Emily Atack has said she has been sexually assaulted on film and television sets throughout her acting career.
The actress, who found fame playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe the Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners, claims she has repeatedly been the target of sexual abuse in the workplace.
Now the 35-year-old, who shares son Barney with her nuclear scientist fiancé Alistair Garner, wants to explore the issue in a documentary.
In an interview with Radio Times, Atack said she was impressed by the use of “intimacy co-ordinators” on the set of the raunchy Disney+ show Rivals, which she said allows stars to feel more comfortable.
She said: “Intimacy co-ordinators are there for support if you feel uncomfortable, whether you're a man or a woman. I've seen people roll their eyes about them and say, ‘I don't need one’.
“There's a defensiveness about it. I've been sexually assaulted at work throughout my career, whether it's on the actual set, or at a wrap party.
“And since the #MeToo movement, it shows that people are listening and that there has to be a shift in behaviour on sets.”
Atack explained how filming Rivals, inspired by Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles, was a completely different experience, saying: “Throughout my life, I haven’t felt safe all the time, and we’re all so respectful of each other.
“We have to do a lot of sexual scenes and we’re very looked after. It’s a really positive thing.”
She added that she is in conversations to follow up the success of her BBC documentary about online sexual harassment Emily Atack: Asking For It? with a new project on the role of intimacy co-ordinators.
Atack will next be seen on the small screen in Channel 5's new thriller The Rumour, based on Lesley Kara's novel of the same name.
