Highlights
- Ruth Wilson cited a toxic environment on The Affair set.
- Wilson advocated for herself but faced challenges multiple times.
- Ruth Wilson also shared her experience of earning less than co-star Dominic West.
While intimate moments might look seamless in movies and TV shows, there's a lot that goes on, and actors have opened up about the good and the bad of filming these scenes. While Jake Gyllenhaal had a positive experience with Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson admitted that he was embarrassed filming with Julianne Moore. May December star Charles Melton also struggled to film with Natalie Portman.
When The Affair premiered on Showtime in 2014, it was clear that there would be more than a few intimate scenes. Ruth Wilson played Alison Lockhart, a waitress stuck in a miserable marriage who falls for Dominic West's brooding character Noah Solloway. But Wilson left before the show ended and later shared it was for an upsetting reason.
In April 2024, Dominic West said that he believed Ruth Wilson's statement about feeling uncomfortable on the set of The Affair. In this article, we'll take a look at what Ruth Wilson and Dominic West revealed about The Affair's intimate scenes, along with what else Wilson said about working on the TV drama.
What Did Ruth Wilson And Dominic West Say About The Working Environment On The Affair?
Ruth Wilson quit The Affair in 2018 and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she did so because several sources said it was a toxic work environment. At the time, she told The New York Times that she couldn't explain why she quit. Then, in 2020, Wilson told Stylist Magazine, "The reason I haven't gone into The Affair is 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."
She explained that she advocated for herself on the set of The Affair because she didn't like the way that the intimate scenes were filmed. She said:
"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."
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Wilson also said:
"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 an interview with The Sunday Times' Culture Magazine, Dominic West said he agreed with Ruth Wilson's comments. He explained:
"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."
An important part of the environment on The Affair was the lack of an intimacy coordinator. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was only one on set in season 5, which was the last season. Esquire explained that intimacy coordinators are crucial parts of movie and TV sets because they make sure that everyone feels comfortable.
Who Are Some TV Stars Who Quit? | Year (According to Goldderby.com) |
|---|---|
Michael J. Fox (Spin City) | 2000 |
Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries) | 2015 |
America Ferrera (Superstore) | 2020 |
Steve Carell (The Office) | 2011 |
Anna Faris (Mom) | 2020 |
While Dominic West agreed with Ruth Wilson's statement about the difficult work environment while filming The Affair, co-creator Sarah Tream said this wasn't true.
According to The Daily Mail, Treem said that Wilson didn't want to film an intimate scene on top of a car and the scene was fixed based on what she wanted. Treem explained that the intimate scenes were necessary for the plot of The Affair. Treem said:
"If you’ve seen the show, you know that scenes are often told twice, from two different perspectives."
Sarah Treem continued that she and Ruth Wilson didn't see eye to eye on many of Alison's intimate scenes. She also said that in season 3, she wrote Allison as an empowered social worker character because of what Wilson hoped her character would be like.
What Are Some TV Working Environments That Were Called Toxic? (According to Buzzfeed)
- The Idol
- iCarly
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- One Tree Hill
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show
- America's Top Model
However, it's important to note that while Treem said that she listened to Wilson's opinions, Wilson doesn't think that was the case. The Hollywood Reporter noted that there were a few problematic instances on set. Wilson said that she wouldn't shoot a certain scene because it didn't look like the intimacy was consensual. There was also the issue of people being able to see the monitors when it wasn't necessary, and too many people watching in general.
Many sources also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter and appeared to back up what the actress said. One source alleged:
“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.”
What Else Did Ruth Wilson Say About The Affair?
In 2018, Ruth Wilson also said she made less money than Dominic West when starring in The Affair. She gave an interview to Radio Times and said that while she didn't talk to her co-star about it, she felt that it was true.
She explained, "Certainly when I signed up to that project, I would have got paid less. Then they [the producers] might argue, ‘Well, he’s already done a major American TV show [The Wire] so he’s already got a level.’ But even after a Golden Globe I’m not going to be on parity. So he definitely gets more than me. I mean, I don’t know what the figure is, but I’m sure he does.”
Wilson added:
“I don’t want more money, I just want equal money. Which means men have to take less.”
Which Stars Talked About The Pay Gap In Hollywood? (According to Us Weekly)
- Patricia Arquette
- Viola Davis
- Emma Stone
- Michelle Williams
- Sophie Turner
- Jessica Chastain
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Amy Schumer
- Scarlett Johansson
- Hilary Swank
- Julianna Margulies
- Emmy Rossum
- Bryce Dallas Howard
- Priyanka Chopra Jonas
- Robin Wright
While Ruth Wilson's comments about not earning as much as Dominic West are upsetting, this is an unfortunately common situation. In 2019, The Guardian reported that men are paid $1 million more than women for movies, which is alarming to hear.
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