Aml Ameen

34 votes, 18 comments. I heard that him leaving after the first season ruined the whole schedule, caused the 2nd season to be delayed and increased… More on reddit.com

No one knows for sure. A lot of people speculated that it was a "trans issue" but Jamie Clayton nipped that rumor in the bud pretty quickly and I think it's pretty unlikely because he knew Lana was trans going in. I think the official reason was creative differences and after watching Season 2 I think it might've been because of some of the sex scenes but there's probably a non disclosure agreement so I doubt we'll ever find out. More on reddit.com

No, there's no further information than "creative differences." There were rumors that Aml Ameen was transphobic but those were shot down by Jamie Clayton pretty quick. Another rumor was that he didn't want to perform the level of nudity and sex scenes in Season 2. The only proof for that, though, was Clayton's words saying 'Ameen had "limitations" on the type of material he was willing to perform.' Given he'd even shot a couple of episodes already, before being recast, and has been silent ever since, then "creative differences" with Lana Wachowski is the best we'll probably ever know. More on reddit.com

There's nothing to really indicate that Aml Ameen left the show because of transphobia. That's just something that was speculated on and became the popular theory for his departure. Clayton replied to a tweet saying transphobia was not the reason for his leaving the show. Surely, Ameen knew when he signed on to the project that one of the creators was transgender (Lily hadn't come out yet) and that one of his major co-stars was transgender. Not to mention the primary themes of the show is celebrating diversity and liberal values. The creators have also been saying since the days of Season 1 that the sensates are pansexual etc. And if Ameen was uncomfortable with gay kissing, he didn't necessarily need to do so. We don't see Tuppence Middleton or Tina Desai kissing any women in the orgy scene nor do we see Desai in the nude. If the actors are uncomfortable with certain aspects of a sex scene, I'm sure they will be shot in ways in which they are comfortable. Jamie Clayton and Aml Ameen also did a number of interviews together in Season 1 and seemed to get on extremely well. There's one where the cast are doing a live chat and Clayton is in hysterics at jokes Ameen tells. It seems like Ameen is a difficult, unprofessional and stubborn actor. He didn't finish out his regular role on the show Harry's Law either. He probably returned for Season 2, had some creative disagreements with Lana and then started acting unprofessionally as many difficult actors do. He probably ended up bringing a great deal of hostility to set which upset the cast (who seem pretty tight) and that's why they're relieved he left or was fired from the show in the end. As for Capheus' and Kala's participation in the orgy, it does make sense. These characters have been living with one another for months and are experiencing sensations, thoughts and emotions they've never felt before. They're also now incredibly comfortable with one another. When they get together in the orgy, I do think they're physically engaging in sexual foreplay with one another but really they're not physically doing so at all. They're minds have gone to the cluster and within that "mind realm", they're physically engaging with one another and feeling the pleasure that the actual people having sex are feeling but they're bodies haven't physically transferred to different parts of the globe. It's like they're astral projecting around each other. This allows Capheus and Kala to dip their toe in the water so to speak and find a safe place to experiment without physically cheating on their partner (Kala) or physically having gay sex (assuming that Capheus is straight). Plus the orgy is all just kissing and nuzzling and rubbing skin. Riley/Will, Nomi/Amanita and Lito/Hernando are the only ones actually going all in. More on reddit.com