Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy: Christopher Atkins Rises Above the Curly Blonde Pack in 'The Blue Lagoon'

Throughout cinema history, there have been some iconic nude scenes that have transcended the bounds of the films in which they appeared. Our weekly column Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy will take an in-depth look at these scenes, their history, their deeper meanings, and their legacy. This week, Christopher Atkins distinguishes himself from his fellow curly blonde peers with his screen and nude debut in The Blue Lagoon!

The late 70s and early 80s saw the dominance of the blonde curly-haired cute boys thanks to the popularity of such heartthrobs as Peter Frampton, William Katt, and Willie Aames. While Frampton had the music world locked down, Katt and Aames battled it out for screen supremacy, with Katt landing much more high profile projects than Aames. Then 1980 came along and the whole conversation changed thanks to the release of The Blue Lagoon and its star Christopher Atkins. Just 18 when he made the film, Atkins put his fair-haired compatriots to shame by flaunting his fully nude body multiple times throughout the film.

Director Randal Kleiser, hot off the immense success of Grease! two years earlier, discovered Atkins at an audition for the film. Atkins was working as a sailing instructor and had no prior acting experience, only going to the audition because a friend of his was trying to land the role. It was one of the most highly sought after roles of the day and Atkins landed it because of his immense natural charm, as well as his willingness to be naked—or damn close to naked—for the duration of his screen time.

Based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, The Blue Lagoon tells the tale of Victorian-era cousins Richard and Emmeline, who get marooned on an island in the South Pacific following a shipwreck. At first, they are kept company by a cook (Leo McKern from The Beatles' Help!) who discovers evidence of human sacrifice on the island, forbidding the children from venturing away from their camp. He eventually dies, leaving Richard and Emmeline alone on the island. As they grow into teenagers, 18 year old Atkins and 14 year old Brooke Shields replace the younger actors in the roles, just in time for their sexual awakening.

Obviously, the most shocking aspect of the entire endeavor is the casting of 14 year old Shields in the co-lead role. According to Kleiser, all of the character's nude scenes were performed by the film's stunt coordinator, 32-year old Kathy Troutt, and spirit gum was used for the scenes where Shields appears topless with her hair covering her breasts. Even more shocking, however, is the fact that Shields had actually gone nude on film two years earlier in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby.

Atkins, on the other hand, did all his own nudity on set, showing off his completely nude body several times in the film, including during this extended diving scene that finds him retrieving a pearl and a conch for Shields...

Despite being savaged by critics, the film was a cultural phenomenon upon its release in June 1980. The film was made for $4.5 million and made almost $60 million at the box office, selling roughly the same number of tickets as Jordan Peele's Us did last year. Atkins earned himself a Golden Globe nomination in the now-defunct New Star of the Year category and seemed like he was on his way to stardom. 1982 saw him pose for Playgirl, though back-to-back box office bombs The Pirate Movie and A Night in Heaven more or less put an end to his status as a leading man.

Atkins never really stopped working, though, landing a recurring role on Dallas and eventually moving into the world of direct-to-video and made-for-television movies. Shields and Atkins would eventually reunite when Atkins did a guest spot on an episode of Shields' NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan in 1999, and Atkins would return to the world of The Blue Lagoon with the 2012 Lifetime reboot Blue Lagoon: The Awakening.

One other interesting footnote is that Willie Aames eventually got his own Blue Lagoon knock-off, 1982's Paradise, giving him the chance to be nude on a desert island with a brunette starlet—in his case, Phoebe Cates. While he obviously never achieved the level of stardom he may have hoped, for one brief, shining moment in the early 80s, Christopher Atkins was the definitive blonde-curly-haired heartthrob, thanks in no small part to his willingness to go nude!

Catch up with our other editions of Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy...

Two of History's Manliest Men Wrestle Naked in Women in Love

Ewan McGregor Has Got It, Flaunts It in Velvet Goldmine

A Pair of Stars are Born in Y Tu Mamá También

Harvey Keitel Goes Hog Wild in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant

Viggo Mortensen is Naked From Every Imaginable Angle in Eastern Promises

There's No Shame is Michael Fassbender's Dick Game

Kevin Bacon Steals the Show Going Full Frontal in Wild Things

How We Met Jason Segel's Dick in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Jack Reynor is Uniquely Vulnerable for a Man in Midsommar

Jaye Davidson Knows All There is to Know About The Crying Game

David Bowie Battles Rip Torn for Dick Supremacy in The Man Who Fell to Earth

Al Pacino Doesn't Get In All That Deep for William Friedkin's Cruising

John Cameron Mitchell's Ass Gives Hedwig and the Angry Inch the Perfect Ending

Ross Lynch Makes One Sexy Future Serial Killer in My Friend Dahmer

Rocketman Not-So-Boldly Goes Where Bohemian Rhapsody Refused

Color of Night Brings Us the Return of Bruno's Dick

Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu Get Serviced in Bertolucci's 1900

Future Oscar Winner Mark Rylance Gets Real and Really Nude in Intimacy

Louis Garrel Lets It All Hang Out in the French New Wave Biopic Godard Mon Amour

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Henry June Ushers in the NC-17 Rating with a Distinct Lack of Parity in Nudity

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