Today's filmmaker for our Female Filmmakers series is one of those GREAT female directors who has also been an actress...and she has been an actress who has gone nude. Like a lot. In fact, she tends to write, direct, and act in her own projects which means that she writes her own nude scenes. Does it get any better than that? Let's check out the career and nudity of Desiree Akhavan.
Desiree comes to us from New York City where the Middle Eastern mama quickly get into filmmaking. She formally began her career in 2010 when the director in her mid-twenties made the short film Nose Job. In 2014, she made her feature film debut with the movie Appropriate Behavior. She wrote, directed, and starred in the series that explored the mishaps of an openly bisexual woman in Brooklyn. Yes, that's basically her life!
In the film, she wrestles with the young and thriving sexuality that comes up against her family's traditional expectations of her. There are culture clashes and generation clashes as the young lady made her nude debut in several sapphic situations. She shows off her tiny titties complete with long, perky nipples in many scenes.
Desiree is an open and out bisexual and most of her personal work is all about exploring bisexuality and misconceptions people have about bisexuality. For example, in Appropriate Behavior she is asked to have a threesome with a straight couple and things get tense and jealous between the couple. She gets her heart broken by both men and women, proving that heartbreak hurts no matter who you date.
The best part? She gets nude in this movie A LOT. Again, she does it with men and women.
This film caught the cinema world's attention. Two years later, Desiree was behind the camera directing Chloë Grace Moretz in lesbian scenes for the film The Miseducation of Cameron Post. Chloe got on top of her co-star Quinn Shephard and rubbed Quinn's boobs. That was quite an education!
Her bisexuality caught the interest of the BBC who decided to give Desiree her own TV show called - wait for it - The Bisexual. She plays Leila in the 2018 series in which she navigates dating women and men in London. Is it any easier than in Brooklyn? It turns out that it's all the same with heartbreak and heat coming from all genders - and Desiree getting even more naked than ever before!
Does Desiree act in everything that she directs? No, she doesn't. I will also have you all know that I personally LOVE what she tends to direct because she tends to direct great episodes of comedy TV shows. She has directed episodes of Hacks, I Love That For You (I LOVE this show despite its lack of nudity), and Ramy.
She also has directed episodes of the latest Kathrine Hahn series on Hulu Tiny Beautiful Things. The series is getting critical acclaim because of Kathryn Hahn's performance in it even though she doesn't go nude and neither does the other series star Sarah Pidgeon.
Desiree is clearly talented and respected - both in the US and abroad. The Iranian American is so multi-talented that I have no doubt that we will see her in front of the camera again. I bet she will even go nude!
