Olivia Munn is done hiding.
The “Newsroom” actor and breast cancer survivor opened up about embracing her body, scars and all, in her new modeling campaign during an interview with “Today” on Wednesday.
When she first signed on to work with the shapewear company Skims, the Kim Kardashian-owned brand had no plans to highlight Munn’s mastectomy scars.
“It was just to do their shapewear and their new leggings, and it wasn’t about my scar at all,” explained the mother of two, who has undergone multiple surgeries since being diagnosed with luminal B breast cancer in April 2023.
During the shoot, Munn and the makeup artist on set realized it would be “really hard” to mask the scars, prompting the actor to pitch a different approach.
“I was looking in the mirror, and I just thought, ‘I’m done being insecure about my scars,’” Munn told host Savannah Guthrie. “So I went to the team of Skims and I said, ‘What do you guys think about showing my scars in this campaign?’ And they were so amazing and thoughtful and wonderful. And we talked it out and we decided to do it.”
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
Though Munn admitted it was “scary” to reveal her scars, baring that part of her body allowed for a profound emotional release, she said.
“I feel like this is something I’ve been hiding for a long time now, and it just feels like I can breathe a little bit more,” the actor explained.
That relief made Munn realize how her photos could inspire other survivors to accept the beauty of their bodies as they are.
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“Knowing there are so many women that have these same scars as me, I know that so many of them feel the same way I felt about them for so long. And I hope that they see the Skims campaign,” she said.
“Skims is so iconic and associated with beauty and sex appeal, and cancer really doesn’t have that same connotation,” the star went on. “So I just really hope that other women who have gone through my same path feel a little better after seeing it.”
Earlier this month, Munn marked the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a poignant Instagram post in which she pushed people to commit to their annual OB-GYN appointments.
She also urged followers to take the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Test, which she credits with helping detect her cancer early and start treatment immediately.
“To everyone who is battling or has battled cancer, in whatever form, I send you all my love,” the star wrote in her Instagram caption.