Emily Atack is denouncing the ‘sexually aggressive’ reaction to her star turn in Rivals. The show, which is based on Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel of the same name, has been a huge hit for Disney+. But now Emily has spoken out about the backlash to her nude scenes in the series.
In a new interview with The Times, the actress responded to people who are sharing screenshots of her body and misrepresenting where they originate from. She said: “I knew something like that would happen, just not this quickly. 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.”
Emily is a longtime campaigner for women’s safety, and recently participated in a campaign to promote affirmative consent. The campaign’s arresting slogan drew tonnes of praise from her friends and supporters, but unfortunately also drew in a lot of trolling.
The fact that Emily filmed a nude scene for television is connected with her campaigning, and the response has been similar: positive from her supporters, and awful from her detractors.
“I should be able to do a scene like this and not receive negative attention,” the actress shared. “The two should not go hand in hand. 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?’
“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.”
