Romola Garai is not shy about talking sex scenes. The British actress, best known for period dramas and critically acclaimed TV roles, is back with a bold new project that puts her firmly outside her comfort zone — and she seems to be loving every minute of it.
The new drama Adultery sees Garai playing a woman caught up in an extramarital affair, complete with steamy encounters, emotional fallout, and at least one very memorable scene filmed inside a hatchback parked in a layby. Yes, really.
Filming took place in the Peak District last winter, and conditions were far from glamorous. During one particularly memorable shoot, Garai and co-star Dominic Cooper were crammed into a blue Toyota Yaris for a sex scene while a full-on storm raged outside. The crew were being battered by gale-force winds, lights were getting knocked over, and general chaos was unfolding — but inside the car, the two actors were perfectly comfortable.
‘Me and Dominic got in this hatchback and asked how far the seats go back,’ Garai laughs. ‘Soon there was a gale blowing outside. They told us to stay in the car while everyone else was getting buffeted by high winds and trying to save all the equipment.’
So what did the two stars do while the crew fought the elements? Exactly what actors apparently always do in awkward waiting situations. ‘We just had a long, gossipy conversation about people in the industry,’ she says. ‘While everyone else was trying to save the show, we were sitting there going: well, I’ve heard he’s a total nightmare.’
It is that kind of relaxed, no-nonsense attitude that seems to define Garai’s approach to the whole project. Adultery is not a light watch. It digs into the messiness of long-term relationships, the slow drift that can happen in marriages, and the chaos that follows when someone steps outside those boundaries. Garai plays the role with the kind of raw honesty that makes for uncomfortable but compelling viewing.
The actress has spoken candidly about the themes the show explores, including faking intimacy, keeping secrets from a partner, and the emotional toll that deception takes on everyone involved. These are not easy subjects to dramatise, but Garai argues that is exactly why they need to be shown properly rather than glossed over.
She has also been refreshingly open about what she calls her ‘midlife sexpot era’, a phrase that has already raised eyebrows and sparked plenty of conversation online. For an actress who spent much of her earlier career in bonnets and corsets, taking on a role this explicitly sexual feels like a deliberate and confident step in a new direction.
Garai is in her early forties now and has spoken about how liberating it feels to take on work that reflects a more complex, adult version of femininity. There is a confidence to her choices at this stage of her career that was not always as visible earlier on.
Adultery is also generating buzz for its unflinching approach to depicting what an affair actually looks and feels like, rather than the romanticised version that tends to show up in more mainstream drama. The show does not let anyone off the hook, and Garai’s character is no exception. She is flawed, conflicted, and very human.
The production itself was clearly not without its challenges beyond the stormy layby incident. Filming in the Peak District in winter is no small undertaking, and the remote locations that give the show its atmospheric, slightly bleak visual style came at a practical cost for the cast and crew.
But Garai seems to have embraced all of it. The chaos, the cramped car, the gossiping between takes — it all adds up to a performance that feels lived-in and genuine rather than polished and distant.
Adultery is set to be one of the more talked-about British dramas of the year. With Garai on commanding form and a story that does not shy away from difficult emotional territory, it looks like a show that will get people talking well beyond the usual water-cooler crowd.