His Dark Materials star quit hit US series ‘ because there were too many nude scenes’
SHE refused at the time to say why she walked away from the role that earned her a Golden Globe.
Now it has been claimed that British actress Ruth Wilson quit The Affair last year over her concerns at the number of gratuitous nude scenes. She is also alleged to have complained of a ‘hostile work environment’ on the US TV series, shown in Britain on Sky Atlantic.
Miss Wilson, 37, currently starring in the BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials, which concludes on Sunday, departed The Affair abruptly, telling reporters she was not allowed to reveal her reasons but denying it was to do with pay equality.
Now US magazine The Hollywood Reporter says sources have revealed that the actress, who played her reallife grandmother in the BBC drama Mrs Wilson, quit The Affair after clashing with the show’s creator Sarah Treem. It says Miss Wilson was seen as ‘difficult’ for voicing concerns the show was not upholding industry standards on sex and nudity.
One of her complaints was said to relate to an ‘aggressive’ sex scene in which her co- star Dominic West pushed her up against a tree. A source described the scene as ‘rapey,’ and said ‘Ruth was very unamused’ and had a body double called in.
Miss Wilson is said to have confronted Miss Treem over the frequency and nature of ‘titillating’ sex scenes. Another source claimed that in reference to a male co- star, she asked: ‘Why do you need to see me and not more of him?’
Miss Treem was accused of cajoling actors to get naked ‘even if they were uncomfortable’. Insiders told the magazine that Miss Wilson signed a non-disclosure agreement to extricate herself from the show’s final series,
In response, Miss Treem said: ‘I am not a manipulative person, and I’ve always been a feminist.’
She said she did ‘everything I could think of to make [Miss Wilson] feel comfortable with these scenes’.
Sources claim Miss Wilson raised a complaint with US TV network Showtime in 2017 over the alleged hostile environment. Showtime said: ‘In the instances that the magazine is referencing, appropriate and decisive action was taken.’