Katherine Heigl has joked that trying to cover up her modesty in nude scenes is "weirder" than just being naked.

The actress is starring in upcoming action comedy One for the Money where she has to strip off.

But she told Extra that the whole effort to ensure she doesn't show too much on camera became a hilarious feat.

Katherine said that during a scene where she was handcuffed and naked they had to employ a few tricks of the trade.

"Here's my philosophy," she laughed. "You can cover the bits with pasties, but I think that's weirder than just being naked. It looks weirder and more disconcerting to the crew."

"For the real nude stuff I was able to cover up with my hands and then they cut in tighter and at that point I can wear underwear.

"But I had a female director [on this movie] which made a big difference and she was unbelievably respectful about it.

"I had like a thong on, but then you could see the thong. So then we had to cut the thong and then tape it to certain areas."

Katherine said she did three times a week hourly sessions using kettle bells to get in shape.