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Debra Messing was tricked into filming nud* scenes in first role
Debra Messing has come forward with claims of sexual harassment during her debut Hollywood film.
At a roundtable event organized by The Hollywood Reporter, Messing recounted a series of unsettling events that took place while filming 1995’s A Walk in the Clouds.
The 49-year-old Will & Grace actress said, “It wasn’t until we started having these conversations that I realized I had been sexually harassed.”
“I had said, ‘Oh, that’s the business. And then all of a sudden, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, no, that’s not the business. I was sexually harassed.’”
Messing had just completed the prestigious Graduate Acting Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts when she landed the role.
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She explained, “I was tricked into signing a nudity waiver by the producers [who] basically said, ‘Oh, the director just has a big ego, it’s PG-13, we cannot show anything, so if you sign it, nothing’s gonna happen.’”
Upon arriving on set for the scene, Messing stated the producers changed their tune.
“They said, ‘OK, this is your lingerie for the first part and this is your nude scene.’ And I said, ‘Nude scene?’ They’re like, ‘Oh, yeah.’”
“And the producers were there and I went in and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, we talked on the phone, you said that it wasn’t gonna happen, it’s PG-13.’ And they’re like, ‘Not in international.’”
Things “got worse” for Messing when she inquired about how the scene would be shot with director Alfonso Arau.
“I’m like, ‘You know, I like to be prepared, can you tell me where the angles are?’
“And [Arau] literally said, ‘How dare you ask me to tell you what my shot is going to be? You are an actress, it’s your job to get naked.’”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Arau has publicly refuted Messing’s account, previously stating that it “had nothing to do with reality.”
A spokesperson for Arau informed PEOPLE that he would not be providing further comments on Messing’s allegations.
Despite her reservations, Messing proceeded with the scene.
She explained, “I was getting paid nothing but it was my big break and so I was like, ‘Just close your eyes and get through it.’”
Ultimately, the film did not feature any nudity in either its domestic or international release.
Messing’s revelation shines a light on the experiences of many actors and actresses in the industry who face pressure to comply with inappropriate demands.
By sharing her story, Messing aims to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual harassment in Hollywood and the need for systemic change to protect vulnerable actors and actresses from such experiences in the future.
