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Ruth Wilson Explains Why She Left 'The Affair,' Reveals Why She Hasn't Spoken About It Before

Ruth Wilson is speaking out and clarifying more about why she left the hit Showtime show The Affair abruptly a few years ago, including why she has been hesitant to tell her story.

“The reason I haven’t gone into The Affair is that I haven’t worked out how to discuss it,” Ruth told Stylist. “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.”

If you don’t know, last year, THR published a bombshell report that detailed the rumored reasons why Ruth left the show. The publication said that she left the show due to “ongoing frustrations with the nudity required of her,” and “what she ultimately felt was a hostile work environment,’ among issues with the showrunner, Sarah Treem.

Now, in this new interview, Ruth is making her first public comments since this bombshell report was published.

Ruth 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.”

Ruth 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.”

Previously, Ruth said she wasn’t allowed to discuss her exit from the show.

'The Affair' Showrunner Responds to Report About Ruth Wilson's Exit from the Show

Sarah Treem, the showrunner of the Showtime series The Affair, is responding to an article that claimed she created a “hostile work environment” on set, which led to actress Ruth Wilson‘s exit from the show.

THR reported that Ruth left the show due to “ongoing frustrations with the nudity required of her,” and “what she ultimately felt was a hostile work environment,” among issues with Treem.

Sarah has now written an op-ed piece for Deadline in which she reveals years of behind-the-scenes details that shed a light on what was happening on set. In the article, Sarah notes how The Affair is a show “divided into two parts, with each half being told from the very different perspective of characters involved in the same incident.” Ruth‘s character Alison was featured in many sex scenes throughout the season while we followed her affair with the character Noah. Episodes would show scenes from each character’s perspective and while the audience might view a sex scene as a rape in one perspective, the other perspective would sometimes show it was consensual.

When it came time to filming a scene for season two, Ruth “didn’t approve of the scene and didn’t want to play it as written. By this point, it wasn’t a surprise as we had been disagreeing on the character’s choices since the second episode. By now we were at this complicated impasse where I didn’t know how to write the character any differently and she didn’t feel she could play what I was writing.”

Sarah detailed the many times that Ruth didn’t agree with certain scenes and how she either would change the scene or get a body double to film them. She said, “We didn’t agree on the choices of the character or whether or not a sex scene was necessary to advance the plot, but that is not the same thing as not respecting or supporting an actress’s need to feel safe in her work environment, which is something I always take incredibly seriously.”

Click inside to read what Sarah Treem wrote about Ruth Wilson’s exit from the show… More Here! »

Ruth Wilson's Exit From 'The Affair' Explained in Bombshell Report

Shocking allegations are coming to light about why Ruth Wilson really left the hit Showtime show The Affair after winning a Golden Globe for her work in the drama back in 2015.

Last summer, Ruth shocked everyone when she announced she was leaving the show before the fifth and final season, but could not say why. She presumably has a non disclosure agreement in place with the network.

Now, THR is revealing that she left the show due to “ongoing frustrations with the nudity required of her,” and “what she ultimately felt was a hostile work environment,’ among issues with the showrunner, Sarah Treem.

“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,” a 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.”

“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,” Sarah said in response to the allegations. “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 theater and in Hollywood, on- and offscreen. It’s what I think about, what I care about, it’s what drives my life and work. 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, it’s like speaking a second language. 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.”

Apparently men on set would also say things to women like “Everyone is waiting for you,” or “You look beautiful…It’s things you would think would be coming out of a man’s mouth from the 1950s. The environment was very toxic.” In addition, while filming scenes that required being in the buff, “There sometimes were people there who didn’t need to be, or the monitor was in plain view.”

There were specific instances that made Ruth uncomfortable, like one sex scene that was “rapey,” said one source. When Ruth would bring up issues, she was apparently labeled as being “difficult.”

Then, an incident happened while filming in Montauk, New York that made cast members uncomfortable…and GirlsLena Dunham is involved.

It all started when Lena Dunham, Girls cast members, and The Affair executive producer and director Jeffrey Reiner happened to run into each other in the Hamptons town.

Sources say that Jeffrey asked Lena if she would go to dinner with Ruth to try and get her to “show her t*ts, or at least some vag,” and then he apparently went on to “critique and crudely evaluate the bodies of all the women on his show.”

Apparently, Jeffrey also showed Lena a photo of “a mutual friend with a c*ck next to her face,” which sources say was Maura Tierney, another actress on The Affair. This encounter was all documented on Lena and Jenni Konner‘s now shuttered website Lenny Letter.

After this encounter happened and news spread about it, THR says that Ruth and Maura both “expressed discomfort about continuing to work with Reiner.” He eventually was told he could no longer direct episodes with Ruth. He ended up leaving the show after the third season, and Ruth left as well and this is the incident that she was able to use to negotiate her exit.

Showtime Debuts Trailer & Poster for the Final Season of 'The Affair' - Watch!

The trailer and poster for the final season of Showtime’s The Affair is here!

The fifth and final season of the drama series premieres on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The show stars Dominic West, Maura Tierney and Sanaa Lathan, and explores the emotional and psychological effects of an affair that destroyed two marriages, and the crime that brings these individuals back together.

Anna Paquin joined the final season as a series regular.

Season 5 will chronicle the aftermath of last season’s horrific events and find the characters coming to terms with the consequences of their choices – as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures, they must first face the past.

Watch the trailer for the final season of The Affair inside…

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Joshua Jackson Won't Appear in 'The Affair' Season 5

It’s official – Joshua Jackson will not appear in the fifth season of The Affair on Showtime.

Several months ago, reports emerged suggesting the 40-year-old actor wouldn’t return for every episode but could guest star on the final season.

Now, THR is reporting that he won’t appear in any episode.

News of this comes just as the final season was given a premiere date: August 25 on Showtime.

There has been no official word from Joshua at this time.

Ruth Wilson also left the show but refused to disclose her reason why.

Showtime Comments on Ruth Wilson's Exit from 'The Affair'

Ruth Wilson wears two similar-colored outfits while making appearances at SiriusXM and the Build Series on Thursday (August 16) in New York City.

The 36-year-old actress was joined by her The Little Stranger co-star Domhnall Gleeson and director Lenny Abrahamson at Build. Their film hits theater on August 31.

Ruth has been addressing her exit from the Showtime series The Affair on her press tour, though she says she’s not allowed why she decided to leave.

Showtime just released a statement to explain her departure.

“We can’t speak for Ruth, but heading into season four everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course. Ultimately, it felt like the most powerful creative decision would be to end Alison’s arc at the moment when she had finally achieved self-empowerment,” Showtime said in a statement (via Variety). “The impact of her loss will be felt as the series concludes next season. We thank the many fans who embraced the character of Alison and especially thank Ruth for her indelible work over the past four seasons.”

FYI: Ruth is wearing Malone Souliers shoes at SiriusXM. She’s wearing a Monse dress and Tabitha Simmons shoes at Build.

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Ruth Wilson Says She Wanted to Leave 'The Affair,' But Can't Say Why

Ruth Wilson‘s character on The Affair, Alison, was killed off and she spoke about leaving the show on CBS This Morning on Thursday (August 16).

“I did want to leave but I’m not allowed to talk about why,” Ruth told co-host Gayle King about wanting to leave the show after four seasons.

“You’re not allowed to talk about why?” Gayle asked again, to which Ruth responded, “No.”

When asked if it was about a pay disparity, Ruth responded, “I’ve never complained to Showtime about pay parity.”

Ruth also confirmed that she won’t be back on the show: “I’m not coming back, because she’s dead. What’s been amazing to me is the fan response. It’s been absolutely, really moving for me and to see a character like this can connect with people.”