Famous Merkins On Screen

Actors who are committed to their craft will go to great lengths to ensure that they’re portraying their character as realistically as possible. In some case, that means wearing a merkin. A merkin, for those of you who don’t know, is a pubic wig. It’s donned by actors and actresses who need their down-there hair to fit the time period of the film they’re in. And considering most actresses likely engage in some sort of pubic grooming, a merkin ensures they can play the part realistically without having to grow their own pubes out accordingly. Additionally, a merkin can work as a sort of shield for the actor’s own sexy bits, if they’re not comfortable showing them off. Evan Rachel Wood had her first experience with going full-frontal on film when she was making the upcoming HBO movie, “Mildred Pierce.” alongside merkin expert Kate Winslet. “I was a lot more nervous than I thought I was going to be,” she said. “I looked at Kate and she was like, ‘You’ve got to do it. Trust me, it’s so brave. Put a merkin on and you’ll be fine.’ … Let’s just say, I had to wear a wig because it was in the ’30s, and everything had to look like it was in the ’30s.” In other words, expect bush — lots of bush — when the film debuts March 27. [XfinityTV.com] The merkin has become a popular prop in many mainstream movies. Here’s a look back at other famous moments in pubic-wiggery.