Scarlett Johansson (41) Reveals How Wes Anderson Reacted to Her ‘Asteroid City’ Nude Scene

Wes Anderson films are known for their symmetrical frames, pastel palettes and deadpan humor, not for awkward on-set moments. But a behind-the-scenes story about the director and one of his biggest stars is making the rounds again, and it’s both funny and surprisingly human. It also says a lot about how Anderson works with his actors.

‘Asteroid City’ is set in a 1950s American desert town where young stargazers and their parents gather for a convention. Their stay is interrupted by an unexpected encounter with an alien, after which authorities put the town under quarantine. The story is told through an unusual structure that follows the making of a stage play about those events at the same time.

Scarlett Johansson stars as movie star Midge Campbell, and her recollection of how Anderson handled a brief nude scene in the film is the part that’s resurfacing now. The remark dates back to her 2023 press run for the film, but it keeps finding new audiences.

Johansson told Yahoo Entertainment that “Wes is probably the worst person to talk to about anything like that.” She said it while laughing, adding that Anderson is deeply uncomfortable with the topic. By her account, she felt no real discomfort about shooting one of her rare nude scenes.

The awkwardness came from trying to get specific direction from behind the camera. When asked how he gave notes, she joked that she would leave it to the imagination, then described a lot of throat clearing and Anderson hiding his face. It’s an unusually vivid picture of a famously exacting filmmaker losing his composure.

In the story, Midge bonds with war photographer Augie Steenbeck, played by Jason Schwartzman, and the pair talk through the windows of neighboring bungalows. At one point, Midge tells him about a nude scene she has to perform. To show him how it would look, she briefly undresses in front of him.

The moment isn’t there to be gratuitous. It’s part of the film’s larger meta-commentary on role-playing and artistic collaboration, and it was described as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that was anything but erotic. For a director whose movies largely avoid nudity, it was a notable choice.

Johansson has appeared nude on screen before, including in the 2013 sci-fi film ‘Under the Skin,’ though such scenes remain rare for her. She has said in the past that she weighs whether a scene like this is gratuitous or an important part of a character’s journey. She has also described nude scenes as challenging but interesting, since they make her aware of the judgments people place on themselves.

That perspective helps explain why she stayed relaxed on set while her director did not. For her, the question was always whether the moment served the story.

Johansson also plays a second role in the film, as one of the troupe members in the New York sequences. For Midge, she took inspiration from Bette Davis, describing a mid-career star who is self-aware in the way you want a movie star to be. She noted that she is a big Judy Garland fan, but felt Midge lacked that kind of fragility.

The cast around her is stacked, with Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Margot Robbie and Maya Hawke among the names. Together they make a typical Anderson ensemble, with a lot of famous faces playing against type.

Interestingly, the scene nearly cost the film its rating. The MPAA originally slapped ‘Asteroid City’ with an R rating because of the moment, but it ended up as PG-13. Fans have called that a historic outcome for a film with a full nude shot.

Anderson’s discomfort is part of why the anecdote has stuck. It’s a small, human window into the making of one of his most stylized movies, and it shows that even the most meticulous directors have their limits.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!