Oct 24
Was Alex Hassell's Full Frontal Scene Augmented? The Confident 'Rivals' Star Reveals All
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A naked tennis scene in the Hulu series "Rivals" had viewers wondering if what they saw onscreen was real, digital, or a prosthetic. Star Alex Hassell gave the story behind the sporty moment, saying, "I'm not without attributes."
"The actor, 44, confessed that he bared his actual penis during the infamous tennis scene with busty co-star Emily Atack, 34, after shunning the option of using a prosthetic or digital simulation," UK newspaper the Daily Mail relayed.
Hassell recounted that there was a behind-the-scnees discussion around "how comfortable I was" and "whether or not it would be me or prosthetics or digital."
"But in the end, we just went for it," he went on to say, according to the Mail.
"I don't mind seeing my bum and willy on screen," the Mail further quoted Hassell saying. "I wouldn't have done the job if I was particularly shy about my body."
Hassell plays the sexually adventurous Rupert Campbell-Black in the '80s-set series, which is set in the business world and centers on the competition between Hassell's character and Lord Tony Baddingham, played by "Doctor Who" and "The Crown" star David Tennant.
The Independent detailed that the series is based on the second book in Dame Jilly Cooper's "Rutshire Chronicles" novels, in which "Lord Baddingham is desperate to retain his TV franchise."
To that end he brings on board "Irish talk show star Declan O'Hara," played by Aidan Turner in the series, but "the two men begin to detest each other, leading to a storm of controversy."
"Enter bad boy Rupert Campbell-Black to stir up even more trouble."
How bad is Hassell's "bad boy?" Aside from serving more than tennis balls on the court, he flies high on a Concorde with an airborne conquest in his very first scenes in the series.
The dramatic sparks might be hot on screen, but in the process of production, Hassell revealed, "You pre-plan all this stuff and then on the day, you're just trying not to giggle too much."
The Mail noted that shedding his clothes for the small-screen camera is old hat to Hassell, detailing that he went "full frontal in Prime Video's 'The Boys,' in which he played perverted supero Translucent."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
