Cate Blanchett Will Be Nude in 'The Golden Age'

How do you make learning fun for the kids? Give them nudity! I remember freshman year in high school when all the boys made sure to be in English class the day we watched Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, because the film features a nude Olivia Hussey. Now English teachers can continue making the Elizabethan era interesting to teens with The Golden Age, which reportedly features a naked Cate Blanchett. In the sequel to Elizabeth, the actress reprises her Oscar-nominated role as the 16th century monarch, and at some point in the film she is completely nude -- although not full-frontal -- according to British journalists who got a sneak peak of footage from the film. Blanchett is said to make "one sexy monarch," which of course depends on how sexy you find someone known to be as pale as White Out.

Why this is big news is beyond me, but the reports state that the nude scene was unexpected. Sure, Blanchett doesn't take her clothes off regularly, but according to Mr Skin, she did bare flesh in the first Elizabeth film. I haven't seen the original yet, so I can't confirm how much, but the comprehensive nudity website describes it as "a very brief shot of left breast while making love in bed." She supposedly also appears nude in the Australian television show Bordertown and in the 2005 film Little Fish, although the latter might feature a body double.

The Golden Age is the second in an expected Elizabeth trilogy from director Shekhar Kapur, and it co-stars Clive Owen, Samantha Morton, Geoffrey Rush and Abbie Cornish. The film has already sparked some controversy because of its historical inaccuracies and artistic licenses taken. I wonder if historians will have further issue with the nudity from Blanchett, who originally didn't want to do the sequel at all. The context of the nudity wasn't revealed in the article, but could it possibly hurt the monarch's legendary reputation for being the "Virgin Queen"? The Golden Age will make its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before opening in U.S. theaters October 12.