There are some roles that are iconic and synonymous with the people who played them - especially roles that have nude scenes. However, Hollywood loves to shuffle actors around and even famous actors in famous roles were not even the first choice for those roles. Here are hot films with nude scenes that were actually recast from their original casting choices!
Romeo + Juliet
Claire Danes stars as Juliet in the Baz Luhrman 90s classic, but she was not the initial choice. Natalie Portman was! Natalie was slightly too young for her co-star Leo and everyone felt uncomfortable about it - especially Portman. She was released from the movie and the role was given to barely legal Claire Danes. Claire, however, does not go nude in the movie. Another actress, Diane Venora, does!
Titanic
That being said, Claire Danes was initially thought of to play Rose Dawson in Titanic. She turned it down because she had just been romantic with Leo in Romeo + Juliet and she simply didn't want to immediately do that again. The young and beautiful Kate Winslet was instead cast as Rose and she went on to play one of the most famous nude scenes in cinema history.
Oh, and here's a fun fact: Reba McEntire was going to make her film debut as the Unsinkable Molly Brown, but she had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Oscar winner Kathy Bates took the role and she was fantastic in it!
Finally, Gwyneth Paltrow was one of the final actresses in consideration for this role. Gwyneth states that she was definitely one of the "final two" actresses being considered. The gorgeous and posh actress certainly would have been an interesting choice - and a skinteresting one.
Shakespeare in Love
Gwyneth did end up winning a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, but she was not originally offered the role. That original offer actually went to Kate Winslet who turned it down to focus on indie films. That gave Gwyneth the opportunity to do some truly skinteresting nude scenes that showed off her perky pair and won her several awards.
Before the film was made by Miramax, however, the film was going to be produced by a different company, and Julia Roberts was attached to it. The script was allegedly picked up and dropped by several different production companies and directors. Julia would have been an excellent choice, but I can't see the film with anyone but Gwyneth.
Pretty Woman
Going on with this pattern, let's talk about a role that Julia Roberts absolutely crushed. She's amazing in the film, but rumor has it that the script was first handed to Molly Ringwald. Molly saw this film as a great opportunity to stretch her resume beyond coming-of-age films.
According to Molly, "I don't specifically remember turning it down. The script was okay but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part. Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that." Julia certainly shines...and shows her breasts.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Emilia Clarke was considered first for the role of Anastasia Steele due to her many nude scenes in the first season of Game of Thrones. Sadly, Emilia was sick and tired of being offered scripts with a lot of nudity. Even though she liked the director and the story, she was simply annoyed with being asked to go nude so often. Sadly, she turned it down.
Hey, I can't blame Emilia - even though I would have loved seeing her take on Anastasia in this erotic thriller. Emilia's rejection of the role lets us all see Dakota Johnson fully nude several times!
