Emily Atack shares behind-the-scenes secrets of her eye-popping naked scenes in Rivals as actress admits she ‘is completely like’ her character

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Emily Atack openly discussed her experience of baring all for the cameras during the filming of the popular, risqué series Rivals. She shared some backstage insights during a conversation held on Wednesday.

In her portrayal of Sarah Stratton in the Disney series, loosely adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s popular novel, the 35-year-old actress showed very few reservations about revealing aspects of the character.

Onlookers saw Emily playing an audacious round of tennis while she was entirely unclothed. Subsequently, she tried to preserve her privacy after being spotted in this state.

Although the astonishing scenes took viewers by surprise, Atack found it straightforward to embody the free-spirited character, proclaiming confidently, “She is me.

At the Edinburgh TV Festival this year, Emily openly admitted: “For my entire career, I’ve primarily been cast in roles portraying attractive women, and I’ve cherished each and every moment of it. I plan to continue embodying such characters for as long as they allow me.

She went on to say: “I didn’t hesitate to relate to her. I truly embody her. I’m far from perfect, a woman with many flaws. My choices in relationships have not always been wise.

‘I used all of that completely. It was completely genuine.

Ultimately, these women often labeled as villainous are not lauded for their actions, but rather, there is a growing effort to comprehend them more deeply.

Competitors may have noticed that she wed a fictional Member of Parliament named Paul Stratton in the storyline, but she becomes involved in an intense romantic relationship with the charming Rupert Campbell-Black, portrayed by Alex Hassell.

In the steamy scenes with Emily, Alex, aged 44, opted against using a prosthetic penis. This was because, in the words of author Jilly, at 88 years old, she had penned Rupert as exceptionally well-endowed, stating that ‘he could roll bread across the room with his size’.

Instead, Emily acknowledged that she accepted help from the wardrobe team when they offered assistance for the photo shoot.

She mentioned: ‘I wore a removable cupcake cover. I needed a hair piece, and that’s what they call it. I had numerous attachments for this hair piece. I wanted it to resemble the lush hair styles of the 80s.’

‘That kind of helped [doing the nude scene] because it felt like I had big furry knickers on.

Initially, the sight of me in the nude on set took me aback, but eventually, I found myself thinking, “Well, alright then.” Afterward, I couldn’t re-dress and ended up dashing around the tennis court. They asked me, “Emily, could you please put your clothes back on now?

Emily’s romantic history has been quite the thrilling ride, involving former partners such as musician Harry Styles, models Jude Taylor, and Jack Vacher.

Currently, she’s living happily with Dr. Alistair Garner, a nuclear scientist, and they recently became parents of a baby boy named Barney, who arrived in June of the previous year.

The filming for the second series of Rivals started in May, where the entire cast returned to portray their characters once more, joined by some fresh actors for a new set of episodes.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett have joined the cast for the upcoming series, as disclosed by streaming leader Disney.

In the upcoming production, they are set to portray three roles: Helen Gordon, who was once married to Rupert Campbell-Black; Malise Gordon, a show-jumping trainer; and, notably, Helen’s ex-wife.

Additionally, Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon will also be part of the group.

Meanwhile, it was disclosed by Danny Dyer that the second series features an unprecedented amount of romantic scenes, leading to a need for multiple intimacy coordinators across the UK to be hired.

As a devoted fan, I’d like to share that in this captivating series, I find myself immersed in the role of Danny, who portrays the character of self-made entrepreneur Freddie Jones. Interestingly, Aidan Turner, brilliantly brings Rupert and Declan O’Hara to life on screen.

Danny’s acting is being praised for adding emotional depth to the lighthearted and action-packed show, causing people to reconsider his talent as an actor since he was previously known from his extended role on EastEnders.

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2025-08-21 11:48