Top 20 Actors Who Welcome Doing Nude Scenes

Sebastian Stan might be best known for his role as Bucky Barnes in the MCU. However, he’s included here because of his falcon and winter soldiers. When he decided to play Tommy Lee in the “Pam & Tommy” miniseries, he stripped down for a strange moment that was–remarkably–based on an actual account from Lee’s memoir. Stan later commented on his decision to do the scene, elaborating on how he appreciated the honesty that his depiction would bring to the story. While the most private part of his anatomy was simulated, the bold commitment still required a great deal of the actor’s trust and confidence in his filmmakers. It’s not his first foray into nudity, either, as he’s done a hilariously creative sex scene in “The Bronze”.

Not only is Viggo Mortensen not afraid to do a nude scene. He isn’t afraid to do one that also requires him to fight two clothed men with knives. Okay, so maybe he was a little scared - or at least a little nervous about shooting that amazing scene in “Eastern Promises,” but he did it. Just as he also revealed his naked body in all its glory in a much funnier - and less knives out - scene in the 2016 independent film “Captain Fantastic.” We’re not saying the nudity was a factor, but Mortensen was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for both films.

Whatever role introduced you to Tom Hardy, there’s a good chance you saw him naked. The HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers” marked one of his first major roles in 2001. The part included a love scene that required him to be naked. He’s gone the full monty more than once in both the TV film “Stuart: A Life Backwards” and the 2008 prison drama “Bronson.” Most recently - in the dark period drama “Taboo” - Hardy didn’t shy away from being without clothes either. If the “Venom” movies ever go for an R rating, Hardy might as well help earn it.

Sydney Sweeney isn’t afraid of nude scenes, but she wishes women who show skin on screen were treated the same as men. Speaking to The Independent, Sweeney discussed how men who get naked for a role are still praised for their performance. It isn’t always the same for women. Discussing her work on “Euphoria,” Sweeney said, “I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked.” Sweeney felt critics and awards groups finally recognized her for “The White Lotus,” which didn’t entail nudity. Of course, Sweeney has since received an Emmy nomination for her work on “Euphoria.” So, maybe you can strip down and still be taken seriously.

Dutch actor Michiel Huisman made a big splash with North American audiences when he took over the role of Daario Naharis from actor Ed Skrein in the fourth season of “Game of Thrones.” A role that, as the love interest of Daenerys Targaryen, required him to spend some time on screen without clothes. He was more than okay with that. Given the double standard women have faced regarding nudity on camera, Huisman was happy to be part of the power-dynamic role reversal with the Mother of Dragons. Huisman said, “Telling a man to take off his clothes, where it's often the other way around. I was happy to be a victim of that.”

You know the scene in “The Wolf of Wall Street” when Margot Robbie’s character appears fully naked in the doorway to seduce Leonardo DiCaprio? Well, if you thought Martin Scorsese had to convince Robbie to be fully nude, you’re wrong. Not only did he not have to convince her. The no clothes thing was her idea. The director offered her the option of a robe, but Robbie felt nudity was the right way to go for the character and the scene. Robbie hates films that have nudity just to get a girl naked, but when it’s true to the scene, she’s more than comfortable with it.

If you’re sitting there racking your brain trying to remember when Magneto got naked in “X-Men: First Class,” you can stop. That’s far from Michael Fassbender’s most “revealing” performance. For that, we have to talk about his work as Bobby Sands in “Hunger” and Brandon Sullivan in “Shame,” both directed by Steve McQueen. Fassbender goes full frontal in both films. While getting naked in front of strangers isn’t something he relishes, in referencing the Sullivan character, he has said that “it had to be done. It was an essential part of getting inside the psyche.”

In 2014, a hacker broke into Jennifer Lawrence’s email, revealing private nude photos of the Oscar-winning actress to the public. It was a hard time for Lawrence and one that took her years to come to terms with. Interestingly enough, one of the ways she empowered herself was by doing nude scenes in her 2018 film, “Red Sparrow.” Obviously, it worked because a few years later, she was naked on screen again in the comedy “No Hard Feelings.” A choice she made, as she told Variety, without a second thought.

She disrobed for one of the most famous nude scenes in cinema history. Being sketched by Leonardo DiCaprio in “Titanic” is just one of many times Kate Winslet has removed her clothes for a role. In fact, it’s something she’s been doing throughout her career when the role called for it - from 1996’s “Jude” to “Ammonite” in 2020. Being 43 at the time, Winslet was surprised at how good she felt about filming the nude scenes for the latter. Instead of shying away from her older body, Winslet embraced it, with all its “marks” and “scars.”

Eva Green is very shy, but you wouldn’t know it from her willingness to be nude on camera. Even she doesn’t understand the paradoxical nature of those two things. But it’s been that way since she first burst onto the scene in her film debut as Isabelle in 2003’s “The Dreamers” - a role that required her to be naked quite a bit. Since then, she’s continued to not shy away from nudity, from “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” to “Penny Dreadful” - to name just a couple of her emotionally and physically bared roles.

Even the most risque nude scenes from the past often have one particular double standard going for them: gender-biased nudity. Specifically, a sex scene might require a great deal more nudity from a female actor than a male. However, actors like Chris Pine are working to change that dynamic, one nude scene at a time. Pine and co-star Florence Pugh were both tasked with a love scene in the 2018 Netflix film “Outlaw King.” Pine, to his credit, bared it all alongside his co-star, yet was surprised at the backlash. He spoke to The Mirror and defended his decision, asking, "Is Florence expected to do that because she is a woman and I'm not expected to do that because I'm a man?" You go, Chris!

The idea behind Ken Jeong’s hilarious nude scenes in “The Hangover” franchise actually came from the man himself, believe it or not. Jeong revealed as much to AOL during an interview conducted back in 2017. Multiple takes were done of Jeong leaping out of the trunk of a car, but it was the actor’s pitch to director Todd Phillips that sealed the deal. Jeong sort of made going in the buff “tradition” after that, going nude again with “The Hangover Part II” in 2011, proving that he absolutely wasn’t afraid to tempt naked fate a second time.

The promotion of body positivity in cinema isn’t something that happened overnight. It also isn’t only part of the big screen, either. Lena Dunham helped promote the beauty of all bodies during her nude scenes for the HBO series “Girls.” Meanwhile, the actor, writer, and director purposefully defied the accepted norms of who “should” and “shouldn’t” do on-screen nudity and wasn’t afraid to document her feelings in the press. Her interviews with outlets such as Marie Claire, The Guardian, and Refinery29 all point to an actor who was fighting for freedom of sexual expression within her work. It wasn’t always an easy road, but Dunham’s fearlessness allowed many other artists to tread similar creative paths with less fear.

On-screen nudity doesn’t necessarily need to be titillating. Case in point? The full-frontal nude scene from Jason Segel in the 2008 film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” This intentionally shocking and very funny scene was actually the actor’s idea, proving that he was unafraid of any audience repercussions. Part of the reasoning behind Segel’s nude scene was to represent his character hitting his lowest point. The resulting embarrassment at being dumped by the titular Sarah Marshall was described by Segel during a 2015 interview with Vulture as something that “wasn’t just for shock value.”

For some actors, on-screen nudity is just one part of the process they go through as performers. This definitely applies to Katherine Waterston, who’s said as much during interviews with outlets like The New York Daily News and The Huffington Post. Her interview with the former saw Waterston connecting the vulnerability of nudity with the acting process. Meanwhile, the actor discussed her full-frontal scene in the 2014 film “Inherent Vice” in The Huffington Post, describing the work as “liberating” and “freeing.” Sure, not every actor may feel this way, but we certainly admire Katherine Waterston’s position on a very challenging aspect of the craft.

We’re firmly of the mind that Alexander Skarsgård should absolutely reap the rewards of all his hard work in the gym by doing as many nude scenes as his heart desires. Skarsgård may come from an acting family, but he’s certainly blazed a trail on both the small and large screens. His brushes with nudity may have first entered the cultural zeitgeist back in the HBO series “True Blood,” but Skarsgård hasn’t stopped pushing the physical envelope with his performances. The actor’s work on Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” in particular showcased a heretofore unseen physicality from Skarsgård that was as shocking as it was sexually charged.

Charlize Theron has seen both sides of the on-screen nudity coin. On one hand, the actor’s early work often saw Theron performing in sexually provocative sequences for films like “Reindeer Games” and “2 Days in the Valley” that required explicit nudity. Meanwhile, more recent features like “Atomic Blonde” saw Theron’s nudity being utilized to tell a story, rather than for prurient titillation. It’s a respite, a moment of calm in the bath for recovery, during a film that’s packed with violent action. Furthermore, Theron has told outlets such as The Daily Telegraph and W Magazine about how she has no issues with nudity if the scene requires it to make sense.

There are some actors who just don’t feel the need to contextualize or explain away the frequency of their nude scenes. Instead, they relish the thought and lean into those scenes with an almost gleeful zeal. Ewan McGregor has certainly come across this way in some interviews over the years, such as the one he did with OUT Magazine while promoting “Velvet Goldmine” in 1998. McGregor utilized words like “power” and “rush” to describe going full-frontal on-screen, and it’s this matter-of-factness that makes the actor’s attitude so refreshing. Just maybe don’t bet on seeing Obi-Wan’s lightsaber for any “Star Wars” related media any time soon.

Italy’s Monica Bellucci is another actor that’s performed on-screen nudity with wildly varying tonal shades. The actor’s natural beauty has been celebrated in films like “Malèna” or “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” and even in outlandish exploitation fare like 2007’s “Shoot ‘Em Up.” However, Bellucci has also featured in nude scenes where the plot ventured into truly dark territory, such as in 2002’s “Irréversible.” The actor has remained professional and unafraid throughout it all, even telling Entertainment Weekly in 2002 that nudity was “something magic” and “pure.” Bellucci went on, however, to state her opposition to nudity that she felt was “gratuitous,” describing her personal attitude as one she cultivated growing up in Europe.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

She Was Proud of Her Body in “How to Get away with Murder”

No Clothes Attached in “No Strings Attached”

Nudity is a Basic Instinct

You Can’t Be Afraid of Nudity If You’re Going to Play Marilyn Monroe

From “The Fifth Element” to Waking Up Naked in the Shower in “Resident Evil”

The career arc of an actor often takes them into different places as they age. The Angelina Jolie that performed nude in 2015’s “By the Sea” was not the same person who appeared in films like “Cyborg 2,” “Hackers,” or “Original Sin.” All of those films featured nudity in a sexualized context, performed by a younger actor. Yet, “By the Sea” also featured a nude Jolie, this time after a real-life double mastectomy. The actor and director told The New York Times how the scene required a nude performance, and how Jolie’s personal challenges wouldn’t get in the way of her art. This all ties into Angelina Jolie’s bohemian and nonconforming dedication to her career.