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15 Actresses Who Went Completely Nude for a Role

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - January 25th 2026, 19:00 GMT+1

Anne Hathaway Love Other Drugs cropped processed by imagy — Anne Hathaway – Love & Other Drugs (2010) / Havoc (2005)

Anne Hathaway’s approach to nudity is almost stubbornly unglamorous when the story calls for it – less pin-up, more “this is what intimacy looks like when it’s messy and real.” In the middle of *Love & Other Drugs*, the nude scenes aren’t staged like trophies; they’re quick, playful, sometimes awkward, and often tied to how Maggie keeps people close while still keeping them out. Hathaway has also been candid that the strange part isn’t filming so much as the way audiences fixate on it afterward. Then *Havoc* swings in a darker direction, using nudity as part of a reckless, self-destructive spiral rather than romance. Two different movies, two different textures, and she meets both with the same fearlessness without turning it into a stunt. | © Fox 2000 Pictures

Natalie Portman Closer cropped processed by imagy — Natalie Portman – Closer (2004)

*Closer* is the one people constantly misremember as “full-frontal Portman,” which says a lot about how gossip travels faster than the actual film. Natalie Portman did shoot material around the strip-club scenes, and she’s addressed the fact that at least one nude beat was filmed but didn’t make the final cut. What *does* make it in is a performance that feels exposed anyway – she plays Alice like someone who’s always half a step ahead of whoever thinks they’re in control. The vulnerability comes through in the pauses and the snapbacks, not in how much skin the edit shows. In other words: the scandal talk is louder than the footage, but Portman’s emotional nakedness still lands. | © Columbia Pictures

Dakota Johnson Fifty Shades of Grey cropped processed by imagy — Dakota Johnson – Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Dakota Johnson’s real trick here is that she never plays Anastasia like a prop in someone else’s fantasy – she plays her like a person who’s curious, nervous, and occasionally amused by the whole situation. Very early on, *Fifty Shades of Grey* asks her to carry a lot of nudity and explicit scenes, and Johnson has been pretty matter-of-fact in interviews about being comfortable with that part of the job. Even so, the movie keeps reminding you there’s a character under the lingerie: the way she second-guesses, negotiates, pushes back, then reconsiders. You can feel her trying to locate her own power inside a setup designed to overwhelm her. Whatever you think of the franchise, Johnson is the reason it doesn’t collapse into pure gloss. | © Focus Features

Scarlett Johansson Under the Skin cropped processed by imagy — Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin (2013)

The nudity in *Under the Skin* isn’t framed as “sexy,” and that’s exactly why it sticks with you. Scarlett Johansson moves through the film like she’s wearing humanity as a borrowed outfit, and the moments where she’s nude feel more like evidence than invitation – clinical, eerie, almost procedural. She has talked about how vulnerable it can feel knowing a scene might be reduced to a freeze-frame online, and you can sense that awareness in how controlled her performance is: the stillness, the watchfulness, the precision. The camera doesn’t “celebrate” her body; it weaponizes the audience’s attention, then turns it sour. It’s one of the rare films where full nudity plays like part of the horror machinery, not a selling point, and Johansson commits to that discomfort all the way through. | © Film4

Margot Robbie The Wolf of Wall Street cropped processed by imagy — Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

There’s a famous scene where Naomi makes her point with brutal clarity, and Margot Robbie has said she didn’t want to soften it by covering up. She understood the nudity as part of the power move – Naomi controlling what’s on offer, when it’s on offer, and who gets to feel small in the room. What makes it work is that Robbie doesn’t play it like a “big nude moment”; she plays it like strategy, with a calm confidence that’s almost confrontational. The camera can be loud and chaotic in this film, but she’s sharply composed inside it, turning exposure into leverage. That’s why her breakout didn’t feel accidental – it felt inevitable, right there in *The Wolf of Wall Street*. | © Paramount Pictures

Nicole Kidman Eyes Wide Shut cropped processed by imagy — Nicole Kidman – Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Kubrick didn’t ask for “sexy," he asked for honesty, and Nicole Kidman met him there with the kind of fearless calm that makes the film feel like a dare. The nudity isn’t tossed in as decoration; it’s woven into Alice’s unraveling, the way desire becomes both confession and threat inside a marriage that’s suddenly full of trapdoors. Kidman has said Kubrick gave her final say over the nude moments, and you can feel that trust in how unforced the scenes play – present, never performative. Even when the movie slips into ritual and nightmare, she keeps it human, turning vulnerability into leverage rather than spectacle. It’s a risky role because the camera never blinks, but Kidman doesn’t either. | © Warner Bros.

Angelina Jolie Gia cropped processed by imagy — Angelina Jolie – Original Sin (2001) / Gia (1998)

*Gia* comes at you with the bluntness of a biography that refuses to look away, and Angelina Jolie doesn’t soften a thing – her nudity is part of the portrait of fame, appetite, and self-destruction, not a glossy “movie moment.” She plays Gia Carangi like a live wire: magnetic, volatile, and heartbreakingly young, with the camera catching her in states that feel almost too private to witness. Later, *Original Sin* flips the energy into old-school erotic melodrama, and Jolie leans into the femme-fatale allure with a confidence that’s practically a plot device. What’s consistent across both is how she keeps control of the character’s intention – whether it’s tenderness, manipulation, or pure impulse – so the nudity reads as character behavior, not a marketing bullet point. Jolie makes the audience complicit, then dares them to judge her for it. | © HBO Pictures

Sharon Stone Basic Instinct cropped processed by imagy — Sharon Stone – Basic Instinct (1992) / Sliver (1993)

*Basic Instinct* turned Sharon Stone into a cultural flashpoint overnight, and she’s been very candid about the cost of that – especially how exposed she felt by the way one infamous shot landed in the final cut. But what often gets lost in the chatter is how sharp her performance is: Stone plays Catherine Tramell like she’s writing the scene as it happens, always a beat ahead, enjoying the discomfort she’s causing. When she followed it up with *Sliver*, the nudity and sensual charge were still front-and-center, but the vibe shifts into voyeurism and paranoia – less interrogation room power play, more “who’s watching me through the walls?” Stone’s presence is the through-line: she sells danger with a smile, and even when the movies try to reduce her to a body, she keeps dragging the focus back to willpower and control. | © Carolco Pictures

Mikey Madison Anora cropped processed by imagy — Mikey Madison – Anora (2024)

Cannes crowned it, audiences argued about it, and suddenly Mikey Madison had the kind of breakout where people talk about “star-making” like it’s a real job title. In *Anora*, the nudity isn’t framed like a scandal – it’s part of the character’s everyday reality, and Madison has said she felt comfortable filming it because the goal was honesty rather than titillation. The performance is physical in a way that goes beyond skin: the confidence that’s half armor, the exhaustion that creeps in when the fantasy starts rotting, the defiance that flashes when someone tries to own her story. Sean Baker’s camera tends to live close to his characters, and Madison uses that closeness to make Ani feel in control even when the plot is trying to yank the steering wheel away from her. It’s bold, funny, bruising, and she’s the reason it sticks. | © FilmNation Entertainment

Kate Winslet Titanic cropped processed by imagy — Kate Winslet – Titanic (1997) / The Reader (2008)

Kate Winslet has never treated nudity like a “moment” – more like a tool that either belongs in the story or gets tossed out, no apologies either way. In *Titanic*, the nude drawing scene works because she plays Rose as the author of her own rebellion: excited, nervous, daring herself to be seen on her terms for once. Years later, *The Reader* asks for something heavier and less romantic, and Winslet has talked openly about how unglamorous that kind of nudity can be, especially when it’s tied to complicated power dynamics and emotional fallout. What makes her stand out is consistency: she refuses to fake-perfect her body for the camera, and she’s been outspoken about the cruelty of body scrutiny that followed her early fame. Winslet’s characters aren’t “brave because nude” – they’re brave because they stay human while the world tries to turn them into symbols. | © Paramount Pictures

Emma Stone The Favourite cropped processed by imagy — Emma Stone – The Favourite (2018) / Poor Things (2023)

*The Favourite* shows Emma Stone weaponizing sweetness like it’s a sharpened spoon – every smile has an angle, every polite pause is a calculation, and you can practically hear Abigail deciding who to step over next. What’s fun is how Stone never begs for sympathy; she makes you complicit, then leaves you sitting with it. Switch gears to *Poor Things* and the fearlessness turns physical: nudity is treated as plain reality because Bella is learning the world with zero shame software installed. Stone has said the explicit scenes were essential to that freedom, and she’s credited the intimacy work behind the camera for keeping everything deliberate rather than messy. Two wildly different characters, same core skill: she makes bold choices feel character-led, not attention-led. | © Fox Searchlight Pictures

Jennifer Lawrence Red Sparrow cropped processed by imagy — Jennifer Lawrence – No Hard Feelings (2023) / Red Sparrow (2018)

The nude beach fight in *No Hard Feelings* isn’t played as scandal – it’s played as comedy with teeth, and Jennifer Lawrence commits so hard the joke becomes her confidence, not her body. She’s been upfront about how the scene was staged to be ridiculous on purpose, letting the audience gasp and laugh in the same breath. A few years earlier, *Red Sparrow* asked for something colder and more controlled, and Lawrence talked about choosing that nudity as a way to feel ownership again after her privacy had been violated. That through-line matters: whether she’s throwing punches naked or staring someone down in a spy thriller, she frames exposure as a decision, not a surrender. Lawrence makes “nude scene” mean “actor at work,” not “headline bait.” | © 20th Century Fox

Charlize Theron The Devils Advocate cropped processed by imagy — Charlize Theron – 2 Days in the Valley (1996) / The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Before she was an icon, Charlize Theron was already taking swings that could’ve swallowed a newcomer whole. In *2 Days in the Valley*, the nudity is tied to a character who understands exactly how she’s being looked at and how to use that attention when it benefits her, even if it’s ugly. Theron sells that early-career tightrope walk with a coolness that keeps the scenes from feeling like pure exploitation. Then, when *The Devil’s Advocate* arrives, the “exposure” shifts into something nastier: a breakdown that turns glamour into paranoia, with Theron pushing her performance into real discomfort. She doesn’t coast on beauty in either film; she treats it like a tool the story can turn against her, and she plays the fight back. | © Regency Enterprises

Olivia Wilde Third Person cropped processed by imagy — Olivia Wilde – Third Person (2013)

What stands out isn’t just that Olivia Wilde is nude – it’s how she refuses to let the scene feel precious or coy. She’s talked in interviews about the unglamorous practicality of doing intimate work, and how different sets handle it with different levels of awkwardness and fuss. That attitude matches what you see on screen: Wilde plays the moment like a choice the character is making, not a dare the actor is being pushed into. The performance stays cool even when the situation is meant to feel vulnerable, which is harder than people think. And because the film is built on fractured relationships and emotional bargaining, her nudity lands as part of that transactional atmosphere – one more way characters try to buy closeness and end up owing interest. All of that tension hangs right there in *Third Person*. | © Corsan

Florence Pugh outlaw king cropped processed by imagy — Florence Pugh – Oppenheimer (2023) / Outlaw King (2018)

Florence Pugh has a blunt honesty about intimate scenes that makes you trust her even more – she’ll praise the process when it’s handled well, and she’ll call it out when it’s not. Around *Oppenheimer*, she joked about how “closed set” doesn’t stop things from getting absurdly technical, like waiting around naked while equipment issues get fixed, because filmmaking is never as glamorous as it pretends to be. On screen, she brings that same no-flinch energy: nudity isn’t posed, it’s lived-in, tied to the character’s presence and volatility rather than soft lighting. *Outlaw King* uses her in a grittier register, where exposure feels like part of a harsh world, not a glossy detour. Pugh’s trick is making the body feel like the least dramatic thing in the room – until you realize that’s the point. | © Netflix

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On-screen nudity can be played for shock, but at its best it’s just another storytelling tool – raw, intimate, sometimes brutal, and often essential to the moment. These 15 actresses went completely nude for a role in projects that span prestige drama, thrillers, and everything in between.

We’re focusing on scenes where it wasn’t a cheap stunt, but part of the character and the story’s punch. And if you’re wondering which male actors have done the same, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered in our companion list.

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On-screen nudity can be played for shock, but at its best it’s just another storytelling tool – raw, intimate, sometimes brutal, and often essential to the moment. These 15 actresses went completely nude for a role in projects that span prestige drama, thrillers, and everything in between.

We’re focusing on scenes where it wasn’t a cheap stunt, but part of the character and the story’s punch. And if you’re wondering which male actors have done the same, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered in our companion list.