Dominic West has shared that Ruth Wilson was ‘absolutely right’ when she detailed how she had to ‘protect herself’ while filming The Affair.
The actress previously starred on the showtime drama from 2014 to 2018, but reportedly quit the show over the number of gratuitous sex scenes she had to film.
In later years Ruth stated that there was a time on set when ‘things didn’t feel quite right,’ but she did ‘speak up’, and in 2022 said she wished the show had hired an intimacy co-ordinator to navigate her ‘awkward’ sex scenes.
Speaking to The Sunday Times’ Culture Magazine, Dominc was hesitant to share his thoughts on Ruth’s comments.
He said: ‘Um… we… we talked a lot about it and I suppose I did experience it. I don’t really like talking about it but… yeah, everything Ruth has said is absolutely right.’
Dominic West has shared that Ruth Wilson was ‘absolutely right’ when she detailed how she had to ‘protect herself’ while filming The Affair (pictured on the show)
It was claimed in 2019 that Ruth, who earned a Golden Globe for her role as Alison Lockhart, abrupt exit was due to her concerns over the amount of gratuitous sex scenes.
It was also alleged that a ‘toxic’ on set environment saw industry standards about sex scenes ignored, pressured actors to perform nude scenes and then tried to dismiss the issues when complaints arose. Co-creator, Sarah Treem, has denied the claims.
In a 2020 interview with Stylish Magazine, Ruth admitted that she hadn’t ‘worked out’ how to discuss her time or abrupt exit from The Affair.
The actress also claimed that it was ‘important’ for people to know that she did ‘speak up’ and ‘protect’ herself.
Ruth told the publication: ‘The reason I haven’t gone into The Affair is that I haven’t worked out how to discuss it. There’s a lot of noise and anger surrounding it, and really the power rests with me to choose how I discuss my life and my experiences.
‘What’s important to say is that I did speak up. I did have a voice. I did stand up for myself. There was a situation on The Affair where things didn’t feel right, and I dealt with them, and I managed to protect myself.’
She added: ‘It was before #MeToo and before Harvey Weinstein – and yet my instincts were very clear and strong about what I felt was wrong, about what was going on, and what I didn’t feel safe about.’
In 2022, Ruth then stated that she wished there had been an intimacy co-ordinator on set, after previously hitting out at the number of nude shots she was required to film.
The actress previously starred on the showtime drama from 2014 to 2018, but reportedly quit the show over the number of gratuitous sex scenes she had to film
In later years Ruth stated that there was a time on set when ‘things didn’t feel quite right,’ but she did ‘speak up’, and in 2022 said she wished the show had hired an intimacy co-ordinator
Speaking to The Sunday Times’ Culture Magazine , Dominc was hesitant to share his thoughts on Ruth’s comments
She has previously praised television and movie bosses for employing intimacy coaches to make ‘awkward’ and ‘exploitative’ sex scenes ‘scientific’.
When asked by the Radio Times if having one on The Affair would have made her experience better she said: ‘Yes, I think so because people are uncomfortable talking about sex.
‘An intimacy co-ordinator can mediate between the actors and the director. If you just leave the actors to get on with it often the camera doesn’t get the right shot. At best it feels awkward and at worst…’
‘It’s important to have someone you can talk to about your concerns, your worries or limits, things you don’t want to show.’
She has previously told The Sunday Times the most difficult part of filming intimate scenes in The Affair was the lack of instruction, saying: ‘Since #MeToo… intimacy coaches are really scientific about sex scenes.
‘But before nothing would be said. It would be about making it up as you go along. No one wanted to discuss [sex scenes], so the actors were invariably left to create something on the day and that’s desperately awkward. It’s a horrible place to be.’
She added that filming sex scenes that didn’t seem authentic felt ‘exploitative’.
In December 2019, showrunner and co-creator Sarah Treem defended herself against accusations that she created a hostile work environment which led to Ruth’s departure.
Treem acknowledged that she had disagreements with the 38-year-old English actress, who shocked the entertainment world when she announced her abrupt departure from the show in the summer of 2018.
While Ruth was allegedly said to be prevented from commenting on the circumstances of her exit due to a ‘nondisclosure agreement’.
The Golden Globe-winning actress reportedly refused to perform one shocking aggressive sex scene where her character was forced up against a tree at a yoga retreat after saying it was ‘rapey’, meaning a body-double had to be called in, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
On set she also allegedly complained about the disparity between how often male and female characters were expected to be naked, saying ‘why do you need to see me and not more of him?’
While performing sex scenes, insiders also alleged there were ‘people there who didn’t need to be’ and that monitors were ‘in plain view’ during the performance.
According to THR, Treem was said to have told Wilson ‘everyone is waiting for you’ and ‘you look beautiful’ in an attempt to get them on set while naked for the scenes.
Though Ruth knew that nudity would be involved when she signed onto the project, she is said to have been bothered by ‘frequency and nature of certain nude scenes’ which she deemed to have little purpose other than to be ‘titillating.’
While THR also claimed that when the actress expressed her concerns, she was ignored and labelled ‘difficult’.
A spokesman for SAG-AFTRA told THR that industry standards still demand talent must ‘provide meaningful consent and be treated with respect and dignity during production,’ a standard which The Affair may have failed to achieve.
Co-creator Treem denied that she used manipulative means to get the actors to do more nude scenes than were necessary.
She told THR: ‘I would never say those things to an actor. That’s not who I am. I am not a manipulative person, and I’ve always been a feminist.’
Treem added: ‘I have devoted my entire professional life to writing about and speaking to women’s issues, women’s causes, women’s empowerment and creating strong, complex roles for women in theatre and in Hollywood, on- and offscreen.
‘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.’
In a lengthy rebuttal she posted on Deadline, Treem wrote that the frequency of the nude scenes were required due to the ‘Rashomon-style’ narrative device that told the same story twice, though each time from the differing perspectives of the show’s characters.
In December 2019, showrunner and co-creator Sarah Treem defended herself against accusations that she created a hostile work environment which led to Ruth’s departure
Treem acknowledged that she had numerous disagreements with Wilson over several nude scenes, including the one in which she and her character’s married lover, Noah, who was played by Dominic West, have ‘aggressive’ sex against a tree.
Noah is married to Helen, played in the series by Maura Tierney. He has an affair with Wilson’s character, Alison, and ends up ruining his marriage.
In 2014, around the time of the show’s first season, Ruth told the Mail On Sunday that filming multiple nude scenes had ‘put me off sex for life.’
Reports of The Affair’s alleged hostile work environment put her previous comments about the show in a new light.
‘I’m a British prude and dread any sex scene that has to be performed,’ she told the Mail On Sunday in 2014. ‘For an actor they are miserable and vaguely embarrassing. It’s put me off sex for life,’ she said.
But back then, she defended the show, explaining that she didn’t see the sex as ‘gratuitous.’
‘The sex isn’t gratuitous. I was intent on trying to tell a story within those scenes. It’s not just about the sex, it’s about what is going on in each individual’s mind during it. If it’s just for titillation I think it slows up a story.’
