In 2023, actress Olivia Munn was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer known as luminal B. Thankfully, her doctors caught the disease in Stage 1, but over the course of the next year, she would go through four surgeries to combat the illness, including a double mastectomy. Though still recovering in 2024, Munn knew that performing again would be an important step in her treatment plan. However, when the offer came in to play a recently divorced one-percenter in the midst of a dalliance with Jon Hamm‘s mid-life crisis hedge-fund operator in the new Apple TV+ series “Your Friends and Neighbors,” Munn was concerned about taking on the intimacy the role required.
“I was really nervous about doing any sex scenes because I have a lot of scars,” she said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Scars that can be seen in clothing and scars that you wouldn’t know unless I was completely nude.”
Consummate professional that she is, Munn was, however, aware how important sex was to the relationship between her and Hamm’s characters. Though she felt “insecure” about baring all, with the assistance of an intimacy coordinator, she was able to find the comfort needed to explore this narrative and, in the process, take a step forward in her cancer battle.
“She wants something so much more from him than he’s willing to give, and their only connection is through sex,” Munn said of her “Your Friends and Neighbors” character. “I really wanted that to be portrayed. I wanted the sex scenes to feel like sex scenes — I wanted them to feel visceral and intense and not hold back at all.”
In the process, Munn found a way to reclaim control over her body after it had turned against her. At the same time, she told the LA Times she was “grateful” for her body’s ability to handle the journey she’s been through. This wasn’t something she was certain of when she first found out her diagnosis.
“It’s like screaming, but nobody can hear you, no matter how much I scream,” said Munn of being told she had breast cancer. “It doesn’t matter how much I beg or cry or negotiate. I have no say in this situation. I just pray that I make it out on the other side.”
“Your Friends and Neighbors” is currently streaming on Apple TV+ with new episodes released every Friday.
