Emily Atack says ‘getting her kit off’ does not undermine her campaigning to end violence against women
Emily Atack’s choice to play the seductive Sarah Stratton in the new drama Rivals is subject to criticism, but she claims the performance was “perfect.”
The actress, who found fame as Charlotte in The Inbetweeners, campaigns to stop violence against women. And she claims that even playing a sex-using savant doesn’t in any way detract from her message. “I know lots of people will say, ‘ Hang on a minute. She talks about violence against women the minute she gets her kit off in a show the next minute. That doesn’t correlate, ‘ but what I’m trying to show is that it should not matter at all.
The Inbetweeners auditioned for Charlotte, and I immediately had the same feeling as when I read it: “Oh my god, this is perfect for me. ” There are situations in life where you feel like you’re meant for completely.
She says the joy of the character is that Sarah should be hateful, but she isn’t”. Sarah’s extremely promiscuous, but she’s also funny. There’s a comedy edge there. When women haven’t always been written well, especially women like this, “it was such an honor to be able to play a role like that,” she says. You could easily just make this woman completely stereotypical and unlikeable, and instead, she was instantly likeable. I immediately fell in love with her after reading the scene. It’s in my bones to play roles like that. “
When the series based on Jilly Cooper’s 1980s bonkbuster Rivals launches later this month, viewers will be Emily’s character bedding leading man Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). In the nude, the pair also engage in a tennis match. She claimed she loved it, not that she was anxious about filming that particular scene. The tennis scene was probably one of my favourites. It was a beautiful sunny day and I’d been exercising, I’d been – I wouldn’t say dieting, I love wine and pasta too much – but I’d been doing my sit-ups and my squats, and I was ready to do this naked scene. “
She claimed that the entire cast benefited from each other because almost all of them participated in romantic comedies involving intimacy coordinators. It really interested me to see what nudity does to human beings – we were all like giggling teenagers, hugging each other, high-fiving each other, going, ‘ Oh my God! Yes! You did it! ‘ “
In the 80s man’s world, her character Sarah is ambitious. She is adamant about improving the situation that life has given her and ascending to the top in every way possible, starting with becoming Paul’s glitzy, much younger, second wife. Sarah uses her feminine fervor to take advantage of every opportunity, quickly disillusioned by the age gap and her bleak domestic life.
Emily claims that Sarah’s feelings are related to her. You feel forced to use your sexuality to achieve your goals, which is also a very personal gut feeling in your stomach from the years I’ve struggled in this industry. If you’re taught from a young age that’s what you have to do, then that’s what you do. “
Rivals episodes all start streaming on Disney+ on October 18.
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