Allure's annual "Nudes"
feature boasts gorgeous portraits of the stars willing to bare it all for their
cameras. This year's spread highlights Norman Jean Roy's fabulous photos of Laverne Cox, Sandrine Holt (Terminator Genisys),
Nicole Beharie(Sleepy Hollow), Katheryn Winnick (Vikings), and Jordana Brewster (Furious 7), but the captivating images aren't the only things snagging our attention. Each actress
is interviewed about her thoughts and feelings about posing nude, why they
decided to do it, and more.
Cox turned down Allure's
offer at first, but after giving the matter some thought, changed her mind.
"I said no initially, thought about it, and said no again. But, I'm a black
transgender woman. I felt this could be really powerful for the communities
that I represent. Black women are not often told that we're beautiful unless we
align with certain standards. Trans women certainly are not told we're
beautiful. Seeing a black transgender woman embracing and loving everything
about herself might be inspiring to some other folks. There's beauty in the
things we think are imperfect. That sounds very cliché, but it's true."
Cox added: "I honestly just want to make myself happy most, and if other
people like it, then that's great. If they don't, then I'm still happy."
Meanwhile, Winnick prepped for the shoot with a little help
from her friends. She told Allure, "I
called my girlfriends and asked them to pose naked to show me what positions
look good. I have a few crazy photos on my phone." The Vikings star said she's fairly
comfortable being au naturel. "I'll
do the dishes naked, learn my lines naked, walk around my house naked,"
later adding, "Everybody should do this, in their home, hopefully with
their significant other. If you can feel good in your own skin, why hide
it?"
Beharie told the mag that her starring role in Sleepy Hollow "requires
athleticism. As a woman, it's good to be able to handle your own shit." Having
just celebrated her 30th birthday, "I was really nervous [about
posing]. But, I wanted to celebrate and accept my body in an artistic
way."
Check out the interviews and the rest of the portraits over
at Allure.