What did Ruth Wilson say about The Affair? Dominic West supports former co-star's criticism of the hit Showtime drama

In an interview with The Times of London, published on April 21, 2024, Dominic West supported his former co-star Ruth Wilson’s criticisms of The Affair. He said that she was right about her past comments on filming the Showtime series, which ended after five seasons in 2019.

Ruth Wilson, who quit the hit Showtime series in its fourth season, told The New York Times in 2018, that she was not allowed to talk about her exit and asked the reporter to reach out to the showrunner, Sarah Treem, adding—

“There is a much bigger story.”

In a 2020 interview with Stylist, Wilson broke her silence over her exit. Wilson had maintained her silence about her abrupt departure from the show, told Stylist she left the series because there were things she “didn’t feel safe about.” She said—

“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.”

She concluded by saying—

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

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Dominic West stands by The Affair co-star Ruth Wilson's comments about filming the series

The Affair explored the emotional/psychological effects of infidelity between two married couples. The show, which starred Ruth Wilson, Dominic West, Joshua Jackson, and Maura Tierney, premiered in 2015 and ended after five seasons in 2019.

Four years after Ruth Wilson came forward to talk about her negative experience on the show, Dominic West offered his support in a recent interview with The Times of London. He stated—

“We talked a lot about it and I suppose I did experience it. I don’t really like talking about it but … yeah, everything Ruth has said is absolutely right.”

While both actors did not elaborate on their uncomfortable experience, a report from The Hollywood Reporter in December 2019 indicated Wilson was reluctant about frequently filming certain explicit scenes on the show when they were unnecessary.

A source told the outlet that showrunner Sarah Trem allegedly created a “toxic work environment” where she frequently put actors into uncomfortable situations. The source said from the onset there was a "culture problem" and a "tone-deafness" from Sarah Treem who allegedly put actors in uneasy situations. The source claimed they repeatedly witnessed Sarah Treem try to coax actors to get naked even when they were uncomfortable.

Treem spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in December 2019. She denied pressuring actors, adding she did everything she could to make Wilson comfortable with the scenes. Treem, who described herself as a feminist, added—

“The reason I even created The Affair was to illuminate how the female experience of moving through the world is so different from the male one, it’s like speaking a second language. The idea that I would ever cultivate an unsafe environment or harass a woman on one of my shows is utterly ridiculous and lacks a grounding in reality.”

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Dominic West, who got his big TV break playing policeman McNulty in The Wire, filmed five seasons of the hit drama on Showtime. However, Wilson’s character was written off in season 4. West recently starred as Prince Charles in the final two series of The Crown.