Pop Culture

Gina Gershon Rejected ‘Friday the 13th’ Role Due to Topless Scene

Gershon said: 'It definitely felt kind of exploitative to me and a little silly that right before she gets killed, her top has to come off.'

Gina Gershon attends the 'Borderlands' Los Angeles Fan Event at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 06, 2024 in Hollywood, California.
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate

Gina Gershon, who appeared in Borderlands, Showgirls, and Pretty in Pink, recently revealed that she could have played a leading role in the second installment of Friday the 13th back in the 80s. However, she chose to turn down the role she was offered in the slasher due to a topless scene that appeared in the script.

Gershon told Fox News Digital, “I was offered a lead in that movie. Of course, I was so excited to act in movies, but it definitely felt kind of exploitative to me and a little silly that right before she gets killed, her top has to come off.”

In her recently released memoir, AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs, the actress said, “At the time, those kinds of slasher movies always had girls dying with their breasts exposed. My character would be killed by a stake through the heart, blood dripping down her t—. That seemed pretty lame to me: exploitation 101.”

Gershon insisted that she has nothing against nudity and finds it acceptable when it makes sense within the story. Back when she was offered the slasher role, she even asked her father about doing the scene, and he told her to do what was best for her and her body. However, she ultimately decided that she didn’t feel like the Friday the 13th role was a good fit for her.

According to Parade, “The role Gershon rejected likely went to actor Kirsten Baker,” who played Terry in the film.

Gershon’s memoir is available now, after being released on March 3. It contains a collection of true stories that detail her tales of surviving the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood. Amazon states that the book includes, “Strange encounters with celebrities and film directors such as Paul Verhoeven, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, Prince, Jennifer Tilly, Sylvester Stallone, David Mamet, Bob Fosse, and so many others.”

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