[Ruth Wilson](http://This Female Lead Of 'The Affair' Was Killed Off Months After Complaining About Pay Disparity With Her Male Co-Stars) reportedly felt extremely uncomfortable with the number and nature of nude scenes she was asked to film during her time on The Affair, with many citing it as one of the reasons she left the show. However, co-creator, Sarah Treem, has responded to Wilson and revealed she frequently adapted the plot and cut sex scenes to cater to the actress. Wilson joins a number of other female actors highlighting the problem of nude scenes in Hollywood, including Emilia Clarke and Kristin Davis.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, who spoke to a number on insiders who worked on The Affair, there were a number of issues on set that made crew and cast members uncomfortable. Sarah Treem, showrunner, has been accused of pressuring female actors to perform nude scenes they were obviously uncomfortable with.
‘There was a culture problem at the show from the very beginning and a tone-deafness from Sarah Treem about recognizing the position she was putting actors in,’ one source said. ‘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.’
The source went on to say Treem would tell actors ‘everyone is waiting for you,’ and ‘you look beautiful,’ in an attempt to ease their concerns. ‘It's things you would think would be coming out of a man's mouth from the 1950s,’ they added. Treem has denied ever pressuring performers.
‘I would never say those things to an actor,’ she told the publication. ‘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.’
Wilson is reported to have felt a number of her scenes were gratuitous and was asked to be unclothed in scenes where that was no clear reason why other than to be ‘titillating’. She was once heard asking ‘why do you need to see me and not more of him?’ referring to a male co-star. In particular, she refused to film a rape-scene where Dominic West, her co-star, pushes her up against a tree. Instead, they had a body double film it.
By her fourth and final season, Wilson had negotiated her contract to ensure Treem was not allowed on set with her. The shows director, Jeffrey Reiner, also stopped working for the show by the fourth season after an investigation into his behaviour. Both Wilson and co-star Maura Tierney complained about working with him after he reportedly shared images of Tierney and a male co-star filming a nude scene (with Lena Dunham and Jenni Kromer, who subsequently wrote about the incident on Lenny Letter).
The incredibly toxic culture, which you can read more about here, highlights a growing spotlight being put on film sets in Hollywood. Earlier this year, Emilia Clarke revealed that she found filming the nude scenes on Game of Thrones scenes ‘terrifying’ and was cajoled into being more nude than she wanted to be.
‘I’ve had fights on set before where I’m like, “No, the sheet stays up,” and they’re like, “You don’t wanna disappoint your Game of Thrones fans”’ she told Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert.
Kristen Davis has too said her least favourite Sex and the City scene was a sex scene where a man shouts ‘whore’ and ‘bitch’ in her face. ‘I really, really hated it. I hated it so much,’ Davis told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.
In the UK, the first guidelines into scenes involving nudity and simulated sex were released this year by Director UK, the body that represents UK TV and film directors. It states that chaperones should be on set, 48 hours’ notice should always be given and full-scripts for any scene that requires semi-nudity. Producers should also get explicit written consent prior to the scene being filmed or photographed.
Hopefully, these guidelines will translate into actual action in the UK and should they prove effective, beyond.
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