Actors don’t just go along with everything that’s scripted since most people should know by now that actors do tend to ad-lib or improvise as they feel necessary when the moment arises. Ruth Wilson has been quite vocal about her reason for quitting the show The Affair ahead of its final season, and it sounds like a good bit of reasoning and a definite judgment call that she felt was needed. Nude scenes in shows and movies tend to be a bit controversial at times since there are a lot of people that will go into why they’re not needed, why they’re a bit too gratuitous, and why it’s almost like watching a pornographic movie at some points since some projects really like to push the absolute limits. Ruth wasn’t buying into it this time since she’s had enough apparently and isn’t going to stand for it any longer after reading about a rough sexual encounter with her character and that played by Dominic West. In a way, it does sound as though this act, despite being just an act, bothered her in a very profound manner and wasn’t something she was going to allow to happen to her. It is very possible that a lot of viewers would pump their fists in the air and start speaking of empowerment and the MeToo movement, but to Ruth, it wasn’t something she was going to perform and that was that.
There are plenty of scenes in various shows that are hard to watch since they emulate the types of acts that go on in the real world and are vilified by pretty much anyone with a conscience, but these scenes are often just as hard for the actors to stomach as they attempt to get through them. Some of the acts have actually left people traumatized in the past and in need of therapy, while others have openly stated that they found them nearly impossible, or not at all possible to accept. Blade Trinity was apparently supposed to have a nude scene with Jessica Beal, but obviously, this didn’t happen since it probably didn’t make a lot of sense when thinking about the main story. The rape of Sansa Stark was a hard scene for the actors to get through, and rightly so since such an act is typically one inspired by a number of negative emotions that people don’t wish to think about on a regular basis. The point is that sex scenes are sometimes difficult for people, and too many of them can detract from a movie or a show. But rough and even violent sexual scenes can be a breaking point for a number of people.
As many might hopefully agree, there are a lot of talking points that would lead to discussions and arguments that might speak of empowerment, of female liberation, and of a dozen other things that would stem from a moment such as this. The point though is that Ruth spoke out about something that made her uncomfortable and did something about it, which is a positive move in the right direction when it comes to entertainment since there’s not always a need to show this type of violence when it comes to sexual relations. In fact, some might state that there’s never an absolute need to show it or to be so graphic with certain elements. Of course, plenty of people would argue since without showing everything that’s allowed it could be that there wouldn’t be as much of an emotional impact felt by the show and the scene in particular. That sounds a little problematic, doesn’t it? Do people want to see everything in order to have an emotional impact? There’s a way to do things that would deliver the same impact, but by using implied violence, meaning panning the camera away just as it’s about to happen, or showing the aftermath in some way, rather than go into the act itself. Many would still likely argue that the act is needed simply because to say otherwise is to shut down their artistic expression and deny a director their voice in some regard. It’s an argument I’d rather avoid at the moment, but it’s worth saying that artistic expression is great and it’s usually worthwhile, and there is such thing as a button that changes channels or turns off the show entirely. But it’s also worth stating that such scenes aren’t always necessary.
This argument could go on and on, but in the end, it’s the decision of the individual that matters when it comes to actually performing the act on camera, and whether or not they’re comfortable with it. Ruth wasn’t comfortable, and she made her voice heard, which is a positive note since despite her departure it was best that she speak up instead of going through the act and feeling uncomfortable in any way.
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