Thandie Newton likens filming nude to giving birth
Thandie Newton has likened her nude scenes in ‘WestWorld’ to giving birth.
The 44-year-old actress, who plays the role of Maeve Millay in the American series, has admitted she wasn’t fazed about stripping off for an intimate sex scene in the production shortly after giving birth to her youngest child Booker, three, and has claimed shooting the racy episode felt like she was having a "fourth baby" because she felt an "intense self-affirmation" during filming.
Speaking about the production, Thandie – who also has daughters Ripley, 16, and 12-year-old Nico with her husband Ol Parker – said: "You know what it felt like? It felt like having that fourth baby because it was a moment of such intense self-affirmation, not for me, Thandie, but female power. I hadn’t felt like that before."
And the ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ star ironically felt "more in control" of herself than ever before when she filmed bare because she openly agreed to don no clothes, although she has claimed she wasn’t in the best shape after her pregnancy.
She added: "And it’s ironic that I was standing there stark naked for a lot of it because I felt more in control than I’ve ever done because I said yes to this.
"I said, ‘Yes, I will stand here with nothing on and I will speak these words’. I was so committed to this character’s trajectory. I felt that it had secrets to how we need to survive as a humanity, which is to fight for the truth.
"I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going to stand naked and just do this thing.
"I hadn’t been to the gym and, for me, it wasn’t about looking a certain way. It was about having the courage to stand there naked and do this stuff."
Although Thandie is grateful for the production team’s support during the time of filming, she is "surprised" no one got "butt naked" to make her feel better.
Speaking to Variety as part of their ‘Actors on Actors’ series, Thandie said: "The showrunner and the director had the crew in such a state of respect and compassion – everyone was so there for me. I’m surprised they didn’t get butt naked themselves, just to make me feel better! But every time the camera stopped rolling, he’d say, ‘Stop, stop, stop, let’s get Thandie a robe.’"
