Emily Atack responds to 'sexually aggressive' reaction to Rivals nude scenes

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."