Joshua Jackson May Not Return for 'The Affair' Season 5
Joshua Jackson, who plays Montauk native Cole Lockhart in Showtime’s The Affair, is considering bailing out from the fifth and final season of the hit show. This comes after the early departure of Ruth Wilson, as his ex-wife Alison Bailey, who was killed off near the conclusion of Season 4.
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Entertainment Weekly reported Tuesday that Jackson is “unlikely to be back on the show next season.” The site says a source close to the production revealed that the actor was only in contract for the first couple of seasons of The Affair, but signed back on each year because he liked Cole’s storyline. Perhaps, with the chances of a reunion with Alison—who Cole still loved, and was ready to tell her so before her death—Jackson sees nothing worthwhile awaiting his character, but that’s purely speculation.
Showtime has not commented on the news, but neither has Jackson. Season 5 of The Affair is still in development, so storylines may still be shifting as they decide where the show’s remaining three primary characters—Noah Solloway (Dominic West), his ex-wife Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole, should he remain—will end up in the series finale.
According to EW, Jackson is in discussions about this very thing, and working out whether he’ll wrap in the first episode or stay on for a bit longer.
Wilson, who confirms wanting to leave the show when she did, says she’s not allowed to talk about why. After Alison’s death, rumors swirled that the actress had issues with pay parity, but Wilson dispelled such talk in an interview with The New York Times, confirming that it had nothing to do with pay or other jobs.
Perhaps a personality clash with another actor? It seems clear that a nondisclosure agreement will leave us guessing for a long time to come. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
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