There’s a lot of nudity on an HBO original series. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, and I’m certainly not complaining, but to say that a good deal of it isn’t gratuitous at times would mean you’re a bit delusional. Everywhere you look, HBO programming has figured out some creative way to get people naked on-screen, spicing up your typical exposition, and it’s become part of the fabric of how they tell stories.
Their new series WESTWORLD will be no different.
Making the rounds today is a consent agreement that was given out to a number of extras, laying out exactly what they’re signing up for in order to collect a paycheck on the show. It doesn’t matter that they might be background players. They’ve got some clothes to shed in the name of the artistic integrity of the show.
So what’re we talking about here? A left breast here, a right buttock there? Not exactly. It’s a little more encompassing than that.
This document serves to inform you that this project will require you to be fully nude and/or witness others fully nude and participate in graphic sexual situations. By accepting this Project assignment, you may be required to do any of the following: appear fully nude; wear a pubic hair patch; perform genital-to-genital touching; have your genitals painted; simulate oral sex with hand-to-genital touching; contort to form a table-like shape while being fully nude; pose on all fours while others who are fully nude ride on your back; ride on someone’s back while you are both fully nude; and other assorted acts the Project may require. The Project will also include language and sexual situations that some may consider personally objectionable or uncomfortable.
Ah, okay… Just your standard genital-to-genital touching and genital painting, but… Whoa!! Language and sexual situations that some may consider personally objectionable or uncomfortable?? What the hell does that mean?!
Now, if the agreement conflicts with the SAG-AFTRA’s Television Agreement, then HBO might have a problem enforcing the terms, but it simply goes to show that the age-old adage is correct here. It’s not porn… It’s HBO. And that means fully nude table-like shapes are perfectly normal.
WESTWORLD is scheduled to premiere on HBO sometime in 2016.