Phoebe Cates began modeling at age 10 and appeared repeatedly in Seventeen, including four cover appearances beginning with the April 1979 issue. Although her modeling career was commercially successful, she later described the work as monotonous and said that, after a while, she did it only for the money. Her experience became considerably more troubling when she moved into acting. While still 17, Cates filmed Paradise in Israel between March and May 1981, a Blue Lagoon-style film that required full-frontal and rear nudity. She later said that she had been uncertain about accepting the role and, in retrospect, regretted making the film. Most seriously, she claimed that the producers used a body double for nude close-ups of her character without telling her. Her co-star Willie Aames also recalled that she was deeply upset and refused to participate in promotion for the movie. The episode illustrates the limited control young performers could have over sexualized screen images during the early-1980s film and modeling culture, particularly when inexperienced teenagers were encouraged by adults to accept provocative roles. Cates subsequently distanced herself from Paradise and said she had learned never to make a film like it again.
Preparing the daily feature…
AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1980s
The 17-Year-Old Model and the Alleged Unauthorized Nude Close-Ups in Paradise
Phoebe Cates / Paradise (1982) / 1980s
Phoebe Cates began modeling at age 10 and appeared repeatedly in Seventeen, including four cover appearances beginning with the April 1979 issue. Although her modeling career was commercially successful, she later described the work as monotonous and said that, after a while, she did it only for the money. Her experience became considerably more troubling when she moved into acting. While still 17, Cates filmed Paradise in Israel between March and May 1981, a Blue Lagoon-style film that required full-frontal and rear nudity. She later said that she had been uncertain about accepting the role and, in retrospect, regretted making the film. Most seriously, she claimed that the producers used a body double for nude close-ups of her character without telling her. Her co-star Willie Aames also recalled that she was deeply upset and refused to participate in promotion for the movie. The episode illustrates the limited control young performers could have over sexualized screen images during the early-1980s film and modeling culture, particularly when inexperienced teenagers were encouraged by adults to accept provocative roles. Cates subsequently distanced herself from Paradise and said she had learned never to make a film like it again.
The daily editorial is currently unavailable. There’s still an entire archive to explore.