Jemila Clarke-Shoes, the actress engaged to play Ms Shelley-Lulette Sizemore in Naked Abstraction the new thrupiecefilm biopic about the early life of the Dorset authoress, television celebrity and former horizontal jogging partner of Professor Brian Thrupiece, has spoken today about how she was "sickened to her stomach" when she realised that much of the filming would require her to be naked.
Ms Clarke-Shoes who is 22 and fresh from drama school says she accepted the part with alacrity as "the big break I had been looking for" but didn't realise until she read the script that Ms Sizemore had led "a less than sheltered life" and that portraying her would require a "fair amount of, shall we say, unclothed lounging and simulated rumpy-pumpy". In one scene she was even required to fly to Switzerland for a shoot in which she had to reveal "a private birthmark" [believed to resemble a small map of Cyprus], though she has declined to specify its exact location. [Probably the Hotel Cornarvin [Sub-Ed].... No! not that kind of location [[Ed]]
So does Jemila regret her decision to take on the $2,000,000 dollar role? "In one sense I do. As an ardent defender of women's rights and an observer of how the portrayal of women is now moving away from nudity towards boring respectfulness even when it is fully justified, I am disappointed in myself. On the other hand, an accurate portrayal of Ms Sizemore at this stage in her career absolutely required brutal honesty and since she seems to have spent a fair amount of her time in front of an easel or on her back, I was duty-bound as a professional to portray that to the best of my abilities. And the $2,000,000 came in quite handy too. It certainly helped to soften the blow".
Ms Clarke-Shoes has also revealed how it was only with the support of fellow actor Jason Stourpaine that she managed to prepare for and get through some of the scenes. "The fact that we had practised being naked together for extended periods in private beforehand and even - as committed method actors - physically engaged with each other time and time again until we got it right, certainly helped when we stood before the cameras. Jason was magnificent throughout and stood up proudly beside me whenever necessary. He has such stamina and technique, it was a pleasure to engage with him before, during and after filming. We remain very close."
Though it is understood that though Ms SIzemore has given her backing to the film and has full knowledge of its content, she has maintained a discreet distance from it, preferring to await previews before publicly assessing its merits. Friends say she has great faith in the production company and is flattered that Ms Clarke-Shoes was chosen to portray her despite the fact that Jemila has "a bigger a**e, wider calves and smaller b**bs".
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