Just how naked was John Cena at the Oscars? Behind-the-scenes photos explain.
John Cena appeared naked, walking across the stage at the Oscars Sunday night — a spoof for the Costumes category. How did techs pull it off without a wardrobe malfunction?
Hollywood still loves a naked joke.
At the Oscars Sunday night, John Cena walked across the stage appearing to be naked — save for an envelope and his Birks — as an intro for the awards ceremony’s best costume design category.
The spoof sparked dozens of headlines, but media outlets can’t seem to decide: Was he naked? Not naked? Nearly naked?
New behind-the-scenes photos reveal how techs pulled off the gag without a wardrobe malfunction.
The trick: nude cloth that wraps covers his entire rear end and wraps under to cup his nether regions, keeping his legs exposed. Then, he covered the front with his category envelope. And it was pretty convincing — some social media posts from the audience believed Cena was truly nude.
In the film world, shield guards, modesty garments, and other intimacy products are used for the performance of nudity and simulated sex scenes. For sex scenes especially, there are often intimacy coaches and other trusted figures on set to ensure everything is done above board.
In Cena’s case, the joke was part of a gag with Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel, nodding to a streaker that ran across the stage during the ceremony in 1974.
“Costumes,” Cena said to laughs from the audience. “They are so important. Maybe the most important thing there is.” He was then draped in a curtain before opening the envelope and walking off the stage.
Also predictable with naked jokes, reviews were mixed. Some loved the joke, some ogled over Cena’s perky heinie, and some were offended to see (near) nudity on TV.
The illusion probably doesn’t qualify as completely naked if we’re being sticklers, but it’s certainly close.