Male actors’ turn to take it all off

STALLONE, RADCLIFFE AND DICAPRIO. Did the full monty in their starrers.

After our article on female stars who’ve stripped for the movie camera came out recently, some readers complained that our list was too limited and even “sexist,” because we focused on actresses and didn’t detail instances of male stars’ daring scenes.

So, in the interest of “gender equality,” we’re following up with this companion piece: Leonardo DiCaprio confidently eschewed the use of a body double and went all the way in 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” He also took it all off for “The Aviator” and “The Basketball Diaries.”

A long time ago, before he became a star by way of “Rocky,” Sylvester Stallone performed in a soft-porn flick where he was provocatively billed as The Stallion, and unabashedly bared his crown jewels.

For his part, Viggo Mortensen stripped for “Eastern Promises,” in particular for a scene in which, after his character is mistaken for the son of a mobster, he’s forced to fight for his life—in the buff—in a Russian bathhouse!

After playing Harry Potter in many films, Daniel Radcliffe “shocked” everyone by going full-frontal in his first stage play, “Equus,” where he portrayed a violent and psychologically troubled stable boy. Radcliffe made the radical move to serve notice that he was no longer a child actor and was ready to play adult roles.

In “Shame,” Michael Fassbender played a sex addict, and was consequently involved in a number of graphic nude scenes.

Finally, this calls to mind the acclaimed Marlon Brando’s own experience playing a sensual satyr in “Last Tango in Paris,” where he expectedly had to take it all  off—and even engage in complicated coupling positions with his young leading lady (Maria Schneider).

Notes on newscasters

Some viewers add these incisive suggestions to our recent list of improvements that can be made on radio-TV news people’s current performance: Newscasters should resist the temptation to make comments about the events that they are reporting on.  There should be a clear dividing line between news and commentary.

As for radio-TV commentators, they should not just rely on their superficial knowledge or impressions, but support their opinions with research and careful study. They should remember that they are reaching thousands of people, so it’s important that what they communicate is substantial and reliable.

On the coverage of typhoons and other major disasters: Some viewers express their appreciation for the courage of reporters who risk life and limb to keep viewers posted on the latest situationers on the stormy weather. But, one responder says that he saw a reporter go too far:

He was covered completely with protective gear and wear from top to toe, and sported a lot of gadgets on his torso. “In addition, he positioned himself in the full force of the strong gale—while others more reasonably kept out of harm’s way, as all practical people should. We don’t need to see a reporter being physically drenched or blown away for us to realize that the storm is really strong!”

Another reader disses an overweight actor for daring to play a heroic character known for his gauntness. On the other hand, a new film on the life of Whitney Houston has been directed by actress Angela Bassett, and she tapped a model, Yaya DaCosta, to play the young Whitney—and Yaya was a most credible lookalike of the standout singer!

It’s absolutely important for actors to resemble the well-known figures they are assigned to play, or else viewers can’t implicitly believe in and empathize with their portrayals!