Emily Atack has hit back at trolls after her nude scene in the TV series Rivals caused a stir online.
In the scene, Emily, 34, is artfully covered with just two tennis balls while a piece of fabric maintains her decency. Despite this, altered footage circulating online suggests she was entirely exposed.
This misrepresentation has provoked criticism, but bears no resemblance to the authentic production.
Sharing her thoughts with The Times, Emily 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.”
She further expressed her frustration over the idea that provocative roles should invite disrespect, stating: “I should be able to do a scene like this and not receive negative attention. 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?”
“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.” Emily recently took a break from acting to welcome her first child with beau Alistair Garner.
Unlike some celebs who race to regain their pre-pregnancy figures, Emily’s in no rush, reports the Mirror. She’s shunning extreme diets and gym binges, but she did admit to getting a bit more active before stripping off for a scene.
Chatting to the press, she confessed: “But I did go in the run-up to the tennis scene. Squats, exercising, trying to get my body ready. I hate dieting and love pasta and wine.” Emily shot to fame as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in the cult classic series The Inbetweeners from 2008 to 2010.
However, last month it emerged that Emily was left out of the loop regarding a potential film reunion, which remains unconfirmed. Her character was also MIA in the 2011 and 2014 follow-ups, which centred on the boys’ escapades.
Reunion whispers have been swirling, yet recently the main lads – Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, and Blake Harrison – had to tackle the speculation head-on. Yet, it appears Emily’s been out of the loop.
When Capital Breakfast’s Will Manning quizzed her about returning as Charlotte, she was clueless: “Oh I haven’t heard about this, I don’t know. We’d all be quite a lot older now.”
