‘Westworld’ Star Thandie Newton Compares Nude Scenes In HBO Series To Childbirth

Thandie Newton was naked for a huge portion of “Westworld” Season 1. Her role as host Maeve Millay required her to shed all of her clothes so Westworld lab technicians can examine her body.

It’s incredibly awkward wearing one’s birthday suit for all the world to see, but Newton told Oprah Winfrey in Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series that it’s actually very liberating.

She even compared the experience to giving birth to a child. “You know what it felt like? It felt like having that fourth baby because it was a moment of such intense self-affirmation, not for me, Thandie, but female power,” she explained. “I hadn't felt like that before. And it’s ironic that I was standing there stark naked for a lot of it because I felt more in control than I’ve ever done because I said yes to this.”

READ: This presumed-dead character will return to ‘Westworld’ Season 2

Due to her commitment, Newton forgot about her inhibitions and strived to portray Maeve’s truth and her survival. “I was so committed to this character's trajectory. I felt that it had secrets to how we need to survive as a humanity, which is to fight for the truth,” she explained.

What also helped calm Newton’s nerves was the fact that the whole cast and crew were completely respectful of the naked scenes. The actress gushed about the “respect and compassion” shown by the showrunner and director. “I’m surprised they didn’t get butt naked themselves, just to make me feel better! But every time the camera stopped rolling, he’d say, ‘Stop, stop, stop, let’s get Thandie a robe,’” she said.

Newton filmed a lot of naked scenes with Leonardo Nam, who plays lab technician Felix Lutz. Nam even told the Business Insider that he prepared himself before seeing Newton naked as Maeve, but he was still caught off-guard when he saw all the other hosts.

“I remember thinking the scene was just going to be in a medical-like room — no windows or anything like that,” he said. “Just the other actor, myself, and Thandie. And then I go on the set and everything was glass. And I thought, ‘Wow, you can see it all, you can see into the other rooms,’ and then I saw the other extras and other bodies that were there.”

Once he focused on the job and not the naked bodies, Nam said he was able to perform better. Nam also heaped praises on Newton, who gave her all in her role as Maeve. “People have really responded to her character and our storyline, so I’m just really grateful to be part of it,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

“Westworld” Season 2 will return to HBO on 2018.