Rivals' Emily Atack opens up on 'liberating' full frontal scenes in daring Disney+ series

Emily Atack stars in the upcoming Disney Plus drama Rivals, which is an adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name, and has opened up about filming some racy scenes

Emily Atack has shared her experiences of shooting the new TV drama Rivals. The actress features in the eight-part Disney Plus series, sharing the screen with stars such as Alex Hassell and David Tennant.

The series, an adaptation of Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name, delves into the ruthless world of independent television during the late 1980s. Both the book and series focus on the rivalry between ex-Olympic rider and Conservative MP Rupert Campbell-Black (portrayed by Hassell) and TV station controller Lord Tony Baddingham (Tennant).

Atack, aged 34, steps into the shoes of Sarah Stratton, who leverages her status as the wife of the Prime Minister's deputy, played by Rufus Jones, to secure a role as a TV presenter. Sarah's first appearance on-screen sees her playing tennis in the nude with Rupert.

The actress discussed filming the provocative scene, which is included in the novel, confessing she was apprehensive when she initially read the script due to her lack of tennis skills. She stated that the nudity scenes were "integral" to the plotlines and were justified.

In a chat with Digital Spy, she expressed: "We keep saying that the nudity and the sex scenes are a huge part of this, but there's always a reason for them. We're not just getting our kit off for no reason. They're very integral to the storylines and characters", reports the Manchester Evening News.

Emily shared that upon meeting her co-star Alex, they instantly got on well, and she admitted to feeling "completely comfortable" with him. She had high praise for their fellow Rivals cast members and the intimacy coordinators, calling the work environment "liberating" and "safe".

As for the contours of filming intimate scenes, Atack divulged: "We all knew each other really well by then. I think anybody that had nudity scenes and sex scenes, we all just really supported each other, so we loved talking about it. It was liberating and it was very safe."

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The series Rivals will also feature Aidan Turner of Poldark and Being Human fame as Declan O'Hara, a Corinium TV presenter, and Danny Dyer from EastEnders as the charming self-made electronics millionaire Freddie Jones.

Alongside these stars are Jones from W1A, Luke Pasqualino from Our Girl, and Bella Maclean from Sex Education, among others.

Mark those calendars - Rivals is primed for its much-anticipated premiere on Friday, October 18, on Disney+, with a full eight-episode season available for binge-watching thrill on launch day.

Rivals will be released Friday, October 18 on Disney+.

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