How Jamie Lee Curtis Really Felt Filming A Famous Nude Scene

As the daughter of legendary actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis is a talented performer who is dedicated to her work. She has made a name for herself in Hollywood through memorable films like the "Halloween" movies, the "Freaky Friday" remake, and "Trading Places." The lattermost project was a 1983 movie in which Curtis portrayed a prostitute named Ophelia alongside fellow actors Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, per IMDb. In an archival interview with journalist Bobbie Wygant from 1983, Curtis was asked if she'd wanted to play a prostitute prior to taking on the role, and she said she had. Curtis also added that she had previously played a part-time prostitute in a TV movie called "Money on the Side." Although it was "not a career aspiration" for her to play such a role, she said that she had fun shooting "Trading Places."

"It's certainly something that I think all women are curious about ... I had a good time," the actor told Wygant. Despite the fact that she had enjoyable moments while playing Ophelia, Curtis recently revisited the experience of filming "Trading Places" — specifically a scene in the movie where she appears topless, and her comments were not the most favorable.

Although Jamie Lee Curtis was vocal about having a positive experience with filming the movie "Trading Places" upon its release in 1983, she recently recalled one element the role of Ophelia that she would never repeat today. As she spoke to Adrianna Costa of People, Curtis said that a topless scene she shot for the movie was not something she enjoyed doing.

"I was 21 years old and the part required Ophelia to take off her dress," Curtis said. "Did I like doing it? No. Did I feel embarrassed that I was doing it? Yes ... Was I doing it because it was the job? Yes." She further added that, as someone with children who has been married for 37 years, filming a scene with nudity is "the last thing in the world" she would do now. 

In spite of this negative experience, Curtis has still expressed her thanks for appearing in "Trading Places." She told Vanity Fair in 2019 that she appreciated the film's director, John Landis, choosing her to play Ophelia. "When he suggested that I play the part ... [he was] met with not only incredulity, but rage ... so I'm grateful and will always be incredibly grateful to him for ... giving me this incredible opportunity." Curtis' discomfort with her nude scene in "Trading Places" is upsetting, but it's a relief to know that her overall positive outlook on the film remains.