Ruth Wilson left “The Affair” because she “didn’t feel right” about things happening on the show behind-the-scenes, the actress said in a new interview.
Wilson, who left the Showtime drama in 2018, said in an interview with Stylist magazine that she “didn’t feel safe” continuing with the show but declined to speak to the specific reasons for her departure. “The reason I haven’t gone into ‘The Affair’ is that I haven’t worked out how to discuss it,” she said. “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,” she continued. “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.”
A Hollywood Reporter story late last year a “toxic” work environment on the show as the reason for Wilson’s departure, citing conflict with showrunner Sarah Treem. Citing anonymous sources, the report said Wilson filed a complaint against Treem in 2017, saying she coaxed the actress into showing more nudity and performing more graphic sex scenes than necessary for the sake of creating a “titillating” scene. Treem has denied the accusations.
Wilson, who currently stars on HBO’s “His Dark Materials” adaptation, has not spoken directly about her decision to exit “The Affair,” suggesting in interviews that she is bound by non-disclosure agreements. However, in her most recent comments, the actress drew a connection between her situation and the #MeToo movement.
“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,” she said.