Emily Atack hits again at trolls after receiving ‘sexually aggressive’ consideration for stripping off bare for her new Disney+ sequence Rivals

Emily Atack has hit back at trolls after she stripped off for nude scenes for her new Disney+ TV series Rivals. 

The actress, 34, appears fully naked and tactically used just two tennis balls and a piece of fabric to keep her modest as she played tennis with Alex Hassell’s character Rupert Campbell Black, who is also starkers.

However their is now altered footage circulating online suggesting she was entirely exposed.

This misrepresentation has provoked criticism, but bears no resemblance to the authentic production.

Emily has now shared her frustration after receiving negative comments about the nude scene and said it is her job and she is ‘playing a part’. 

She told The Times: ‘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.

‘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.’ 

It comes after Emily revealed she feels ‘sexier than ever’ after her ‘liberating’ naked tennis scene and lingerie-clad romps in Rivals. 

As she opened up about her feelings towards her body, the Inbetweeners star told of how she’s embracing her curves and feels no pressure to lose weight after welcoming baby Barney in June.

In her new role, Emily, who plays the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister, Sarah Stratton also strips down to black lingerie for a romp all within the first 25 minutes of the first episode. 

Explaining that she’s more than happy with her body, Emily told Hello!: ‘People keep asking me if I’m going to the gym but I’m not. I’m a mum, I’ve got rolly bits and I’m healthy, feeling sexier than ever and playing a bombshell in an amazing series.

‘In my teens all I wanted to be was a size eight or 10. Our value always depends on what size we are and it shouldn’t be that way.’ 

Speaking of the iconic scene, Emily reflected: ‘Of course it was nerve-racking but by the end, but by the end of the day I felt very liberated. It’s such a famous scene in the book and I wanted to get it right.’

She previously stressed that she was unbothered by the prospect of baring all, explaining on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X that she was more intimidated by the thought of playing tennis.

‘It was so funny, because when they sent me the script, they said, “You know, you’re going to have to play tennis naked.” That was one of the things they said. And I said, “Disney, there is no way on Earth you’re going to get me to play tennis!”

‘That’s genuinely what I was worried about. I was like, “No way!” But yeah. So, once I got past all that bit, read the script, I was like, “Yeah, this is made for me, this role.” Those roles come along very rarely, and it just spoke to me.’

Reflecting on the sex scenes, she added: ‘When you’re there and you’re doing it, it’s really not what it seems in in real life. Like, when you’re doing a sex scene, for example, there’s nothing sexy about it! It’s hilarious! 

‘You know, we all get the giggles, but we’re all very professional. And in this day and age, you have intimacy coordinators, it’s a very different thing.

‘You have people putting a robe on you as soon as they yell cut, you know? And also, it really helps when you have someone like Alex Hassell, who’s just the loveliest gentleman in the world. 

‘And yeah, as long as everybody is safe and being professional, and getting on with it, yeah, I’m just there, doing my job, having a lovely time!’

It comes after the actress stressed that stripping off for sexy scenes in her career does not undermine her campaigning to end violence against women.

Speaking on Loose Women about her new raunchy role in the series, Emily credited the show for touching on sensitive subjects ‘brilliantly’.

She said: ‘I think the world needs this at the moment and it is escapism. It touches on really sensitive subjects and it does it brilliantly.

‘It’s very unusual, a different dynamic to navigate but it shows to me that finally people are understanding that these things need to be in place.

‘The perverts have killed the fun, the Me Too movement has put all these amazing things into place.’

She continued: ‘I am actually fine with it [stripping] you know. People think you can’t do both. [campaign for women against sexual harassments while going nude on TV].

‘I’m exactly where I was meant to be, we have intimacy coordinators, we are all being professionals.

‘I am not going to change what I am doing, it’s my work, it’s the other people that have to watch what they are doing.’