THE AFFAIR
SEASON ONE
10 Episodes
THE AFFAIR – SEASON ONE
Showtime’s upcoming one-hour drama series, THE AFFAIR, stars Golden Globe® nominees Dominic West (The Wire) and Ruth Wilson (Luther), as well as Emmy® nominee Maura Tierney (ER) and SAG Award® nominee Joshua Jackson (Fringe). THE AFFAIR explores the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital affair. The provocative drama will be told separately from the male and female perspectives – using the distinct memory biases to both misdirect and intrigue. Wilson plays Alison, a young woman waiting tables at a popular Hamptons diner, trying to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragedy. Her husband Cole (Jackson) struggles to keep it all together, with his wife and with the financially-strained ranch that has been in his family for generations. Their emotionally-charged marriage becomes even more complicated when Alison begins an affair with Noah (West), a New York City public school teacher and aspiring novelist who is spending the summer at his in-laws’ estate out on the island. Tierney plays Helen, Noah's college sweetheart, best friend, mother of his children, lover and wife of 17 years. Award-winning playwright and writer/producer Sarah Treem (House of Cards, In Treatment) wrote the original script from a story co-created with Hagai Levi. They first worked together on the American adaption of Levi's show In Treatment. Treem and Levi will both serve as executive producers, along with director Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights).
CAST
DOMINIC WEST
RUTH WILSON
MAURA TIERNEY
JOSHUA JACKSON
PRODUCTION
Executive Producers
SARAH TREEM
HAGAI LEVI
JEFFREY REINER
ERIC OVERMYER
BIOS
DOMINIC WEST
(Noah)
DOMINIC WEST stars as Noah in SHOWTIME’s upcoming drama series THE AFFAIR.
West has successfully combined a career in both the UK and the U.S., with leading roles in international film, American television and on the London stage. After graduating from Trinity College Dublin and then from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, West won the Ian Charleson award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Sir Peter Hall’s production of The Seagull.
A very successful film career soon followed with West winning leading roles in studio movies including 28 Days opposite Sandra Bullock; Mona Lisa’s Smile, with Julia Roberts; and The Forgotten, with Julianne Moore. He also starred as Theron in Warner Bros’ 300. Further credits include Chicago, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, True Blue, Hannibal Rising, Rock Star, The Phantom Menace, Surviving Picasso and Richard III.
In 2000, he won the role of McNulty in HBO’s The Wire, one of the most critically acclaimed television programs ever made in the U.S. The show ran for five seasons, with West directing an episode in the final season.
His theatre credits include Peter Gill’s production of Harley Granville Barker’s The Voysey Inheritance at the Royal National Theatre; David Lan’s West End production of As You Like It, in which he starred opposite Helen McCrory; and Trevor Nunn’s West End production of Tom Stoppard’s most recent play, Rock N’ Roll, which opened to huge plaudits at The Royal Court Theatre in summer 2006.
In 2008 he played Oliver Cromwell in Channel 4’s BAFTA-nominated television series The Devil’s Whore. He then went on to do Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s Life Is a Dream at the Donmar Warehouse in London, followed by Centurion directed by Neil Marshall and also starring Michael Fassbender.
Dominic starred in the 2011 film The Awakening, the box office hit Johnny English Reborn and ITV’s critically acclaimed mini-series Appropriate Adult for which he won a TV BAFTA in May of 2012 year as well as The Hour by Abi Morgan for which Dominic was nominated for a Golden Globe. On the stage in 2011 West captivated audiences as the title role in Butley at the Duchess Theatre as well as sharing the stage with his Wire co-star Clarke Petes in Othello at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
2012 saw Dominic reprise his role as Hector Madden in the second season of The Hour and he starred in the new Jez Butterworth play at The Royal Court, The River which opened in October 2012.
Last year Dominic returned to Sheffield to appear in My Fair Lady at The Crucible. He then went on to film as Richard Burton in a BBC4 drama, starring opposite Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Taylor. In the autumn he began filming Matthew Warchus’ Pride, alongside Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy. He finished the year by completing a trek across the South Pole for the charity Walking With the Wounded, competing against teams led by Prince Harry and Alexander Skarsgard. Already this year Dominic has filmed Testament of Youth alongside Alicia Vikander.
RUTH WILSON
(Alison)
Two-time Olivier Award-winning actress Ruth Wilson stars as Alison in SHOWTIME’s upcoming drama series THE AFFAIR.
In 2014, Wilson will star alongside Margot Robbie and Michelle Williams in Suite Francaise, a drama romance directed by Saul Dibb set during the early years of German occupation in France.
In 2013, Wilson starred in Disney’s Saving Mr. Banks, opposite Colin Farrell, Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. The film, directed by John Lee Hancock, won AFI’s 2014 “Movie of the Year” Award. Additionally, Wilson directed and starred in Eugene O’Neil’s, The EL. Train, a series of dramatic three short one-act plays (The Web, Before Breakfast and The Dreamy Kid) which ran in December of 2013. Also in 2013, Wilson appeared alongside Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in Disney’s Lone Ranger, directed by Gore Verbinski, and lent her voice for the indie thriller Locke.
Wilson is a mainstay on the British stage, where she has won two Olivier Awards for her performances in two Donmar Warehouse productions: Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Anna Christie, in which she starred opposite Jude Law. She debuted on the London stage in 2007 in the National Theatre presentation of Maxim Gorky’s Philistenes.
In 2012, Wilson starred in Joe Wright’s big screen adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina opposite Keira Knightley and Jude Law.
From 2007 – 2013, Wilson starred in various British Television films and miniseries including Miss Marple: Nemesis, BBC’s Capturing Mary, Small Island, The Prisoner and the Emmy®-nominated and Golden Globe®-winning crime drama, Luther. Both Luther and Small Island aired on PBS in the US.
In 2006, Wilson essayed the title role in her breakout performance in the BBC miniseries, Jane Eyre, collecting “Best Actress” nominations for the BAFTA Television Award, the Broadcasting Press Guild Award and the HFPA’s Golden Globe. Wilson debuted on UK television in 2006 in the situation comedy, Suburban Shootout.
Wilson studied history at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2003. While at Nottingham, she was also involved in student drama at New Theatre (Nottingham). She later graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2005.
Wilson currently resides in London, England.
MAURA TIERNEY
(Helen)
Maura Tierney stars as Helen in SHOWTIME’s upcoming drama series THE AFFAIR.
One of the brightest acting talents to emerge in recent years, Emmy nominated actress, Maura Tierney, is perhaps best known for her role on the top rated NBC series ER on which she starred for 8 seasons. More recently, Tierney was seen on the CBS Drama, The Good Wife, as well as the critically acclaimed Rescue Me as the newest love interest of Denis Leary’s character and reprised that role for the show’s last season. Tierney also starred opposite Rob Morrow on ABC’s The Whole Truth. This past spring she made her Broadway debut starring in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy, alongside Tom Hanks.
Tierney was recently seen on the big screen in the comedy Nature Calls alongside Johnny Knoxville, Patton Oswalt and Rob Riggle. Tierney has also starred in such films as the Universal film, Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, New Line Cinema’s comedy Semi-Pro opposite Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson, Magnolia Pictures’ Diggers, opposite Paul Rudd, and Ken Marino, Twentieth Century Fox’s comedy Welcome to Mooseport opposite Ray Romano and Gene Hackman, Instinct opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr.
She earned critical praise for her role in Primary Colors as well as for her work opposite Jim Carrey in the smash hit Liar Liar. Tierney also appeared in the Christopher Nolan directed film Insomnia opposite Al Pacino, Hilary Swank and Robin Williams. Additional film credits include, Primal Fear, and Scotland PA.
In 2006, she starred in the Off-Broadway production of Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s), at the Lucille Lortel Theater, joining the cast with Eric McCormack, Fran Drescher, Judy Reyes and Brooke Smith. Additionally, she starred in Nicky Silver’s Three Changes with Dylan McDermott; and, most recently, in The Wooster Group’s North Atlantic with Frances McDormand. She recently starred in Yasmina Reza’s award winning God of Carnage at the prestigious Gate Theater in Dublin.
Prior to joining the cast of ER, Tierney spent four years on the critically acclaimed NBC series NEWSRADIO.
Born and raised in Boston, she currently divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.
JOSHUA JACKSON
(Cole)
Joshua Jackson stars as Cole in SHOWTIME’s upcoming drama series THE AFFAIR.
Jackson recently starred on FOX’s hit show Fringe, created by J.J. Abrams. On the feature film side, Jackson recently started opposite Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, and Catherine Zeta Jones in Lay the Favorite for director Stephen Frears and in Inescapable opposite Marisa Tomei. In 2010, Jackson received the 2010 Genie Award for “Best Actor” for his starring role in the Canadian Independent feature film One Week.
Jackson was seen as part of the ensemble cast of the critically acclaimed film Bobby directed by Emilio Estevez and starred in the psychological thriller Shutter for 20th Century Fox/New Regency which was shot on location in Tokyo. Additionally, Jackson enjoyed a successful run on London’s West End starring in A Life In The Theatre alongside Patrick Stewart. The acclaimed comedy was written by the Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award winning, and Oscar nominated David Mamet.
Well known as Dawson’s Creek’s fast-talking, self-deprecating Pacey Witter, Jackson has been working in front of the camera for over twenty years. His feature film debut was in Michael Bortman’s Crooked Hearts, which he followed up with The Mighty Ducks trilogy, Digger, and Andre the Seal. Jackson starred in Universal Pictures’ The Skulls, and more recently in Rose Troche’s acclaimed drama The Safety of Objects, the HBO Films version of Moises Kaufman’s groundbreaking play The Laramie Project, and in Regent Films’ Aurora Borealis, as a troubled young man opposite Donald Sutherland. He had noted cameos in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, Scream 2, Urban Legend, and I Love Your Work. His additional feature film credits include Cursed, Gossip, Bryan Singer’s Apt Pupil, and Cruel Intentions.
A Vancouver native, Jackson divides his time between his hometown and Los Angeles.
SARAH TREEM
Creator/Executive Producer
Sarah Treem created SHOWTIME’s THE AFFAIR with Hagai Levi. She also serves as writer and executive producer. The series stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson.
She is currently writing Until I Say Goodbye for Universal with Bluegrass Films producing. This Spring, Sarah’s play When We Were Young and Unafraid recently opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club, starring Cherry Jones and directed by Pam MacKinnon. The play runs through mid-August.
Sarah wrote and co-Executive Produced for the first season of David Fincher's House of Cards for Netflix which earned her a WGA award. Prior to that, she wrote on all three seasons of the acclaimed series, In Treatment, for which she won a WGA award and was nominated for a Humanitas award. While under an overall deal at HBO, Sarah wrote and produced for How To Make It In America while also developing her own pilots.
Sarah started her career in the theater, earning her B.A. and M.F.A. from Yale University, where she has also taught playwriting. Her play A Feminine Ending premiered at Playwrights Horizons and went on to productions at South Coast Repertory and Portland Center Stage, among others. Her play The How and The Why premiered at the McCarter Theater starring Mercedes Ruehl (with Emily Mann directing) and went on to productions at Interact Theatre and Trinity Repertory among others. Sarah's other plays include Empty Sky (Bloomington Playwrights Project), Orphan Island (Sundance Theater Lab), Human Voices (New York Stage and Film) and Mirror Mirror. She has been commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, Southcoast Repertory and Manhattan Theater Club and developed work at the Ojai Playwrights Festival, the Screenwriters Colony, Hedgebrook and Yaddo.
Sarah lives in Topanga, CA with her husband Jay Carson and their son Henry.
JEFFREY REINER
Executive Producer
Jeffrey Reiner serves as Executive Producer and Director SHOWTIME’s THE AFFAIR.
Reiner has previously served as Executive Producer and Director of NBC's Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning drama series Friday Night Lights. Other Executive Producer/Director credits include NBC's psychological crime drama Awake, ensemble medical drama Trauma, and conspiracy thriller series The Event, the latter two of which he also directed the pilot episodes.
He has directed several other pilots ordered to series, the most recent being 12 Monkeys, an upcoming reboot of Terry Gilliam's film of the same name. Additional pilot credits include USA Network's The Huntress, Syfy's Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica, and Syfy's Helix.
