In Anne Fletcher’s 2009 romantic comedy “The Proposal,” Sandra Bullock plays Margaret Tate, the tough-as-nails manager of a book publishing company. She came from Canada to the United States years ago and was proud of the path she forged, comfortable with her terse, insistent management style. Her employees all hate her, however, none more than her personal assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who is only staying with his current job in the hope of being an editor someday.
Margaret discovers that there is a problem with her visa, however, and faces potential deportation. In order to stay in the United States, Margaret more or less orders Andrew to marry her, knowing it would get her a green card. Andrew agrees to the scheme, but only if Margaret promises to publish his recommended books and actually promote him. Andrew’s parents, it seems, are also quaintly traditional, so the pair fly to Alaska for Margaret to meet them before the impending nuptials. Will the all-business businesswoman forget about her business when faced with the down-home, rustic charms of well-moneyed, remote American suburbs? Have you seen a movie before?
The comedy of “The Proposal” mostly stems from the city-hewn Margaret’s discomfort in the warm, cabin-bound glow of Alaska. She never had a family, so she must acclimatize to Andrew’s levels of familial intimacy. She also finds herself growing closer to Andrew, never more suddenly than when the pair slam into each other by accident … entirely in the nude. Andrew was sunning on the balcony, and Margaret left the shower seeking a towel. She tripped, and the two ended up in an awkward nude embrace.
In 2021, Bullock appeared on the “About Last Night” podcast, handily covered by Glamour Magazine, and she frankly discussed her nude scene in “The Proposal,” including a strict stipulation for it: she wouldn’t do the scene unless it was played for laughs.
Bullock insisted that the nudity in The Proposal be played for laughs
Bullock pointed out that she and Ryan Reynold had been friends for a long time, so appearing nude in front of him was casual and professional, cutting down on any awkwardness. She also wanted to make sure that her nude scene wasn’t the least bit sexy, preferring to make it as embarrassing as possible. And with Reynolds there to make quips, the entire shoot was diffused. In her own words:
“I was like, ‘I will do this naked scene only if I can be humiliated and funny.’ You will not see me trying to attempt being sexy naked, in real life or onscreen. There’s just no point in it! It was for that reason, with a friend that you trusted comedically, and safety-wise I knew I was in the presence of safety.”
Like with many nude scenes, the set was closed on the day of its shooting. She also said that both actors were given flesh-colored cover-ups to wear (so they weren’t fully flashing each other), but admitted to averting her eyes when looking at Reynolds all the same: “It’s just whatever’s there, and I don’t know because I didn’t see it, I didn’t look!” She also related a story about how a certain part of Reynolds’ anatomy was visible from under the flesh-colored cover-up, a fact that Anne Fletcher announced dryly to the shooting crew. Bullock was playfully miffed that Fletcher announced it to everyone, recalling:
“But in friendship, you just didn’t care; it wasn’t my business to look, it’s just there, and then Anne just bringing everyone’s focus to that area. […] Ryan was just so cool. […] Unflappable. He is absolutely unflappable.”
“The Proposal” was a massive hit, grossing over $314 million on a $40 million budget. Bullock continued a long-running string of successes, and Reynolds’ star continued to rise. And, yes, the aforementioned scene is more awkward and funny than titillating.