Emily Atack on filming full-frontal nude scenes for Rivals
Ahead of the release of Rivals on Disney+ next week, series cast member Emily Atack has opened up about filming full-frontal nude scenes, revealing the part which was surprisingly most challenging for her and, what it was like working with an intimacy coordinator for the first time.
In the new series, based on Dame Jilly Cooper's best-selling novel of the same name, Emily plays Sarah Stratton, the wife of the deputy prime minister. In her first introduction on screen we see her playing tennis naked with main character Rupert Campbell-Black played by Alex Hassell.
The scene is an iconic moment from the novel, but rather than being overwhelmed by the nude element of the scene, it was the tennis playing that really threw Emily, she told Digital Spy in an exclusive interview.
"It wasn't, 'I'm gonna have to run around a tennis court completely starkers'. But, I like a big entrance. I was like, 'Yeah, bring it on'," she added.
Emily went onto reveal the nude and sex scenes were an integral part of the story, "We keep saying that the nudity and the sex scenes are a huge part of this, but there's always a reason for them. We're not just getting our kit off for no reason. They're very integral to the storylines and characters."
As for filming with her co-star Alex Hassell, Emily found the process comfortable and said the pair instantly hit it off.
When it came to actually picking up her tennis racquet and filming the nude scene, Emily said it was the first time she had worked with an intimacy co-ordinator.
"We all knew each other really well by then. I think anybody that had nudity scenes and sex scenes, we all just really supported each other, so we loved talking about it. It was liberating and it was very safe," she told Digital Spy. "We had intimacy coordinators, which is something that actually, I've never experienced before, which was really great to see how far we've come in that sense.
"I couldn't have felt more comfortable and looked after, and it was fun, great fun. It was summer, nice and warm. I had a great spray tan – off to the races."
Emily makes up part of the wider cast of Rivals, the new eight-part series debuting next week on 18th October on Disney+. The series is set in the glamours and cut throat world of 1980s television and focusses on the intense rivalry between Lord Tony Baddingham and Rupert Campbell-Black.
Rivals is available on Disney+ from 18th October
You Might Also Like
