Hefner Says He Pushed for Lohan Nude Shots
The legendary media mogul said even he had his doubts about Playboy magazine’s latest cover girl when editors first pitched the idea of doing a 10-page pictorial featuring the troubled starlet.
"It really came as a surprise to me," he said in an interview with E! News. "I had kind of mixed emotions about it initially, and then it turned into something bigger than life."
It's certainly been a rough year for Lohan, 25, who was sentenced to jail time and 480 hours of community service for violating probation following her shoplifting and DUI cases.
Hefner, 85, who still oversees the contents of the racy magazine, said he wasn't sure the "Mean Girls" star was a risk he was willing to take.
"I wasn't quite sure where she was at in her life, obviously," he said. "It depends on whether it's Tuesday or Thursday."
Hef also confirmed rumors that the old Hollywood style pictorial, which features a blond Lohan wearing nothing but red lipstick and black pumps, was reshot after he found the first spread unflattering and un-polished.
He told E! he ordered his crew to start over -- right before Lohan served her five-hour stint in jail.
"The pictorial and the concept for the pictorial came from me," he said. "She had done semi-nudes before. I wanted to do something that would be memorable. So what is more natural, since she is a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, than do something that is a tribute to the red-velvet, Tom Kelley photo shoot of Marily Monroe that was our very first Playmate?"
Even Lohan seemed to have her own reservations about the shoot, refusing to pose completely naked at first.
"I think it was essentially mama and the folks around her that kept pushing for less nudity," Hefner said. "And I said, 'We're doing a nude pictorial here. We're going to do it in a very classy way and we're going to do it in a way in which it will not be forgotten."
As for the shoot’s outcome, Hef said the risk paid off. The robe-clad bachelor was even forced to release the highly anticipated spread days early after photos were leaked online.
"I think it was accomplished beyond anything I could possibly have imagined," he said. "People will not forget this pictorial."
And Hef says he has another idea of what fans can do with the mag -- out just in time for the holidays.
"It became a stocking stuffer!" he said.
Read more: nydailynews