What on earth is going on at The Affair? First, Ruth Wilsons character, Alison, was suddenly killed—shortly before the actress began dropping cryptic hints that there was a very specific, secret reason for her departure. Now another actor is reportedly on his way out: Joshua Jackson. For those keeping count at home, thats two of the shows longtime P.O.V. characters, gone. And as the series enters its final season without two stars, it appears there are more questions than answers.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Jackson will likely not return as Alisons ex-husband Cole Lockhart in the dramas fifth and final season. A source close to production told E.W. that following Alisons death, the series is still trying to figure out where Coles story should go next, as well as how to wrap it up as the series approaches its finale. Jackson was initially contracted only for a couple of seasons of the show to begin with E.W. adds, after which point he continued to sign on for seasons one by one. And while Jackson will not return on a regular basis, TV Line adds that the actor could return as a guest star in one or two episodes of Season 5—which would presumably help wrap up his story line. A representative for Showtime did not immediately return V.F.s request for comment.
Alisons sudden death on the show shocked viewers, and in a postmortem interview show-runner Sarah Treem said that Ruth Wilsons desire to leave the show was direct cause of that death. Things got murkier, however, when Wilson told CBS This Morning, “I did want to leave, but Im not allowed to talk about why.” When asked about rumors that her exit had to do with money, Wilson maintained that she never complained to Showtime about pay parity with her co-star Dominic West, whom shed previously assumed, with some frustration, out-earned her for his work on the show.
In a later interview, the plot thickened even more as Wilson shot down the two most popular theories about her exit, reiterating that she had not departed over pay parity, and also that she did not leave for the sake of another job. “Im not really allowed to talk about it,” Wilson said—adding, after a long pause, “There is a much bigger story.”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
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