Fans were shocked after Ruth Wilson abruptly left the hugely popular show The Affair in season four. The actress, who won a Golden Globe for her role as Alison Bailey in the show, was unable to speak about the reason behind her departure, admitting that she was "not allowed to talk about why" but that there was "a much bigger story" behind her decision to leave, rather than a pay parity.
The Hollywood Reporter recently published an expose about the real reason that the star quit the show, claiming that, after speaking to several people involved in production, Ruth reportedly left due to the "frequency and nature of certain nude scenes", with there being no particular narrative reason behind the nude scenes.
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The feature also revealed that Ruth reportedly made an official complaint back in 2017 about a hostile work environment, and a representative for Showtime responded to the report, saying: "When confronted with a report of inappropriate behaviour 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."
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The showrunner, Sarah Treem, has responded to the report, telling the site: "I am not a manipulative person, and I've always been a feminist… 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 reason I even created The Affair was to illuminate how the female experience of moving through the world is so different from the male one."