Ruth Wilson allegedly quit ‘The Affair’ because of a "toxic" set and frequent requests for nude scenes.
The 37-year-old actress claimed in August 2018 she was "not really allowed to talk about" her decisions for departing the drama series and it’s now been claimed one of Ruth’s biggest issues was being asked to take her clothes off on camera even at times when it didn’t seem necessary for the story.
A source told the Hollywood Reporter they had heard Ruth discussing a male co-star and asking: "Why do you need to see me and not more of him?"
The insider said: "There was a culture problem at the show from the very beginning and a tone-deafness from [showrunner] Sarah Treem about recognising the position she was putting actors in.
"Over and over again, I witnessed Sarah Treem try to cajole actors to get naked even if they were uncomfortable or not contractually obligated to."
They claimed Sarah would pressure actresses to go nude with compliments or statements such as "everyone is waiting for you."
The source added: "It’s the things you would think would be coming out of a man’s mouth from the 1950s.
"The environment was very toxic."
Sarah has denied ever pressuring actresses on the show and insisted she would "never say those things to an actor."
She added: "That’s not who I am. I am not a manipulative person, and I’ve always been a feminist.
"I did everything I could think of to make [Wilson] feel comfortable with these scenes."
The showrunner stressed she had "devoted [her] entire professional life to writing about and speaking to women’s issues" and wanted to make ‘The Affair’ "to illuminate how the female experience of moving through the world is so different from the male one."
She added: "The idea that I would ever cultivate an unsafe environment or harass a woman on one of my shows is utterly ridiculous and lacks a grounding in reality."
The Hollywood Reporter’s exploration of Ruth’s exit detailed a dinner attended by ‘The Affair’ executive producer Jeffrey Reiner, Lena Dunham and others, claiming the producer showed a graphic image and tried to persuade the ‘Girls’ creator to talk Ruth into agreeing to "show her tits, or at least some vag" on the show.
However, assistant director Cleta Ellington insisted the conversation was different to the tone described.
Cleta said: "While this quick, funny conversation took a few explicit twists and turns, Lena was the provocateur in the conversation.
"Yes, we did discuss nudity, body doubles, the ins and outs of filming sex scenes, what the various networks expected, and even shared a nude picture of male genitalia after Lena accused ‘The Affair’ of not showing equal male nudity.
"But our candid conversation did not once ever pause in discomfort."
Ruth is said to have raised a complaint about Reiner with network Showtime in February 2018, asserting they were allowing a "hostile work environment".
However, the broadcaster insisted to People magazine they offer a "safe environment for [actors] to do their best work".
They added: "When confronted with a report of inappropriate behavior involving anyone within our offices or productions, we immediately initiate a process overseen by our compliance team in the case of our own shows, or in the case of series we license from others, we collaborate closely with the relevant production studio.
"In the instances that THR is referencing, appropriate and decisive action was taken."
Ruth Wilson quit Affair over ‘toxic’ set?
