Patricia Arquette on Overcoming Her Fear of Nude Scenes

Patricia Arquette talked about appearing in nude scenes and playing characters more sexually confident than herself in a conversation with Julia Roberts on Variety‘s “Actors on Actors.”

“I’m completely opposite in my personal life,” Arquette said of her sexual characters. “I was born really modest. I don’t want want anyone to see me naked. I take bathes in the dark often.”

Arquette recounted a story from when she was four years old when she ran upstairs to hide behind a chair to change into a swimsuit. Roberts told Arquette she would’ve hidden with her.

Arquette appears nude in the Emmy contender “Escape at Dannemora.” She said she gained weight for the role and performed the nude scenes without any body makeup. “Who’s allowed to be sexual? What kind of body type are acceptable?” she asked rhetorically.

“You were hot as a pistol,” Roberts responded.

Roberts praised her fellow actress, “You’ve created this expectation if you’re in something it will be of a great masterful quality.” She added,”That’s why I’m in love with you.”

Arquette recalled having to do nude scenes in David Lynch’s “Lost Highway.” She prefaced the story, “Maybe this is inappropriate. Maybe I could get sued for this.” She went on anyway.

Arquette requested that there be no monitors or unnecessary crew members on set during a nude scene. She remembers telling everyone, “I’m going to take off my robe. If I turn around and I see you and I know you don’t need to be on this set, I’m going to come punch you in the face.” The response: “All of a sudden about forty people went scattering into the desert.”

“Actors on Actors” will air on PBS June 18th and 20th.

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