Star Wars Does Have A Nude Moment - But It Wasn't Intentional
It isn't uncommon for wardrobe malfunctions to end up in finished movies, even in family-friendly blockbusters set in pop culture's most famous galaxy far, far away. When people talk about "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi," nudity isn't the first topic that comes to mind. Despite this, the film contains a blink-and-you'll-miss-it slip during one of the scenes in Jabba the Hutt's palace.
The scene involves Oola (Femi Taylor), an enslaved Twi'lek dancer who must perform for Tatooine's sleaziest crime lord while he taunts and tortures her. The malfunction occurs when Jabba grabs her by the chain before feeding her to a ravenous rancor, ultimately sending her to her grisly demise. Needless to say, the slip isn't the worst thing that happens to Oola during that sequence.
Of course, since the "Star Wars" franchise is massive worldwide, every scene has been analyzed with a fine-toothed comb. While the slip is visible for only a second, Taylor's wardrobe malfunction hasn't flown under the radar, and she's been asked about it during interviews that took place years after "Return of the Jedi" was released.
Femi Taylor has no regrets about her wardrobe malfunction in Return of the Jedi
In a 2020 interview with "Star Wars 100 Interviews," Femi Taylor recalled her experience working on "Return of the Jedi." The topic of her wardrobe malfunction came up, and the actress was more than happy to discuss it. Taylor has no regrets about wearing the revealing clothing that led to the mishap, noting that it was important to her character.
"[The outfit] was very skimpy, but I think it worked 'cause I think you needed it for that character and her background," Taylor said. "It needed [to be reflected] in her costume, and I think the costume's wonderful."
George Lucas is known for tinkering with the "Star Wars" movies, even going as far as to reshoot footage from the original trilogy for re-releases. This attention to detail makes one wonder how the mistake made it into "Return of the Jedi" at all, and it will forever remain one of the galaxy's greatest mysteries. However, her mishap didn't prevent her from being invited back to the franchise.
Femi Taylor's concerns about her Return of the Jedi costume
As previously mentioned, Femi Taylor has no qualms about her accidental nude scene in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." She's proud to have been part of the original trilogy's closing chapter and believes the costume was integral to her alien character. However, that doesn't mean she was excited about wearing Oola's skimpy outfit in the first place, mainly because she was concerned about certain people seeing her in a revealing light.
"Well, my reaction to the costume was fine; I thought it was a very clever design, and it did equate to the character Oola. The only thing I was worried about was how my parents would regard the piece of costume," Taylor told TheForce.net. "The make-up I also thought was a perfect concept for Oola. It just was not very pleasant standing for [three] hours having it applied."
Taylor also reprised the role when she got the call to reshoot her scenes for an updated version of the movie some years later, which meant having to repeat the process. While she was more than happy to return to the galaxy far, far away, she wasn't thrilled about getting back into the infamous outfit to bring the Twi'lek dancer to life. As Taylor explained to The Geeknd in 2017, she had initial concerns about getting dressed into the original outfit for the reshoot. Still, she managed to fit into it without any problems, and the rest is history.