Alan Rickman Nude at The Gherkin

The Gherkin is already one of the most eye-catching buildings in London and it just upped its appeal by adding one nude Alan Rickman as an attraction. Out of context that might sound a bit odd. Rickman was on-set shooting scenes for his new movie, Gambit, seated naked at a glass desk in the all-glass building, reports London Evening Standard.

It might have been an unexpected surprise for office workers in buildings nearby who could see in. It’s a funny mental image picturing them squinting and rubbing their eyes thinking to themselves, “Is that … no, it can’t be … is that Alan Rickman? Naked??”

Lucky for Director Michael Hoffman, Rickman, 66, wasn’t shy to film in the buff. Hoffman made a great point telling the Standard, “I did think it would be very hard to have an open set in an all-glass Norman Foster building. But he didn’t ask for us to close it off — he was very brave.”

Rickman wasn’t fazed by the possibility of onlookers. He was actually relieved to not have to wear an uncomfortable costume. Well, make that no costume at all.

“Sometimes you can get costumes you can’t bear wearing. So it was a relief not to have to say, ‘I don’t like this costume’,” said Rickman to the Standard.

Gambit is a re-make of the 1966 crime caper by the same name, which featured Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.  The new version, written by Ethan and Joel Coen, also stars Collin Firth and is set to appear in U.S. theaters in 2013.

What’s your first thought when reading Rickman was nude at the Gherkin?