Based on her recent interview with Seth Meyers, Olivia Wilde seems to have a complicated relationship with the merkin she wears on Vinyl. On the one hand, she seems to enjoy the extra — uh — coverage that the fake pubic hair gives her. On the other, she obviously doesn't embrace the concept of a big bush.
Wilde's role on rock-'n'-roll drama Vinyl requires nudity — it is HBO, after all — but things were different down there in the '70s. So the show has a "merkin wall for all the women on the show," as Wilde told Meyers. The actress even had a hand in crafting her pubic wig, describing it as "Build-A-Bush." You know, like Build-A-Bear, but for pubes. (For more on merkin-making, see Refinery29's interview with wigmaker Amanda Miller.)
Wilde explained that the merkin is "great." Why? "It makes you feel a little less naked." However, while on set, she made it known that she wasn't quite so furry in real life. "I was so vocal about it being fake, because I was horrified that background actors might think this was actually my real body hair," she said.
Wilde clearly does not subscribe to the Gaby Hoffmann school of thought.
Check out the interview, below.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT