Heather Graham Recalls Filming Famed Risqué ‘Boogie Nights’ Scene: ‘It Was Terrifying’

heather graham and the cast of boogie nights

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Back in the 1990s, there were few actresses that were as frequently pinned up on teenagers’ walls as Heather Graham, thanks to her roles in films such as Boogie Nights and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Boogie Nights, in particular, holds up as one of the most iconic roles of Graham’s career, as the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film is now widely considered to be a modern-day classic.

During a recent interview with Yahoo!, Graham recalled how “terrified” she was when shooting the famous risque film set scene with co-star Mark Wahlberg, who starred in the film as Dirk Diggler.

“That was my first time [doing a n*** scene], and I was so nervous about it. But at that point in my career I was also like, ‘Beggars can’t be choosers,’” Graham said in a recent interview with Yahoo!

“It was a great script and Paul [Thomas Anderson] was an amazing talent. I had a great time making that movie even though it was terrifying doing a n*** scene.

Graham continued, explaining that, despite being cast as a character named Rollergirl, she did not now how to rollerskate at the time:

“I didn’t know how to rollerskate when I got that job; I had to take lessons. It was a little bit terrifying, because there were all these cables around on set and you had to go around stairs and stuff. The girl that was my stand-in bit it a couple of times! But I also felt like this kid just floating along.”

Alongside Graham and Wahlberg, Boogie Nights — which went on to become one of the most iconic films of the 1990s — also starred Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and John C. Reily.

In addition to her roles in Boogie Nights and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Graham is best known for her roles in Drugstore Cowboy, Six Degrees of Separation, Swingers, The Hangover, Scrubs, and Californication.

RELATED: Mark Wahlberg Says That He Still Has The Giant Fake Prosthetic From ‘Boogie Nights’

Eric Italiano BroBIble avatar
Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.