Did Ridley Scott really ask Geena Davis to remove her top in ‘Thelma & Louise?’ How the popular director nearly derailed his own feminist favorite

Thelma & Louise remains one of Hollywood’s most treasured classics, but the film was nearly derailed at every turn.

First was the task of getting it made in the first place. The screenplay behind the iconic 1991 release, written by Callie Khouri, floated around Hollywood for several years before finally getting picked up, and was referred to by its many dismissive detractors as simply “two b*tches in a car.” Nice.

The task of casting was also a massive hurdle, and saw a huge number of names considered, and even signed, for the release before walking away from it. Eventually, however, after years of headaches, actual filming for Thelma & Louise began. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon dug deep and found an incredible chemistry that helped the film become one of the most memorable releases of the last three decades.

You may never have even seen it, but I’ll bet my paycheck you know how it ends. The film earned its place in the record books for a number of reasons, one of which being that impactful ending, but the remainder largely hinged on the film’s overarching feminist themes. It became a part of cinematic history when it took a traditionally male-oriented story idea — that of buddies taking a crime-ridden road trip — and centered it all around women taking back their power. The film’s themes earned it a spot on nearly every Feminist Studies syllabus out there, but they were nearly derailed by one massively dense decision on director Ridley Scott’s part.

Geena Davis almost went topless in Thelma & Louise

Ridley Scott is known for his elevation of powerful women, which makes his near-miss with Thelma & Louise all the more infuriating. In the wake of the film’s release, reports emerged that Ripley attempted to work a topless scene into the final product. He even went so far as to make the request of Geena Davis, who was initially hesitant to deny him. She was in the process of caving to his demand when a well timed lunch with Susan Sarandon saved the day.

An uncomfortable Davis slunk off to lunch with Sarandon, who empathized massively with her situation. Keep in mind here that Sarandon is a full decade older than Davis, and at the time of filming was in her mid-40s, so she’d passed the stage of being a doormat awhile back. Davis, however, was still young enough to take the treatment — at least, until Sarandon caught wind of it.

After carefully discussing Scott’s request and debating whether or not it made sense for Thelma, they came to the conclusion that Hollywood’s sexual pressures have no place in a feminist film. When they returned to set, Sarandon marched straight up to Scott and told him off herself, informing the director in no uncertain terms that Davis would not be removing her shirt. Scott, to his credit, took the response sitting down, and never brought it up again.

The result is an untarnished feminist classic, and one that blessedly isn’t sullied by unnecessary nudity. It also features one of Brad Pitt’s earlier performances, and features several of cinema’s most-referenced scenes. If you’ve never seen it, don’t be discouraged by knowing the big twist — Thelma & Louise is absolutely worth watching at least once in your life, if only to see Susan Sarandon channeling the same take charge, unflinching behavior that stopped a massive cinematic faux pas from making it to the big screen.