Olivia Munn Agreed to Pose for the Playboy — But Not Naked

Olivia Munn’s exotic looks and razor-sharp wit makes her a two-punch sexpot. She’s posed for Playboy twice and been their cover girl once. But Olivia’s cover shoot nearly made her break down in tears, thanks to a male crew of “bickering” divas.

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Olivia Munn Is “Proud” to Keep Her Clothes on Despite Her Sex Appeal

The actress and writer explained what it was like posing for Playboy in 2009. She’d already detailed the drama and trauma in her 2010 book, Suck It, Wonder Woman!: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek.

Speaking with Maximo TV at the 500 Days of Summer premiere in June of 2009, Olivia said that her cover of Playboy made her “very proud.” “Not many people have been able to get the cover of Playboy and also not show any vagina or nipple,” she said.

Asked what she thinks about girls who pose fully nude, Munn clarified that she has nothing against others doing it. “If you’re comfortable showing it, show it. I’m just not that comfortable,” she said. “It’s the Asian in me that’s more prude.” Her mother is of Chinese descent while her father is a mix of German, Irish, and English.

Munn Agreed to Pose for the Playboy July/August 2009 Cover — But Not Naked

Playboy

It actually took a lot of work for Olivia Munn to snag a non-nude cover for Playboy Magazine. She and her publicist negotiated with Playboy and agreed to a “no pink contract.” Munn isn’t the only gorgeous, sexy celebrity to stick to staying clothed. Jessica Alba went throughout her entire career with a similar no-nudity clause.

“Yes, you can show under-boob, but there can be no areola,” wrote Munn in her memoir. “Again, only side boob, no pink anywhere.” But despite the negotiations, what actually occurred on the day of the shoot may surprise you.

Playboy’s Stylist & Photographer Tried to Renege on Munn’s Contract During the Shoot

Playboy

Munn wrote that she wanted her own stylists and makeup people to get her ready for the photos. However, Playboy’s photographer insisted on using his own stylist. Munn described the Playboy stylist as a “tall, heavyset, bald man from Scandinavia with a very heavy accent” who completely switched up the wardrobe even after discussions.

The stylist first tried to make Munn wear a one-piece see-through black fishnet bathing suit “where you can see everything going on.” He told her that she’d be completely naked underneath and the stylist wanted her boobs to hang out of one part of the suit. He said on Playboy, “you show everything!”

And the photographer wanted Munn to be completely nude while using her arms and legs to cover her “pink” bits. At one point, the tall Scandinavia stylist relayed to Munn that the photographer “says all nude today for Playboy. It’s Playboy!” Then the photographer tried to agree to a middle-ground, so to speak, by forcing Munn to pose completely nude and then having certain parts of her body Photoshopped out.

Munn Felt “Exhausted” & “Afraid to Speak Up”

“Getting the cover, and not having to be nude, was a huge deal to me and my team,” Munn wrote in her book. “Only a handful of people have done it without having to take it all off. And here we are, contracts decided, conversations spanning weeks about this day, and everyone has a different agenda.”

Making the day worse was the fact that Munn, who was supposed to be focused on her photoshoot, instead had to vouch for herself and continuously bring up her contract.

The photographer isn’t doing much to help ease the tension. He wants me to pose nude, while strategically placing my arms and legs; my publicist of course doesn’t. He wants to do a shower scene nude with strategically placed bubbles and steam on the glass; my publicist of course doesn’t. It’s exhausting. All the while I’m trying to pose flirty, fun, summery with about five dudes—strangers working the set—watching my every move. One of the shots has me without a top and my long, thick hair covering my breasts. The whole time I’m worried about the wind blowing, exposing a nipple, the filthy five and the photographer snapping away because that’s the shot he wants.

Excerpt from Olivia Munn’s Book, Suck It, Wonder Woman!: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek

Munn wrote that she was “afraid to speak up” for fear of creating worse vibes. “I’m the one who sets the tone and energy on the shoot. If I show everyone I’m upset, the shoot will spiral downward faster than it already has.”

The Playboy Stylist Stormed Off After Having a Diva Fit

Eventually, the stylist got really upset. “I am a great stylist,” he said. “And this is not all about Olivia okay? It iz about me, too! I have my own motivations with this shoot and I’m going to get what I want out of it! Zis iz Playboy!!! She haz to be naked!” But Olivia wanted panties. She did get those panties, but then the stylist stormed off.

“I was mentally and physically exhausted,” Munn wrote. “I kept smiling but really, I wanted to break down crying.”

She added that she still felt she did a good job as a model but it was hard. “I felt comfortable and sexy in front of the camera and thought the pictures reflected that…but, man, it wasn’t easy.”

But she compartmentalized her emotions and got through the day. Afterward, however, Playboy contacted her team and said they needed to reshoot everything. That time, she picked her own stylist.

Olivia Munn Says Men Can Be Bigger Divas Than Women

On a different occasion, while speaking with Conan O’Brien on TBS, Munn was asked what working with a bunch of men was like.

“They’re a bunch of divas, first of all,” Munn explained. “You guys know what it’s like to work with men. Ugh. Exhausting!” Then she segued to how she and one specific film crew got on by talking about Carl Jung and Quantum Physics. Conan, and the 8 other men sitting on stage, laughed nervously. “By Carl Jung, I meant US Weekly,” Munn quipped.

Munn’s Playboy Shoot Finally Abided by Her Rules

Olivia Munn’s Playboy cover shoot was released on the July/August 2009 issue. The cover read “Olivia Munn: G4’s Sexy Siren Takes a Dip.” She’s featured in a red bikini, climbing out of a swimming pool. The photo inside the magazine also featured Munn in a bathing suit — but only a bottom. She’s lying on a beige couch wearing black stilettos, pretending to pull down her bikini bottoms, and looking at the camera with a smile. Her long black tresses are neatly covering her breasts.

“I actually felt bad for the Playboy fans because they probably didn’t know that I wasn’t naked,” Munn told Metro. “I was on the cover and there was only one picture of me inside, and I was in a bathing suit in both.”

For clarification, Olivia Munn had actually been featured once before in Playboy’s February 2007 issue. But that time, she wasn’t on the cover. And all her photos still showed her in bathing suits.

Playboy & Munn Have Maintained Mutual Respect Despite the Experience

On Munn’s online Playboy profile page, the magazine refers to her as “Sarah Silverman with a twist, selling herself as a ‘nerd sexpot’ who’s smart enough to know what she’s doing.”

And it’s true. Munn does know what she’s doing and she’s not afraid to stick up for herself. Sometimes that means fighting for the right to stay clothed when a crew of difficult men’s magazine fashionistas is imploring you to take your clothes off.

Despite the rough experience that Munn had in 2009, she still only has good things to say about Playboy.

Olivia Munn said she agreed to be on the cover because she thinks “Playboy is a really great magazine that has always celebrated women.” This was in the context of discussions about marketing her intelligence and humor despite a tendency for the public to underestimate her due to her looks.

Let’s hear it for women who stand up for themselves.

Read More: Playboy Put Jessica Alba on Their 2006 Cover Without Her Permission

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