Rivals series 2 keeps on coming every Friday, and the Disney+ show is not exactly shy which leaves us wondering if any of the cast used body doubles?
Series 1 already gave us full frontals from Rupert Campbell-Black actor Alex Hassell, and co-star Emily Atack. Now series 2 turns the heat up even more. For example, in episode 1 alone, viewers saw a naked Rupert and current squeeze Cameron getting frisky literally everywhere apart from a bed.
Meanwhile, this week’s episode 4 sees Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson bare all in a swimming pool as their characters Freddie and Lizzie give in to their passion.
If you’re a bit squeamish about a perky nippled or a peachy bum, then Rivals probably won’t be your cup of tea. But if you’re more than happy with a bit of choreographed on-screen steam, the drama certainly delivers. So did the cast really go nude, or were body doubles and prosthetics involved? The cast reveal all…
Did the cast of Rivals use body doubles?
The short answer is no, the cast of Rivals did NOT use body doubles while filming the Disney+ show. And it feels like Alex Hassell and Emily Atack may have helped set the tone for that during THAT infamous series 1 scene.
Fans will remember Rupert Campbell-Black making quite the entrance in episode 1 of series 1. Viewers saw Rupert and Emily Atack’s character Sarah playing naked pennis, sorry tennis, as they enjoyed a short-lived affair.
And both actors were more than willing to go commando. At the time, Emily insisted the sex scenes were “integral” to the storylines and there was a clear reason behind them.
During an interview with Digital Spy, she said: “We keep saying that the nudity and the sex scenes are a huge part of this. But there’s always a reason for them. We’re not just getting our kit off for no reason. They’re very integral to the storylines and characters.”
Emily revealed she felt “completely comfortable” with co-star Alex Hassell. She also praised the wider Rivals team and the intimacy coordinators, calling the experience “liberating” and “safe”.
Speaking about filming the naked scene, she said: “We all knew each other really well by then. I think anybody that had nudity scenes and sex scenes, we all just really supported each other, so we loved talking about it. It was liberating and it was very safe.”
Does Alex Hassell wear a prosthetic for Rupert Campbell-Black’s nude scenes?
Nope, Alex Hassell does not use a prosthetic during the various naked sex scenes. Although the production crew did originally offer to make him one.
The actor told The Times: “In the book, Rupert is said to have a [bleep] that could bat bread rolls across the room. And while I am okay, I wouldn’t suggest that I could bat bread rolls across a room. And so they made some [prosthetic penises]. They had to be held up against my face to see if the colouring was right. The first question I was asked on my first day of filming, sitting in the make-up chair for the first time, was what colour my penis was. That was so the production team could get on with making them. It set a precedent for the whole show as to how well we were going to get to know each other.”
However, the actor quickly decided to go all in. He added: “I decided very quickly to be very respectful of everyone’s boundaries and my own. But also be very blasé about the whole thing because if I was nervous about it, it would come off on screen.”
Speaking to Metro, Alex said: “It was discussed how comfortable I was, whether or not it would be me or prosthetics or digital. In the end, we just went for it. My hair is dyed, I’ve got a fake tan and my eyelashes are curled but apart from that it’s all me.”
So Alex Hassell’s portrayal is very much 100% bona fide, and (cough cough) models’ own.
Rivals body doubles: Danny Dyer’s ‘full frontal’ in Rivals series 2
Former EastEnders star Danny Dyer, who plays one of the more sympathetic characters Freddie Jones, has a “full frontal scene” in episode 4 (Friday, May 22). But his blushes are spared thanks to some very well-placed bubble bath!
Writer Dominic Treadwell-Collins told The Sun: “Let’s just say there’s a lot of strategically placed bubbles from a bubble bath! So it’s not full Danny!
“We’ve been really cautious about not being gratuitous. All the way through there’s a line with the show where you could be watching it and feel a bit uncomfortable. A bit like you are intruding.
“The whole point is you are with our characters. You are in the bedroom with them. We’re very careful in the edit, if suddenly the scene goes too far or gets too explicit, we pull back.”
Speaking to the Radio Times, Danny said: “I go full frontal in this series. It’s a night shoot, and it was cold, and I’d better not say any more. Nobody’s under pressure to be naked if they don’t want to. But, if a woman’s getting her breasts out, why shouldn’t I get it all out? I’ve got breasts as well, to be fair.”
Did they use an intimacy co-ordinator on set?
Yes, the cast of Rivals did use an intimacy co-ordinator on set, which is now standard practice and designed to protect everyone involved.
Talking about the more raunchy scenes, David Tenant told Metro: “These things are never comfortable. But that’s why the environment that’s created is really important. The arrival of the intimacy coordinator on sets has been hugely beneficial to everyone.”
He went on: “Recreating that kind of intimacy is not something you get excited about doing. But you want to make sure that in that environment everyone feels safe and looked after, and that it can be as comfortable as possible.”
Appearing on This Morning recently, Alex Hassell also revealed that only certain people are allowed to look at the monitor on set when an actor is nude.
Is there lots of nudity and sex in Rivals series 2?
Yes, suffice to say there is LOTS of nudity in Rivals series 2. We see Declan and wife Maud making love in the shower, Freddie and Lizzie getting jiggy in a swimming pool, and Gerald and Charles having sex on a sofa. Basically it is very rare to see anyone having sex in a bed.
But it is Rupert (obvs) and Cameron who easily rack up the most sex scenes, and in the most unusual places. They start off in the stables, with Cameron wearing riding boots as she straddles Rupert before whipping him. They then move on to a staircase, and later a living room where they even watch themselves in a mirror.
A less sex-filled moment revolves around Katherine Parkinson’s character Lizzie Vereker and her rather dull husband TV host James. This time the sex IS in a bed, and luckily for Lizzie quite quick! He sings “I am a mole and a live in a hole” throughout the awkward encounter.
Read more: Rivals: Is it based on a true story, and real person Rupert Campbell-Black is heavily inspired by