Hollywood is littered with stories about casting decisions that almost were. In her new memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, Gina Gershon shares hers.
Gershon turned down a role in 1981’s Friday the 13th Part 2 over a topless scene she saw as exploitative.
“I was offered a lead in that movie,” Gershon told Fox News Digital. “And, of course, I was so excited to act in movies, but it definitely felt kind of exploitative to me and a little silly that right before she gets killed, her top has to come off.”
Gershon on Slashers
“At the time, those kinds of slasher movies always had girls dying with their breasts exposed. My character would be killed by a stake through the heart, blood dripping down her t—. That seemed pretty lame to me: exploitation 101,” she explains in her book.
Unsure of what to do, Gershon asked her father for advice.
“Listen, I was really lucky that I had a father who really taught me how to believe in my own decisions,” she said to Fox. “It wasn’t like I had to rebel against my family. I remember asking him about it, thinking he was going to say, ‘No daughter of mine is going to do that!’ And he said, ‘It’s your body. If you’re comfortable with it, I’m comfortable with it.’ When I sat and thought about it, I just thought, ‘I don’t really want to do this’.I wasn’t comfortable with it. It seemed silly to me. Not that I had anything against nudity — I grew up on European films — but only if it makes sense for the character and the story. But when it just seems silly, I don’t know. It just felt like it was something that wasn’t for me.”
Because of this discomfort, Gershon decided to turn down the part. While she has dabbled in horror films and television since. We can’t help but wonder what she would have been like as a full-on scream queen.
You can grab your copy of Gershon’s AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, here.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, when you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a commission, which helps Nerdbot keep the lights on.
