Ruth Wilson Left ‘The Affair’ Because of a Toxic Work Environment

Ruth Wilson was the lead actor on Showtime’s hit TV show, The Affair, which lasted five seasons. As the title suggests, it touched on the effects a couple of affairs had on the emotional wellbeing of those involved. Although Wilson received much praise from the show, she left the series early. Part of the reason for her premature departure was due to the show’s work environment.

The workplace environment on ‘The Affair’ was allegedly toxic

Ruth Wilson didn’t offer any specifics as to why she left The Affair at first. In an interview with the New York Times, Wilson addressed the rumor that her early departure was due to pay.

“It isn’t about pay parity, and it wasn’t about other jobs,” the actor said. “But I’m not really allowed to talk about it.”

Showtime had also asserted that Wilson’s character had no more stories to tell.

“We can’t speak for Ruth, but heading into season four everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course,” Showtime said.

However, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed those who worked with Wilson on The Affair. Wilson’s co-workers paint a clearer picture of the environment the Luther actor had to face.

“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 told Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

The source would accuse the showrunner, Sarah Treem, of complimenting stars to ease them into doing scenes they weren’t comfortable with.

“It’s things you would think would be coming out of a man’s mouth from the 1950s,” the source said. “The environment was very toxic.”

For specifics, in one scene Wilson was asked to do a sex scene where her character was pushed up against the tree.

“Ruth was very unamused by it,” the source shared.

Wilson has been tight-lipped about her issues on the set of The Affair after leaving the show. But recently, the actor has opened up a bit regarding these allegations.

Ruth Wilson didn’t feel safe filming ‘The Affair’

In an interview with Stylist, the Mrs. Wilson star went into more detail about her experiences on the show, She discloses that despite the pressures of her work environment, Wilson still managed to defend herself.

“What’s important to say is that I did speak up. I did have a voice. I did stand up for myself,” Wilson told Stylist (via Hollywood Reporter.) “There was a situation on The Affair where things didn’t feel right, and I dealt with them, and I managed to protect myself.”

Wilson also explained why she didn’t disclose any specifics about the situation sooner. It was partly because it was a different world when she first brought the issue to light.

“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,” Wilson added.

Why the Metoo movement scared Ruth Wilson

Due to her experiences, Wilson felt pleased by the Metoo movement and how it was shaping the entertainment industry. One of the things she enjoyed about the movement was how it motivated women to communicate with one another.

“They’re sharing stories and experiences, and in this industry you don’t get to talk much. It is competitive, and you’re often the only woman on set. So I hope that side of it continues – that women continue to support each other like this,” Wilson told The Guardian.

Still, however, there were certain things about Metoo that Wilson was uncomfortable with.

“But while there are times when I feel incredibly excited by it, there are times when I feel a bit scared, too. It doesn’t surprise me that it has happened; it was bound to,” Wilson said. “There has been inequality for so long, and now that someone like Trump is in charge, we’re face to face with how much misogyny there is in the world. But things are moving quickly, and you just want to say, ‘Let’s think about this, because we don’t want to jeopardize real change.’”