Eva Mendes, seen above at the premier of ‘The Spirit’, at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, has spoken to Kurt Patat from Moviefone about the negative press she has gotten in 2008 for her provocative photoshoots [Website – Amy Grindhouse].
You may remember that the actress did a revealing photo shoot for Italian Vogue and a Calvin Klein advert that was banned in the US . Eva says that she takes issue with the American attitude toward nudity and that the work she does is “artful”.
Eva on America’s attitude to on-screen nudity:
“I’m American, and I’m as proud as you get. But I think it’s easier for us to portray violence, and then to be OK with it, than it is for some reason to portray nudity. And look: I don’t like gratuitous nudity, and I believe that I’ve never been a part of gratuitous nudity, in a film or in a photo shoot. I feel like all my stuff has always been, if not artful, if not artsy, you know, tasteful. I think we’re a bit conservative when it comes to nudity and sexuality. And it’s so funny because I’d much rather see a beautiful nude of a woman than see these girls with these Triple-D fake boobs in a bikini. To me, that’s more vulgar than seeing a beautiful nude of a natural body.”
Eva on the different types of nudity:
“It’s like, who cares if you actually see the nipple in the nude? It’s a beautiful, natural nude. Versus, you know, women in these tiny, little, itsy bitsy bikinis with boobs that really don’t belong on their body. And I’m not against fake breasts at all; I’m not against augmentation. But I think when you get to that point of vulgarity where it’s not in proportion, that’s more vulgar to me than a beautiful nude.”
Eva on whether she said “Actresses who don’t want to do nude scenes should be nuns.”:
“That doesn’t sound like anything I would say. But I think that a lot of actresses look down and frown upon other actresses doing nudity. And I think in a film, baring your soul is baring your soul, and sometimes it entails nudity, and that doesn’t mean that you’re not as mysterious or you’re lesser than [others]. I think that can add to your performance, because it’s a scary thing putting yourself out there. And if I’m going to be emotionally naked, sometimes a script will call for me to be physically naked as well. I would never frown upon it. And I think in Hollywood some actresses do frown upon it. They say it like an honor: “I would never do nudity!” And it’s like, oh come on! I’m an actress, you know, I’ll do what it takes to make my part as honest as it can be. So I probably said something like that.”
Read the full interview and find out more – including how Eva Mendes felt working with Scarlett Johannson in their new movie ‘The Spirit’, an upcoming movie role, and Latinos in Hollywood.
[IMAGE CREDIT: Russ Einhorn / Splash News]
AmyGrindhouse.com © written by Amy Grindhouse. Content including images, branding and original writing may not be used or republished without prior license or permission.
