Glenn Close says she chose to go nude for a pivotal scene in The Summer Book, a Finnish-English-American adaptation of Tove Jansson’s 1972 novel, describing the moment as a deliberate, character-driven choice. The 78-year-old Oscar nominee told AARP’s Movies for Grownups that the scene was her idea and that she believed it fit the moment for her character, Grandmother, to be alone with herself in a forest setting. “It was my idea,” Close said, explaining that the moment reflects a sense of independence she associates with the grandmother figure. She added, “I thought that’s something [my character] would do when no one else is around. In Finland, they’re much more used to nakedness than we are.” She also recalled the feeling of the moment: “I didn’t want to put my clothes back on. It felt so good.” This candid perspective accompanies the film’s logline, which centers nine-year-old Sophia (Emily Matthews) spending summers at a family’s island home on the Gulf of Finland as her mother is absent and her father grapples with grief, with Close’s Grandmother guiding the girl toward young adulthood in a delicate account of growing up and growing old.
The project marks another cross-border collaboration, and the logline highlights the film’s intimate focus on daily life and the evolving relationship between generations against a Nordic landscape.
Close’s candid revelation sits within a long arc of boundary-pushing performances. The veteran actress has previously appeared nude on screen in The Big Chill (1983) and Fatal Attraction (1987), roles she has discussed in interviews as formative in her professional confidence. In a recent conversation, she reflected on Fatal Attraction as a turning point that helped her feel more empowered in her craft.
The Summer Book’s setting is central to Close’s reflection on the film’s themes of aging and renewal. Close has described the production as a meditation on daily life, echoing the novel’s quiet emphasis on the rhythms of the countryside. She noted that her decision to participate in the nude scene was influenced by the character’s context and by a broader sense of honesty in storytelling, rather than sensationalism.
Beyond The Summer Book, Close is exploring new terrain with Ryan Murphy’s forthcoming legal drama All’s Fair. She told the Daily Mail in April that she was curious about meeting co-star Kim Kardashian and entering a different TV universe, noting she had never worked with Murphy before. Close said she hoped to approach the material with openness, while leaving room for Kardashian to bring her own strengths to the project. “I would not presume to give Kim Kardashian advice,” Close said. “She’s a very, very brilliant woman… She’s getting her law degree. So, I think she has huge potential and that she’s fulfilled already as a woman.”
Close’s openness about fashion and personal style has also become part of the conversation around her evolving public persona. She has spoken about a phase of experimentation in fashion, inspired by her work on projects like All’s Fair and by observing the bold hairstyles and looks Kim Kardashian has showcased publicly. Close suggested she was considering how to use fashion to reflect identity in a way that feels authentic to the person she is becoming, both on and off screen.
The Summer Book is slated to hit theaters Friday, Sept. 19, with Close again playing a grandmother who helps her granddaughter navigate the complex terrain of adolescence. While the film’s intimate moments have drawn attention, the broader intention, as Close frames it, is an exploration of how daily life—simple rituals, shared silences, and weathered landscapes—shapes who we become.
The film’s narrative centers on a nine-year-old girl’s summers on a tranquil island in the Gulf of Finland and the emotional weather surrounding her family’s grief and resilience. Sophia’s father remains numb with grief, while her grandmother helps guide her toward independence and self-understanding. In Close’s view, the project is not simply about boundary-pushing moments; it’s about the enduring pull of family ties, memory, and the small, ordinary moments that define growing up and growing old.
[Additional imagery: a portrait of Close on set, or promotional stills from The Summer Book, continue the visual thread of a film that blends intimate character study with a lush Nordic landscape.]