Ali Larter may love playing Angela Norris in the Taylor Sheridan show Landman, but one thing she doesn't love is stripping down for the character.
The actress, 49, plays the ex-wife of Billy Bob Thornton's lead character Tommy Norris, as well as the mother of his two kids Cooper and Ainsley, played by Jacob Lofland and Michelle Randolph respectively.
Having largely been branded as one of the most beautiful stars working in Hollywood by multiple sources over the years, in a new interview, she explained that the scenes that focus on her body and physical appeal are largely the ones she despises the most.
Telling People that scenes in the show involving her in a bikini are "tough, in a weird way," she explained: "I don't think there's an actress alive that's like, 'Woo! Got a bikini scene!' Nobody wants to do it."
She affirmed that those scenes are often the ones she considers the "hardest," adding: "Those are the hardest for me. I don't enjoy them. It's just part of the story that I'm telling, and I'm an actress, so I get on board. But those are definitely my least favorite."
She reasoned that not only does getting bikini-ready take an extensive amount of work and maintenance, but it can also be mentally taxing. "But no matter what, it's like, I've got to spend all this time fighting off my own insecurities, my own anxiety, to be able to put on that bikini and walk into these scenes."
Ali noted that Angela as a character is "so physical and loves the spray tans, and the blonde," because of which she needs to put in even more work to stay "in shape for this role and all that comes with it."
The Legally Blonde star previously told the publication she works "really hard" to maintain her physique. "I'm up at 4:30 [a.m.] on Mondays. I go for a run. It's only 30 minutes. I try to eat very clean, but I eat. I'm one of those protein mommies. I eat so much protein all day long. It works for me."
To add to the runs and protein, she also involves a lot of strength training in her daily routine. Not to mention the stresses of being a working mom to son Teddy, 15, and daughter Vivienne, 11, who she welcomed with husband Hayes MacArthur.
"In the end, anytime you have to put on a bathing suit and walk in front of anybody, it's really difficult," she continued, admitting that the one philosophy that helped most was the principle of faking it till you make it. "When I look around, the sexiest women I know are the women that own it. So part of getting there with Angela is owning it."
"There is no space in my mind for insecurity. I'm not allowing any of that into my space when I play Angela."