Emmy Rossum, 40, has spoken up about the surprising impact of her many nude scenes in the hit series Shameless.
Rossum was 24 years old when Shameless premiered. She played Fiona Gallagher, the hardworking, impulsive oldest of six siblings. Rossum did semi-regular nude scenes, which she said made her dating life difficult.
“All of the guys that I would go out with had preconceived notions of who I was or how I was sexually,” she said on the podcast Pretty Tough.
Shameless ran from 2011 to 2021. Rossum married director Sam Esmail in 2017, and they now have two children. But during the show’s early seasons, Rossum struggled with being single.
She went on a date with a guy who had political aspirations. During the date, he said that dating someone who has been naked onscreen could one day hurt his electability.
“He was like, ‘I really want to be president someday,’” Rossum said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, that’s like a great goal.’ He’s like, ‘But I feel like running for office dating someone who’s been, like, exposed in the way that you have, do you think that would be tricky for me?’ And I was like, ‘This is an insane conversation to have.’”
Rossum, who currently stars in the hit series Furious, said it was challenging growing up with such a spotlight on her body.
“You’re trying to figure out who you are,” she said. “You’re coming into your own as an artist. And there’s also all these preconceived notions about you that are out there that are associated with [you] because your body is your art, right? And people can get confused.”
Following a brief two-year marriage from 2008-2010, Rossum married her current husband, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, in 2017. They share two children.
