Heather Graham says Boogie Nights nude scene was 'terrifying' but she thought 'beggars can't be choosers'
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It wasn't all smooth skating for Heather Graham on the set of Boogie Nights.
The actress, who played adult-film star Rollergirl in Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed 1997 film, revealed that she was scared to shoot her character's nude scene but thought she may have no other options at the time.
"That was my first time [doing a nude scene], and I was so nervous about it," Graham recently told Yahoo Entertainment. "But at that point in my career I was also like, 'Beggars can't be choosers.' It was a great script and Paul was an amazing talent. I had a great time making that movie even though it was terrifying doing a nude scene."
Boogie Nights told the story of Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), who transforms from a high school dropout into the successful porn star Dirk Diggler. Alongside Graham and Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, and Philip Seymour Hoffman starred as various celebrities and adult-film cast and crew members who are all enveloped in the sex, drugs, and general Hollywood debauchery of the 1970s and '80s.
Everett Collection Heather Graham in 'Boogie Nights'
While Wahlberg also stripped down for his role, Graham explained that their experiences were very different. "He's wearing a fake penis," she said, referring to Wahlberg's full-frontal scene in the movie. "So it's not exactly the same."
Graham also spoke about how sexism continues to affect the film industry in a recent interview with PEOPLE, noting that films from the '80s in particular were harmful. "No one really thought about it or commented on it," she said. "At that point, people thought they were being really evolved, and now we look back and go, 'Whoa, that was so sexist.' I'm glad that we are growing as a culture."
In her mind, it doesn't feel like things have "changed drastically" in Hollywood, even now. "More people care, but it's not suddenly equal," Graham said. "It's still pretty sexist, to be honest. Every phase of the business, whether it's financing, distribution, the reviewers, all those people are mostly men. To get a female-driven story that is appealing mostly to women through all these levels of male-dominated business, it's not that easy."
She added that Hollywood's prioritization of male stories had an impact on her self-worth. "I always felt like I was a supporting character in a man's story," Graham explained. "I wasn't always going, 'What do I want?' I was going, 'How do I people-please someone else?' My journey has been to get more clear on what I want and go after that."
Graham stars in the new Prime Video movie On a Wing and a Prayer, out today.
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