Emily Atack has spoken candidly about the darker side of her acting career, revealing that she has been sexually assaulted while working on television and film sets.
The actress, 35, who rose to fame as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners back in 2008, said such experiences have been “a reality” throughout her professional life, both during filming and at industry events like wrap parties. She now hopes to shine a light on the issue in a new documentary project.
Speaking to Radio Times, Atack praised the recent rise of intimacy coordinators in the industry, saying their presence represents an important cultural shift. These specialists, increasingly employed on productions with romantic or sexual content, are trained to ensure actors feel safe and supported during sensitive scenes.
“Intimacy co-ordinators are there for support if you feel uncomfortable, whether you’re a man or a woman,” she explained. “I’ve seen people roll their eyes and say, ‘I don’t need one.’ There’s a defensiveness about it. But I’ve been sexually assaulted at work throughout my career, whether it’s on the actual set, or at a wrap party. Since the #MeToo movement, it shows that people are listening and that there has to be a shift in behaviour on sets.”
Atack contrasted those past experiences with her latest role in Disney+ series Rivals, based on Jilly Cooper’s racy novels. The show, which features numerous intimate scenes, has given her a renewed sense of safety.
“I’m really proud of the Rivals gang because, throughout my life, I haven’t felt safe all the time, and we’re all so respectful of each other,” she said. “We have to do a lot of sexual scenes and we’re very looked after. It’s a really positive thing.”
Why intimacy co-ordinators are changing TVThe actress confirmed she is in early talks to follow up her 2023 BBC Two documentary Emily Atack: Asking For It with a new project exploring intimacy coordinators and their growing influence in the entertainment industry.
Her previous documentary tackled the alarming surge of online sexual harassment she received across Instagram and TikTok, where she was bombarded with sexually violent threats on a daily basis. Atack revealed that she began posting screenshots of the abuse during lockdown to raise awareness, shocked at how normalized such behaviour had become.
“The reason why I say this online abuse is as bad as in the street is because it stirs up the same feelings,” she explained at the time. “When someone sends me a message like that, I can delete it, but that message has already gone in.”
Alongside her advocacy work, Atack continues to balance a busy acting career. She is currently filming the second season of Rivals with Danny Dyer, with whom she is also set to co-host ITV’s new Saturday night game show Nobody’s Fool.
Dyer joked recently that the racy drama is so packed with bedroom scenes that “we’ve used every intimacy coach in the land,” according to Mail Online.
For Atack, however, the presence of those coaches represents something far more serious: a long-overdue cultural shift towards safety, respect, and accountability in the entertainment industry.