Emily Atack hits back at trolls after receiving ‘sexually aggressive’ attention for stripping off naked for her new Disney+ series Rivals

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

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

However, altered images are now circulating online, suggesting she was fully 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, saying it is her job and she is ‘playing a role’.

She told me The times: ‘I knew something like this would happen, just not so quickly. I’m working, I’m playing a role, that scene is an integral part of the book. I’m exactly where I need to be. I have no control over people’s sexually aggressive behavior, but I can continue my campaign and fight for women’s freedom.

“I should be able to do a scene like this without getting negative attention. These two should not go hand in hand. A woman recently said to me on Instagram, “Pick a job. You can’t play such a racy role and take off your clothes and expect not to get messages. Why would you take that role?”

“I wanted to say to her, ‘Are you actually telling me to quit my job?’ Why should I? Women have to change clothes; we have to change our routes home. I’m a professional. I will never please everyone.’

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

Opening up about her feelings about her body, the Inbetweeners star told how she is embracing her curves and feels no pressure to lose weight after welcoming baby Barney in June.

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

Emily explained that she is more than happy with her body Hello!: ‘People keep asking me if I go to the gym, but I don’t. I’m a mom, I have rolls and I’m healthy, I feel sexier than ever and I’m having a blast in a great series.

‘In my teenage years I only wanted to be a size 8 or 10. Our worth always depends on what size we are, and it shouldn’t be that way.”

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

She previously emphasized that she wasn’t worried about the prospect of explaining and explaining everything further The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X that she was more intimidated by the thought of 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’s no way you’re going to get me to play tennis!”

“That’s really what I was worried about. I thought, “No way!” But yes. So when I got past that bit and read the script, I thought, “Yes, this was made for me, this role.” Those roles are very rare, and it just appealed 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 real life. For example, if you’re doing a sex scene, there’s nothing sexy about it! It’s hilarious!

“You know, we can all laugh sometimes, but we’re all very professional. And nowadays you have intimacy coordinators, it’s a completely different thing.

‘You have people who put a bathrobe on you as soon as they shout ‘cut’, you know? And it really helps when you have someone like Alex Hassell, who is just the nicest gentleman in the world.

“And yes, as long as everyone is safe, professional and keeps going, then yes, I’ll just be there, do my job and have a good time!”

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

Emily spoke to Loose Women about her new raunchy role in the series, calling the show ‘brilliant’ for touching on sensitive topics.

She said: “I think the world needs this right now and it’s escapism. It touches on very sensitive topics and does so brilliantly.

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

“The perverts have ruined the fun, the Me Too movement has put all these amazing things in their place.”

She continued, “I’m 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 needed to be, we have intimacy coordinators, we’re all professionals.

‘I’m not going to change what I do, it’s my job, it’s the other people who have to watch what they do.’