Katherine Waterston is a relative newcomer on the film circuit, but the actress has already made a name for herself with a performance in "Inherent Vice" that includes a particularly noteworthy nude scene.
The new Paul Thomas Anderson film shows the 34-year-old baring all in a one-shot sequence where her character is violently spanked by Joaquin Phoenix's.
In a HuffPost Live interview on Thursday, the star described it as being a "really challenging scene," but she also deemed nudity to be "not that big of a deal."
"I love the words, and it started with the words," she explained. "It's strange. When you have a lot to do in a scene, it's actually quite liberating. ... I find it more freeing."
Waterston's connection to both the character and her co-star made her even more committed to doing the scene justice.
"I felt a responsibility to [my character] Shasta, who was of course very comfortable with [Phoenix's character] Doc, to be comfortable in the scene," she recounted. "[And] Joaquin is such a great scene partner and just a kind, easygoing person, so I was comfortable around Joaquin from the moment I shook his hand."
From there, the scene was like "skinny dipping."
"You think, 'Oh gosh, my friend just took off all his clothes, now I'm taking off all my clothes,' and before you know it, you're just swimming in the water and you're not thinking about the fact," she said. "There's maybe a moment where you gulp, but then, for me, the scene was so much fun to play that I didn't really think about it too much."
"Inherent Vice" is in theaters now.
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