Minnie Driver reveals Hard Rain producers would not allow her to wear a wetsuit under her T-shirt

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/minnie-driver-reveals-hard-rain-producers-would-not-allow-her-to-wear-a-wetsuit-under-her-t-shirt-because-they-wanted-to-see-her-nipples.5574286/

Minnie Driver has described how producers would not allow her to wear a wetsuit in the 1998 film Hard Rain because 'they wanted to see her nipples'.

The actress, 54, starred in the disaster film as Karen, opposite Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman and Randy Quaid, centering around a bank heist taking place during a heavy rainstorm.

Minnie opened up on the filming conditions on Jameela Jamil's I Weigh podcast, explaining that her fellow actors wore wetsuits under their costumes during the water scenes.

However, the Oscar nominee revealed she was not allowed to wear one under her T-shirt by the producers, because the 'point' was to see 'what was underneath it'.

She recalled: 'There were huge rain machines. We shot crazy hours. It was tough, like, it was a tough movie, but everybody else could wear a wetsuit underneath their costume.

And I was told by the producers that I couldn’t because they wanted to see my nipples, and that there was no point in having the wet T-shirt if you couldn’t have what was underneath it.'

The Good Will Hunting star explained that she pushed back, but was made to feel like an 'idiot' and like she didn’t 'understand that this is what’s going on.'

She added that after she stood up for herself and called her agent for help, she was 'punished for it', with people on set not speaking to her and stories being leaked to the press that she was difficult, causing her to blame herself.

She said: 'I remember saying this is wrong. I remember calling my agent. I then remember it being like, boy, people wouldn’t speak to me on the set. I was so punished for it.

'It was leaked to the press that I called and complained about conditions, but it was as if there was nothing to complain about and I was just complaining.

'So it’s this sort of - this gaslighting, media gaslighting that’s supported by the environment that you are in. And then you have to stay in that environment.

'You know, we shot that movie for seven months. So, eventually, you do turn on yourself. You do go, "It was my fault for saying anything, you stupid big mouth. You should have shut up."

'And that goes in and then alters the way in which you kind of see yourself and your natural inclination to put your hand up and go "This isn’t right".'

Minnie previously spoke about the aftermath of her attempts to argue for better conditions on Hard Rain, telling The Times in 2022: 'That followed me for a really long time, that whole idea of me being difficult. If you stood up and said, "This is unacceptable," which I routinely did, you were vilified.'

But she declared that would not stop her efforts to stand up for herself and others, saying: 'I will always be a champion on set. I’d be like a lioness about anything that was happening, to a male or female.

'If you see that somebody is mistreating somebody else, you have to say something. You will almost certainly be punished for it on some level, but I don’t think that is a reason not to speak up.'

She did not name any of the producers of Hard Rain, with the film's credited producers being Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn.

Minnie previously opened up about her experiences dealing with misogyny in her early career.

She revealed that she was once 'leered' at by casting directors while being told to fake an orgasm for an audition.

Speaking to Elizabeth Day on her How To Fail podcast, she explained: 'I remember walking into the room and it was full of men...

'And the director said, "you know, you've seen the scene in When Harry Met Sally, what we want you to do is like take a bit of the chocolate and eat the chocolate and have an orgasm. Right off you go." And all these revolting ad executives sort of lean slightly forward in their chairs.