Emily Atack has slammed the ‘negative attention’ she’s received since her nude scene in Rivals aired.
The raunchy series debuted on Disney+ last month with a huge Rotten Tomatoes score and some equally whopper names. Alongside The Inbetweeners star, the novel-based show also features David Tennant, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson.
Atack plays Sarah Stratton, the wife of the Prime Minister’s deputy (played by Rufus Jones), who uses her status to get a TV presenter spot in the 80s.
And the first time we see her on screen, she’s totally nude and whacking a ball – a tennis ball, with a tennis bat in a naked game of tennis with Alex Hassell who plays MP, Rupert Cambell-Black.
But while many viewers have – quite rightly – been praising Atack for her performance in the series, she’s also been the subject of online trolling.
“I knew something like that would happen, just not this quickly,” the actor told The Times.
During the now infamous scene, the 34-year-old is seen naked with two tennis balls strategically positioned to hide a merkin – a piece of material that protects her modesty.
However, a video online slows down the scene and makes it look as though she was actually properly naked. But this doesn’t share any similarity to the original production.
Emily Atack has a nude scene in the show (Hulu/Disney+)
“I’m at work, I’m playing a part, that scene is integral to the book. I am exactly where I need to be. I can’t control people’s sexually aggressive behaviour, but I can continue with my campaigning and fighting for women’s freedom,” Atack said.
The star stressed that should be able to a scene like that without being the brunt of ‘negative attention’.
“The two should not go hand in hand,” she said. “A woman said to me on Instagram the other day, ‘Pick a lane. You can’t play a racy role like that and get your clothes off and expect not to get messages. Why would you take that role?’
The show has received plenty of praise, however (Instagram/@emilyatack)
“And I wanted to say to her, ‘Are you telling me essentially to quit my job?’ Why should I? Women have to change their clothes; we have to change our routes home. I’m a professional. I’m never going to please everybody.”
Sharing some behind-the-scenes snaps on Instagram after the series premiered, Atack did add a bit of a warning in the caption.
“Grab your bottle of wine this evening,” she wrote. “Cover your dad’s eyes, and ENJOY THE RIDE!”
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+.
