Top 20 Actors Who Refuse to Do Nude Scenes

You might remember that there was quite a bit of nudity on the HBO series, “Girls”. But you might also remember that none of that nudity was of Allison Williams. Williams was relatively unknown when she landed the role of Marnie Michaels on the show. However, when HBO presented her with a nudity waiver she didn’t hesitate in telling her agents that she wouldn’t sign it. Growing up the child of a famous parent– news anchor Brian Williams– she knew how what parents do can come back on their kids. I didn’t want “people showing up to school with old Google images of their naked mom.”

Imagine strolling down the street and knowing the people walking past you had seen you naked. If the thought makes you uncomfortable, then you have something in common with Mandy Moore. The “This Is Us” actress has reiterated her refusal to do nudity for decades now - talking about how her body is for her personal life, not for public consumption. While that stance has caused her to turn down and lose out on some roles over the years, we think her career has done just fine without the onscreen nudity.

Not that he was in the running for Channing Tatum’s role in “Magic Mike,” but Ricky Gervais has gone on record saying he will never get naked on film. He has stripped down to his boxer shorts, but for fans hoping to see more… that ain’t gonna happen. Although he has said in interviews that should a scene require full nudity, he would consider having a body double replace him in said moment. Not that he thinks folks are clamoring for a Gervais nude scene. As he told The Sun years ago, “I don’t want to see this body - nobody does!”

Yes, Rebel Wilson was in the 2016 film, “The Brothers Grimsby.” And yes, her character does get naked in the movie. But no, that wasn’t her. Wilson (as she always does) had a no nudity clause in her contract, and so that naked body you saw in the film was, as Wilson told Marie Claire, “[a] larger burlesque dancer from South Africa.” That being said, Wilson did leave the door open to nudity in the future - saying that it is something she would consider doing for a more serious film.

While her ex Sacha Baron Cohen seems to love showing off as much of his body as possible, Isla Fisher is a little more discerning when it comes to taking her clothes off for a movie. This is why she opted for a body double for the more exposed moments in “Wedding Crashers.” She hasn’t shied away from lingerie, but full exposure is probably not something you’ll see from Fisher, especially in a comedy. Fisher once said, “I feel like if you have a female comic character and then you see her nipples, then she is no longer funny.” She also said that she understood that was wrong, but it was how she felt (at least at the time).

Kristen Bell might’ve sung “Love Is an Open Door” in Disney’s 2013 blockbuster hit “Frozen,” but when it comes to getting naked on camera, that door appears to be closed tight. She did strip down to her underwear on “​​House of Lies,” and did extra hard buns and abs workouts in preparation for it. However, that’s as far as Bell is willing to go. She seems pretty steadfast on that, basically telling anyone who thinks they’ll get to see her naked on screen to “Dream On!”

Chris Pratt likes being naked and as a kid was prone to dropping trou at any time. Even as an adult, he was known to use nudity in some hilarious pranks on his fellow “Parks and Recreation” castmates. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to see his naked butt or more in the next “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie. Nope, Mr. Pratt is pretty guarded when it comes to showing off his “galaxy” on camera. The driving force behind that would appear to be his strong religious faith. A faith that has led him to say no to nude and sex scenes thus far.

While some actors will leave open the possibility of doing nudity if the film and the role are right, Jessica Simpson is not one of them. Even if she could win an Oscar for it - she doesn’t care. As she told Allure magazine back in 2010, “I’m not going to do it”. She might pose in lingerie and do some sexy photoshoots. But when it comes to the full monty, that’s only for her husband. Which, as of 2024, is former NFL tight end, Eric Johnson.

Anna Kendrick is a great actress and has no problem doing something on screen that feels right for the character. So, kissing or simulated sex - that’s about the character and Kendrick is totally willing to do it all to honor what the scene legitimately calls for. However, when it comes to her body, she only gets one of those. Therefore nudity, as she has pointed out, is more about her - and she has decided that on-camera nudity isn’t for her. That certainly sounds like pitch-perfect reasoning to us.

The show was called “Sex and the City” and there was definitely a lot of sex taking place in the city in pretty much every episode. In fact, of the four main actresses, only one never appeared naked on screen. And yes, that one was Sarah Jessica Parker. She was in her underwear a lot - more than any other character in fact. But naked? Never. Parker’s no-nudity clause was quite well known and has been much discussed over the years. It doesn’t come from a major ideological or religious place either. She has no issues with people who are comfortable doing it. She just isn’t. Plain and simple.

After Zendaya started on Disney Channel, her career took off into the stratosphere. She’s had breakout roles in everything from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” to her big show “Euphoria.” On the series, many of her castmates have disrobed for various episodes. There are even some reports and interviews of actors pushing against nudity in certain scenes. But through it all, Zendaya’s Rue Bennett has been relatively more modest than her costars. There are reports that the actress has a no-nudity clause included in her contract for the show. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t seem likely Zendaya will change that policy for future roles.

Blake Lively has had an incredibly successful acting career that spans both film and television. She and her “A Simple Favor” co-star Anna Kendrick have both opted not to reveal everything on-screen. Lively’s relied on body doubles for a few of the steamy moments in the past. In a 2012 interview with “The Daily Mail,” she called nudity in film “distracting.” However, she did temporarily change her mind for her role in “All I See Is You.” But since Lively disrobed because she found nudity was integral to the story, it was probably just a rare exception to her stance.

If you rewatch season five of “Desperate Housewives” closely, you’ll notice that Neal McDonough’s David Williams won’t be spotted kissing his wife. Prior to his appearance on the show, he made it public that he wouldn’t so much as kiss anyone that wasn’t his real-life spouse. McDonough’s strict policy around intimate scenes wasn’t an issue until he was cast on ABC’s “Scoundrels.” When he denied a request to do a sex scene for “Scoundrels” that might’ve involved showing skin as well, he fired and was replaced. Although his personal policy cost him that role, McDonough’s had absolutely no problem getting cast in tv and film since then.

Some child actors feel pressured into doing risqué roles in order to be taken more seriously. However, Emma Watson gracefully transitioned from the wizarding world to other serious roles without stepping out of her comfort zone. In an interview with the Sunday Times, the actress insisted that she wouldn’t do a nude scene just to shake off her connection to Hermione. But that didn’t stop people from thinking she would. There was a time where rumors swirled Watson would bare everything while joining the “Fifty Shades” franchise. However, the actress easily shut those scandalous reports down. The enchanting Watson still doesn’t seem to feel the need to change her stance on nudity.

Although Jennifer Garner has had a handful of steamy scenes throughout her career, none of them have ever seen her bare it all. While promoting their film, “The Invention of Lying,” Garner and her-co star Ricky Gervais both expressed their stances on nudity. The notable actress insisted that there was a “Zero percent” chance she’d take it off for the camera. Garner has certainly achieved incredible heights as an actress while keeping her clothes on. Incidentally, she’s had a number of great roles in family-friendly films over the years. Garner clearly doesn’t need to change what she’s doing to keep getting cast in a variety of roles.

Most movie fans know Julia Roberts played a woman with a very adult profession to perfection in “Pretty Woman” alongside Richard Gere. But her connection to the role doesn’t mean she has any plans to take off everything in future films. Despite having had many steamy moments with costars in the past, Roberts has never let the camera see everything. She’s even requested that a mature scene in “Duplicity” was dialed back in the past. Honestly, we think that the actress made her opinion known best in her own words years ago. In an interview, Roberts said, “To act with my clothes on is a performance. To act with my clothes off is a documentary.”

After years in the industry, Mila Kunis has become someone who will speak up when something doesn't feel right. Back in 2016, the actress went on record discussing how she had struggled with gender equality in the film industry. The open letter mentioned how a producer claimed her career would nosedive if she didn’t take off her clothes for promotional material. But Kunis stood her ground and didn’t do something she wasn’t comfortable with. While we don’t know what movie this incident was tied to, we know she used a butt double for her role in “Friends with Benefits.” It’s great to see Kunis thriving in Hollywood without being pressured to do something she never wanted to do.

Jessica Alba is one of the talented performers out in Hollywood who has a no-nudity clause written in her contract. In an interview with Glamour magazine, she’s quoted as saying “getting naked would never “elevate the picture.” Ironically, many of Alba’s roles seem to take right to the edge of her boundaries. There’s a running issue in the “Fantastic Four” films where she seems to keep losing her clothes. When she appeared in “Sin City,” Alba played a stripper who didn’t reveal everything. And although viewers thought she bared it all in a “Machete” shower scene, it was just special effects tricking people’s eyes. Whether Alba is playing around with audience expectations intentionally or not, her no-nudity clause has remained very intact.

Longtime Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson might have the most unique reason for not wanting to do a full frontal scene. While talking about “The Hateful Eight”, the subject of nudity came up in conversation. Jackson was against such scenes because he seemed concerned about measuring up to expectations. Since we’ll try to keep this entry family-friendly, we won’t specifically name the part of Jackson’s body he thinks could come up short on camera. According to him, he thinks that a certain part of him might seem too small because his own personality is so large. Jackson implied scenes where you’d see all of him might involve a stunt double. So if he’s in any real steamy sequences, he'll ensure his character measures up.

It’s safe to say that Megan Fox is one of the most stunning people in Hollywood. Although she took part in some risqué scenes at one stage in her career, she took measures to avoid being fully naked. And that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. In various interviews, Fox expressed that there are some parts of herself she’d rather keep private. Her stance only strengthened after she became a mom. Fox said that she even turned down a TV project because her potential role as a sex worker would’ve had a large share of mature scenes. While she may always be seen as one of the most attractive actresses around, there's little chance audiences will see all of her.