Elisabeth Moss: I've no problem with nudity in Top of the Lake

 
Peggy does full on glamour: Elisabeth Moss also wore a black dress with cut-out back
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9 July 2013
The Weekender

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Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss has said she has no qualms about stripping off for nude scenes in her new BBC drama, Top of the Lake.

The BBC2 series, written and directed by Oscar-winning film-maker Jane Campion, is set in a remote area of New Zealand.

Moss, who stars as straight-talking detective Robin Griffin, has to shed her clothes in the Saturday night drama where her character is involved in multiple love affairs.

Moss admitted that "There may be a couple of nipple slips.

"I'm a shy person, but Jane Campion is the last person who is about to make me feel uncomfortable or exploit me. She's the ultimate feminist."

She commented: "You go through all this negotiation about what you'll show, and then you get there, three months in and tired, and you're just, 'Whatever, let's just do it'."

Her role as the "ass-kicker" detective involved in the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old-girl took some preparation. Moss said: "I worked out and got some muscle, lowered my voice, learnt an accent and trained with guns.

"Robin is very much an ass-kicker ... I run all the time and I don't like to run, I shoot guns, throw darts, chop wood and fish.

"It was shot at Lake Wakatipu, which is freezing, and I went in and I'm scared of the water. I don't go in anything where I can't see the bottom."

She added: "It's kind of become my thing to play women asserting their independence in a man's world."

Elisabeth divorced her Saturday Night Live star husband, Fred Armisen, in 2011 after two years of marriage.

"It wasn't working... There was not a lot of wasted time, which was good. I learnt what's important - having a good relationship. I want to have a family and that comes to mind big-time when you're 30, but I'm not in a rush."

Her new boyfriend, cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, sits on the other side of the camera, which Moss thinks is better.

"They're artists, but not actors. It's a better balance. And it worked out for Julia Roberts [who married cinematographer Daniel Moder in 2002]."

She added: "I'm a huge believer in buying your own jewellery because you never have to stop wearing it if things don't work out."

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