As a counterexample, my bestie is "brown as a paper bag", and he was convinced he couldn't get a sunburn, up until he did.
Unrelated, he also swore he couldn't get poison ivy, until he literally rolled in it to prove it to me. I found the aftermath more amusing than he did.
Sensitivity to poison ivy can change over time. Your friend may have been correct about his past experience.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm07672313/index....