5 Actors Who Did Nude Scenes After Turning 50 - And Why They Were Important

Baring it all in a feature film feels like a daunting prospect under the best of circumstances. Whether shooting an intimate scene with another actor or stripping down in some sort of vulnerable moment for your character, there's absolutely no question that it requires significant bravery. Actors are surrounded by people holding film equipment and might have to do the take over and over again, and what if it's cold in there? The potential for disaster feels boundless.

This makes it all the more impressive, then, when actors of an advanced age decide to show everything on camera without the aid of a body double. That's not to say that, if you're over 50 years old, your body is somehow less worthwhile, but ageism persists in society — and older performers have decided to go fully nude on camera to prove that they're not afraid of criticism or vitriol. These actors all went fully naked in comedies and dramas alike, and their boldness will hopefully encourage filmmakers and actors alike to present all bodies on-screen going forward.

Emma Thompson is nothing if not a confident, bold character when she's not playing a character — whether she's tossing her shoes off while presenting at an awards ceremony or keeping her Oscars in her bathroom — so it's somewhat surprising to see her access her meeker side and disrobe completely in the 2022 film "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande." Thompson plays Susan Robinson, a widow who seeks out a young sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) under the false name of Nancy Stokes — because while her husband was alive, she never experienced an orgasm.

Leo and Susan/Nancy end up forming an emotional bond as well as a physical one, and it's particularly resonant when Thompson strips down during the movie's ending. Despite her work with Leo, she still hasn't orgasmed, and ultimately, it's not Leo who helps her achieve this victory; Susan accomplishes it herself. After telling Leo that she no longer requires his services, Susan admires herself naked in a mirror. It's a truly poignant moment watching Susan respect and revel in her agency as well as own and admire her sexual desire ... and Thompson's boldness as an actor should be admired as well.

Alexander Payne's 2002 film "About Schmidt" mainly focuses on Jack Nicholson's moping widower Warren Schmidt, but Kathy Bates plays a pivotal role in the film as well — and takes it all off in the process. After his wife Helen (June Squibb) dies suddenly, Warren is left to his own devices and reconnects with his daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis) at the funeral ... but also meets her fiancé Randall Hertzel (Dermot Mulroney), whom he doesn't much like. While he's grieving Helen, he discovers she was having an affair with their friend Ray Nichols (Len Cariou), complicating his feelings about his late wife.

So how does Bates factor in? The Oscar winner plays Roberta Hertzel, mother to Randall, who houses Warren while he travels in the Winnebago he bought with Helen before she died. While staying with Roberta, Warren is shocked when she confronts him completely naked in her hot tub — and though he rejects her advances, it's certainly a bold move for both Roberta and the actor who portrays her. Bates is known for playing powerful and upfront characters, and Roberta is no different. Going nude in this film is yet another striking choice for the performer.

Nancy Meyers' movies tend to focus on women of a certain age reclaiming their sexuality, and in "Something's Gotta Give," the woman in question is Diane Keaton's Erica Barry. She's a successful playwright with a stunning house in the Hamptons who discovers her daughter Marin (Amanda Peet) is dating the much older, very wealthy Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson). Things get pretty strange, though, when Harry mistakes Erica's bedroom for the kitchen — and sees her in a complete state of undress.

The scene in question is brief and played for a laugh in that both Harry and Erica are beyond shocked, but Keaton is certainly bold enough to bare it all, and it plays into the central theme of the movie ... which is that Erica is eminently desirable. After Harry has a cardiac event while trying to sleep with Marin, he has to see Dr. Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves), a fan of Erica's work who immediately falls for her. A love triangle centered around an older woman is novel enough, but Keaton's bravery in going nude really sells a film where she's the object of everyone's lust and romantic interest.

"Calendar Girls" is a pretty bold film in the first place, and every actress who appears in it deserves credit for going fully nude — but in this instance, we're focusing on Helen Mirren and her character Chris Harper. Based on a true story, director Nigel Cole's 2003 comedy centers around Chris and her best friend Annie Clarke (Julie Walters) ... and when Annie's husband John (John Alderton) dies from leukemia, the two women band together with their friends and execute an unconventional idea. To raise money for a much more comfortable couch in the waiting room where Annie and Chris spent time waiting for John in the hospital, the two gather a group of women and decide to shoot and market a nude calendar.

Watching these women — who are above 50 — work together and encourage one another to take their photos is truly inspiring and unexpectedly emotional, and though Chris is painted as the boldest of them, it's still thrilling to see her and Annie really go for it. "Calendar Girls" is a classic British comedy, and every single actress in the movie deserves acclaim for baring everything.

The nudity in Abel Ferrara's 1992 crime drama "Bad Lieutenant" isn't notable because it's funny, uplifting, or consequential for the character — it's notable because it really proves just how depraved the main character is. As the unnamed bad lieutenant, Harvey Keitel makes his way through New York City's seedy underbelly, constantly doing drugs and making alliances with drug dealers for product (while promising that he won't report them to his colleagues). So what's the nude scene in question? 

Early in the film, Keitel's character engages in a threesome with two women while he's incredibly intoxicated, and in the process, the actor is fully nude, letting the camera linger on his naked body as he dances. The second scene is much more disturbing; after pulling over two young teenage girls driving without a license, Keitel's character masturbates as he harasses them and forces them to simulate a sexual act. It's unsettling, cruel, and hard to watch, but Keitel gives everything possible to his performance as a corrupt cop openly flouting his power ... including full views of his body.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).