifer Lawrence left
14:31it all in. In fact,
14:33the latter Lawrence later stated how the experience
14:35had her feeling empowered. They all went in at
14:37like 3 in the morning to set up heaters,
14:39and it was like a very Hungarian winter,
14:41and I was always complaining about being cold,
14:43and so I came in, and it was like so toasty
14:45and warm, and I was like, what are you doing
14:47with this heat? My nipples are gonna be
14:49huge! If there's any actor's
14:51enthusiasm regarding nudity we can get behind,
14:53it's Lawrence's. Number 4.
14:55Ken Jeong. The Hangover.
14:57Physician-turned-actor
14:59Ken Jeong already had a few film roles
15:01prior to 2009's The Hangover,
15:03but his infectious energy ensured
15:05that this would be the one he'd be remembered for,
15:07and it all started with this scene.
15:09What was that? It's in the trunk.
15:11Dog's in the trunk!
15:13At one point, the wolf pack
15:15opens a car trunk hoping to find their
15:17missing friend, only to be attacked with a
15:19crowbar by a naked stranger.
15:21This isn't your fault. I'll get you some pants.
15:23The scene wasn't originally written with nudity
15:25in it, but seeing a golden opportunity,
15:27Jeong suggested it to director Todd Phillips,
15:29whom Jeong later recalled responding,
15:31you don't have to tell me twice,
15:33I pitched it to the director Todd Phillips,
15:35do you think I could be naked in this scene?
15:37He goes, you don't have to tell me twice.
15:39And he literally made me sign a way,
15:41he knew, he maybe signed something.
15:43You put nudity in your clothes? Yeah, yeah, he literally made me sign something
15:45in 30 minutes so I wouldn't change my mind, because he knew that would be
15:47the right thing for the movie. Just like that,
15:49one of the most hilariously surprising
15:51movie moments was born. A few scenes later,
15:53and Jeong's portrayal of Mr. Chao
15:55made him a bona fide comedy star.
15:57Why when I come after you guys,
15:59he start screaming like crazy
16:01and throw me a trunk? Huh?
16:03Well, I did that? Yeah, you said he was
16:05your lucky charm, and you wanted to take him
16:07home with you.
16:09Lucky charm!
16:11Number three, Emma Stone,
16:13The Favourite.
16:15It doesn't get any more improvised than Emma Stone's
16:17decision while shooting The Favourite.
16:19In Yorgos Lanthimos' historical comedy,
16:21Stone plays Abigail Hill, who vies
16:23with her cousin Sarah to be the titular favourite
16:25to Olivia Colman's Queen Anne.
16:27You're so beautiful. Stop it,
16:29you mock me.
16:31I do not.
16:33If I were a man, I would
16:35ravish you.
16:37Enough! The film plays on the speculation
16:39that Anne had affairs with both women,
16:41and at one point, Rachel vices Sarah
16:43to catch Abigail sleeping in bed with the Queen.
16:45As Stone later recalled,
16:47they did a few shots with a sheet covering her,
16:49at which point she thought being exposed would work
16:51as Abigail's dig against Sarah.
16:53Oh my God, you actually think you have one?
16:57Haven't I?
16:59Emma did not stop Stone from doing it,
17:01but Lanthimos trusted her instincts,
17:03marking the actress' first ever nude scene.
17:05And as far as the story is concerned, it works.
17:07Apologies again, Your Majesty.
17:09What happened to your dress?
17:11Wolves.
17:17Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
17:19Male nudity is far less common
17:21than that of the female variety,
17:23and it's the expectation not to see the whole package
17:25that makes this scene so funny.
17:27In the next sequence, Jason Segel's Peter
17:29greets his TV star girlfriend with a little show,
17:31but she isn't there for fun times.
17:33She's there to break up with him.
17:35Peter, as you know,
17:37I love you.
17:39Very much.
17:45Are you breaking up with me?
17:47Just when we're used to little Peter being offscreen,
17:49big Peter drops his towel, and we see everything.
17:51Why don't you just put some clothes on, okay?
17:53I'm not gonna go put clothes on.
17:55I know what that means. If I put clothes on, it's over.
17:57Segel, who also wrote the movie,
17:59based the sequence on a real-life dumping
18:01he experienced that he really was naked for.
18:03While Segel said he, unlike Peter,
18:05did put on clothes, he knew right then and there
18:07that it'd make for some choice comedy.
18:09And he wasn't wrong.
18:11So I went into my bedroom, and then I spent like
18:1325 minutes picking out an outfit.
18:17The breakup outfit.
18:19I'm like kicking shirts off and throwing them on the ground,
18:21then trying pants on that don't quite fit right.
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18:43Jordan, this is my friend Naomi.
18:45Hi. Naomi.
18:47Nice to meet you.
18:49One of the biggest names in Hollywood today,
18:51Naomi is actually one of the cast's smallest
18:53come The Wolf of Wall Street's release back in 2013.
18:55But couple a tremendous performance
18:57with a jaw-dropping sex scene,
18:59and it's no wonder that she stood out among the high-profile cast.
19:01We're gonna be friends?
19:03Yeah.
19:05You wanna be my friend?
19:11We're not gonna be friends.
19:13In a movie that's wall-to-wall excess,
19:15Naomi and Jordan's first tryst is no different.
19:17You wanna come up for some tea or something?
19:21Tea? Yeah.
19:23Like, hot tea.
19:25When Naomi wants to make clear her intentions,
19:27she presents herself to Jordan
19:29wearing nothing more than stockings and heels.
19:31Director Martin Scorsese reportedly offered to scale back the nudity,
19:33but Robbie insisted,
19:35claiming that's exactly what Naomi would do in that situation.
19:37It's a testament to Robbie's acting prowess
19:39that this moment already ranks relatively low
19:41among her career highlights.
19:43My mom saw it.
19:45She came to the premiere,
19:47so I was sitting next to her,
19:49and I looked into her eyes when the nude bits happened,
19:51but she pushed my hand away.
19:53She was like,
19:55Oh, that'll be fine.
19:57And I was like,
19:59Which of these spontaneous streaking sessions
20:01did you find the most shocking?
20:03Let's talk about it in the comments.
20:05I'm Troy McClure,
20:07and I'll leave you with what we all came here to see.
20:09Hardcore nudity!
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