The Affair: Dominic West "Shocked" by Ruth Wilson Pay Gap

Dominic West has broken his silence about the pay gap between him and Ruth Wilson on Showtime's The Affair.

The actor has revealed that he was "shocked" to hear that Wilson was earning less than he was during her time on the premium cable drama.

"I never ask what the money is on a show. It was more a question of if I wanted to do it," he said to Radio Times, adding:

"So it woke me up to the issue. I never realised the disparity and the injustice."

Wilson exited the show during The Affair Season 4 with her character being seemingly killed by her boyfriend, Ben (Ramon Rodriguez) and thrown into the ocean.

While many initially thought pay parity could have been part of the reason for her Wilson's decision to exit the series, she later confirmed that her departure "isn’t about pay parity, and it wasn’t about other jobs,” while maintaining, “I’m not really allowed to talk about it.”

However, she did state that “there is a much bigger story” about why she left the Golden Globe-winning role of Alison Bailey behind. The way Wilson's exit has been handled has certainly raised a few questions, but fans are no closer to finding out the truth.

Showrunner, Sarah Treem offered up the following statement when approached by the New York Times.

We can’t speak for Ruth, but heading into Season 4, everyone agreed the character’s story had run its course.

Ultimately, it felt like the most powerful creative decision would be to end Alison’s arc at the moment when she had finally achieved self-empowerment.

The impact of her loss will be felt as the series concludes next season.

We thank the many fans who embraced the character of Alison and especially thank Ruth for her indelible work over the past four seasons.

The Affair has already been renewed for a fifth and final season, but there are some major changes on the horizon.

Joshua Jackson who played Alison's on-screen husband, Cole Lockhart, is also reportedly out, but he might make a guest appearance to wrap up his arc.

While there might be no Alison or Cole, their daughter Joanie will be front and center of The Affair Season 5.

As previously reported, Anna Paquin will play the adult Joanie who returns to Montauk with the aim of learning the truth about her mother's death, but global warming will also have had an effect on the one-time tourist hotspot.

The Affair Season 5 “will chronicle the aftermath of the [Season 4] finale’s horrific events and find the characters coming to terms with the consequences of their choices — as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures they must first face the past," reads the official logline.