Rivals Star Bella Maclean Added No Nudity Clause to Her Contract

Bella Maclean Opts Out of Nudity for Disney+ Drama Rivals

Actress Bella Maclean chose to include a no nudity clause in her contract for the Disney+ drama Rivals. Press Association reported that the 28-year-old actress plays Taggie O’Hara in the series, which adapts the Rutshire Chronicles novel series by Jilly Cooper. The show centers on the independent television landscape of 1986 and charts a fierce rivalry between Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant, and former MP Rupert Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Maclean explained the reasoning behind her contract stipulation regarding her character’s purity and her own personal boundaries. “It was important because of how pure Taggie’s character was,” she said. “I didn’t want to sexually exploit her, and I didn’t want to do that to myself either. That was really important to me, and I think it will stay important to me. There are some things I just want to keep to myself.”

While establishing her own boundaries, Maclean emphasized that she holds no judgment toward other performers who choose to appear unclothed on screen. “I don’t judge anyone who does it. Sometimes it’s so beautiful. If I had Victoria Smurfit’s body, I’d probably be walking around naked,” she added. The actress also noted that the production utilized intimacy coordinators and maintained an environment where cast members could communicate comfortably with directors. “In that sense, we’re all lucky because there are amazing intimacy coordinators on our job. I know that’s not the case for other people. We’re all good friends who can just say no to the directors and they’ll listen,” Maclean stated.

Jilly Cooper’s Spirit Guides the Return of Rivals

The upcoming episodes arrive following the death of author Jilly Cooper, who passed away in October of last year at the age of 88. Maclean noted that the second half of the new season carries Cooper’s distinct creative energy as the streaming platform prepares to release the next installment on 11 November. “Jilly is the heart of everything we do, and I feel her naughtiness a lot in the second half of the new season,” Maclean said. “This series is so juicy, it gets so intense. That’s all Jillyness. She pushed things.”

Alongside her role in Rivals, Maclean’s television credits include appearances in the fourth season of Netflix’s Sex Education and the BBC crime drama Silent Witness.