Honestly, the first time you hear about a movie where the actors speak nothing but complete gibberish while running around a new-age retreat in the nude, you've gotta wonder if the producers lost a bet. But that is exactly what happened with the cast of Nude Tuesday, a 2022 cult hit that feels like a fever dream directed by someone with a very specific sense of humor.
It's a weird one.
The film follows Laura and Bruno, a middle-aged couple whose marriage has basically turned into a polite, sexless hostage situation. To fix things, they head to Ẅønđeulä, a retreat that promises healing but delivers a lot of awkward eye contact and, well, nudity. What makes it legendary isn't just the lack of clothes, but the fact that every single line of dialogue is a made-up language that sounds vaguely Scandinavian but means absolutely nothing.
The Core Players in the Cast of Nude Tuesday
The heavy lifting here falls on Jackie van Beek and Damon Herriman. Van Beek, who also wrote the screenplay, plays Laura with this incredible, repressed energy that makes her eventual "liberation" both hilarious and kinda painful to watch. You've probably seen her in What We Do in the Shadows or The Breaker Upperers, so you know she’s the queen of deadpan.
Then there’s Damon Herriman as Bruno.
If you recognize him, it’s likely because he played Charles Manson in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Seeing him pivot from a cult leader to a bumbling, mushroom-tea-drinking husband in the cast of Nude Tuesday is a trip. He spends a good chunk of the movie looking profoundly uncomfortable, which, considering the filming conditions, probably wasn't a stretch.
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And then we get to the guru.
Jemaine Clement shows up as Bjorg Rasmussen, the charismatic and deeply narcissistic leader of the retreat. It is peak Clement. He manages to make "Bjorg" feel like a real person despite the fact that every word coming out of his mouth is improvised nonsense. He brings that signature Flight of the Conchords absurdity that anchors the whole movie's weirdness.
Why the Gibberish Gimmick Actually Worked
You might think acting in a fake language—specifically a dialect called "Zøbftańlik"—would make the performances feel thin. It actually did the opposite. Because the actors didn't have real words to lean on, they had to over-communicate through their faces and bodies.
Jackie van Beek has mentioned in interviews that they actually rehearsed the scenes in English first.
Once they knew the "soul" of the scene, director Armağan Ballantyne would tell them to flip the switch. They'd start the cameras and just let the gibberish fly. It created this visceral, raw emotional texture because they weren't worried about hitting specific lines. They were just feeling the frustration or the lust in the moment.
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The subtitles were then written after the film was finished.
Basically, the filmmakers sent the silent-ish cut to comedians like Julia Davis (for the NZ/UK version) and Ronny Chieng (for the international version) and told them to just make up what the characters were saying. This is why you get lines about "erotic adult diapers" or pants being "full of yogurt" that have absolutely nothing to do with what the actors were actually thinking during the shoot. It adds a layer of "wait, what?" that makes the movie worth a rewatch just to see how the different subtitle versions change the story.
The Supporting Cast You Might Recognize
While the trio of Van Beek, Herriman, and Clement gets the spotlight, the rest of the cast of Nude Tuesday is filled with faces familiar to fans of Kiwi and Aussie comedy.
- Ian Zaro plays Rufus, bringing a younger, energetic vibe to the retreat madness.
- Chelsie Preston Crayford (Julie) and Byron Coll (Finnius) represent the other "searching" couples who make Laura and Bruno feel even more out of place.
- Yvette Parsons turns in a memorable performance as Margaret.
- You’ll also spot Chris Parker as Stefan and Jodie Rimmer as Diane.
It was a brave shoot. The actors were filming on a mountain in New Zealand's South Island, and if you look closely at the "nude" scenes, you can sometimes spot the goosebumps. They weren't just acting—they were genuinely freezing.
The Legacy of a Very Bold Experiment
There's a lot of talk about E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) in content these days, and honestly, the cast of Nude Tuesday deserves a badge for Experience alone. They committed to a concept that could have been a total disaster. Instead, they created a film that explores the breakdown of communication by literally removing communication.
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The movie doesn't rely on cheap gags.
Well, okay, there are some cheap gags involving "emotional animals" and tantric dancing, but the core of it is surprisingly tender. It’s a movie about two people trying to find each other again when they’ve forgotten how to speak the same language—metaphorically and, in this case, literally.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you're going to dive into this, keep a few things in mind. First, check which subtitle version you're watching. The Julia Davis version is famously dark and British, while the Ronny Chieng version brings a different kind of bite.
Watch the body language.
Because the dialogue is nonsense, you can focus entirely on the physical comedy. Damon Herriman’s "mushroom trip" sequence is a masterclass in physical acting. Also, keep an eye out for the "intimacy coordinator" influence—the film manages to be incredibly nude without feeling exploitative, which is a tough balance to strike in a comedy.
Actionable Insights for Fans of the Cast
If you loved the performances in Nude Tuesday, here is how you can follow the work of these specific creators:
- Follow Jackie van Beek's Writing: She has a knack for "awkward-funny." Check out The Breaker Upperers on Netflix if you haven't yet.
- Explore Damon Herriman's Range: Go from Nude Tuesday straight to Mr Inbetween or The Nightingale. The tonal whiplash will give you a new appreciation for his talent.
- The Jemaine Clement Rabbit Hole: If somehow you've only seen him here, What We Do in the Shadows (the film and the series) is mandatory viewing.
The cast of Nude Tuesday took a massive risk on a project that sounds like a joke on paper. By leaning into the absurdity and baring it all—physically and emotionally—they created something that stands out in a sea of predictable romantic comedies. It’s weird, it’s cold, it’s mostly gibberish, and it’s surprisingly human.