Rebecca Ferguson tends to gravitate to roles that are knotty and complex, that defy traditional genre boundaries. She has made a name as a heroine of action and science-fiction for her deft ability to tell multi-faceted stories, fully inhabiting a character and the world in which they exist.
As the star and executive producer of Apple TV+’s dystopian drama Silo, she leads the series with compelling commitment, both on and off screen – a feat that is facilitated by a supportive and positive working environment.
“Something that’s really important to me is a super safe environment,” she says, speaking to Harper’s Bazaar for ‘My Life in Roles’. “It doesn’t matter who anyone is, I wanted everyone to understand what they were doing and why they were doing it – to feel like they had a voice, to be able to talk about it – and that it was a creative process for everyone, whether you are a day player, or one of the main characters.”
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She continued, “There’s a lot of joy on our set, and I can see that people are happy. I want to believe that we managed to create that, and that is quite unusual.”
Ferguson knows all too well how jarring it can be when having to navigate a hostile set. On the Reign with Josh Smith podcast in 2024, she discussed an incident in which a co-star “screamed” at her. She demanded they leave, asking instead to perform to a tennis ball. There have been many theories about who this actor was – although she has confirmed it wasn’t Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds.
In fact, she has cited her Mission Impossible co-star Cruise as having a formative influence on her creative process. Speaking to Bazaar for her March cover interview, she said: “He comes with this… purpose. He’s a boy who just loves playing, and offers up a safe and professional set. That’s a really good balance [of qualities] to make you want to try new things.”
In the video, Ferguson reflects on her pragmatic and professional acting process – she immerses herself in a role while at work, but then leaves it behind when she goes home for the day. “I’m quite good at dipping in and out, I don’t dwell on things for too long, it’s just not who I am as a person,” she says. “When I leave, I might be drained if it’s been an emotionally hard day, but other than that I move on.”
After all, as she notes, she has other roles to prioritise when the cameras stop rolling. “I’m a mum when I come home, I’m a wife and a friend – all of those things.”
