Poldark star: Why I would not appear in rape scene
THERE was a furore last month when it was disclosed that a shocking Poldark storyline, in which Aidan Turner’s ‘ heroic’ character rapes his former fiancee, had been cut by the BBC.
Now, co-star Heida Reed, who was to play the rape victim Elizabeth, has disclosed that she was instrumental in the decision to replace the attack in the new series with a consensual seduction by Aidan’s character, Ross Poldark.
Speaking for the first time about the hugely controversial scene — which featured in Winston Graham’s novels and the 1975 BBC TV adaptation — Reed tells me: ‘Actually, it did change, as we had conversations. It was a collaborative decision. Initially, it was a bit more intense, but we felt it wasn’t right.’
In Graham’s 1953 book Warleggan, Ross smashes his way into the home of Elizabeth, who dumped him for his cousin in the first series, grabs her and kisses her.
When she accuses him of treating her ‘like a slut’, he sneers: ‘It’s time you were so treated’ and forces her onto a bed. Elizabeth becomes pregnant with his child.
Icelandic actress Heida, 28, adds of the decision to drop the rape scene: ‘Aidan and I were both consulted when they were discussing how to interpret that scene, because it’s a very delicate one.’ Speaking at the private view of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s You Say You Want A Revolution: Records And Rebels 1966-1970 exhibition, she adds: ‘We had big conversations about it and we rehearsed it a lot.’
The rape scene in the original Seventies BBC TV adaptation of the books starred Robin Ellis as Poldark and Jill Townsend as Elizabeth.
BBC insiders had said the decision to replace the scene with a fling between the pair was because times had changed since the books were written. A source said: ‘The new series reflects that in a way that keeps Ross Poldark as the romantic hero fans want.’