Ruth Wilson is staying mum about her reasons for leaving The Affair, but Showtime has its own explanation for her departure.
To recap: After Wilson’s character, Alison, was killed off the drama in its Aug. 5 episode, series creator Sarah Treem said that Wilson had requested to be written off the show. But during an interview on Thursday’s CBS This Morning broadcast, Wilson bluntly told co-anchor Gayle King that she is “not allowed to talk about why” she chose to leave the series.
There has been speculation that salary may have been a contributing factor, after Wilson revealed in February that she made less money than male co-star Dominic West, but the actress told King that she “never complained to Showtime about pay parity.”
In a statement provided to our sister site Deadline, Showtime responded to Wilson’s interview, maintaining that Alison’s death “felt like the most powerful creative decision” and that “everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course.” Read the full statement below:
We can’t speak for Ruth, but heading into Season 4, everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course. Ultimately, it felt like the most powerful creative decision would be to end Alison’s arc at the moment when she had finally achieved self-empowerment. The impact of her loss will be felt as the series concludes next season. We thank the many fans who embraced the character of Alison and especially thank Ruth for her indelible work over the past four seasons.
Though viewers were initially led to believe that Alison had committed suicide, it was revealed in the Aug. 12 installment that she had been killed by PTSD-addled love interest Ben (played by Ramon Rodriguez).
The Affair‘s Season 4 finale airs this Sunday at 9/8c on Showtime. What do you make of the network’s statement?
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