The Affair boss responds to allegations of a "toxic" set, says she tried to "protect" Ruth Wilson

Deadline

"On a continuous basis throughout Ruth’s time on the show, I tried to protect her and shoot sex scenes safely and respectfully," The Affair co-creator and showrunner Sarah Treem writes in a lengthy Deadline essay responding to The Hollywood Reporter's bombshell report alleging that Wilson left the show over an alleged toxic and hostile work environment and pressure to do nude scenes. Treem writes that she worked through her own trauma in writing Wilson's Alison Lockhart, a character that was "forged in grief and pain." Treem insists she tried to appease Wilson's concerns after they reached a "complicated impasse where I didn’t know how to write the character any differently and she didn’t feel she could play what I was writing." Treem adds: "We didn’t agree on the choices of the character or whether or not a sex scene was necessary to advance the plot, but that is not the same thing as not respecting or supporting an actress’s need to feel safe in her work environment, which is something I always take incredibly seriously." Treem also writes that Showtime wasn't much help after the alleged incident where The Affair executive producer and director Jeffrey Reiner tried to convince Lena Dunham to talk to Wilson about nude scenes while showing her a photo of Maura Tierney next to a nude male body double. Treem writes that she "repeatedly urged Showtime to do something. I wanted to shut down production, do sensitivity training, address the cast and crew and apologize for what had occurred. But instead, I was told to stick to certain talking points and let the network handle the response. By the time the third season was over, Showtime executives told me to write Ruth out of the show." Treem concludes her essay by writing: "I have given my entire professional life to confronting the patriarchy and celebrating women’s narratives through my writing. Yes, I know women can be chauvinists and there is misogyny among women, but that is simply not what happened here. When I asked for more help at the end of the first season because I was having difficulty being all things to all people and maintaining a creative vision, I was told I simply needed to be 'more maternal.' As in many things, it is very tough to be a woman and do this job. I did not always agree with Ruth Wilson, but I did always have respect for her craft, her ability and her process and I tried to write her a character deserving of her immense talent. I know she’ll continue to tell the story of complex, multi-faceted, remarkable female characters for the rest of her long career. I plan on doing the same."