Current:Home > Back'Bridgerton' actor had 'psychotic breaks' while on show, says Netflix offered 'no support'-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
'Bridgerton' actor had 'psychotic breaks' while on show, says Netflix offered 'no support'
View Date:2024-12-24 00:12:03
"Bridgerton" star Ruby Barker has come out against Netflix and Shondaland, the Shonda Rhimes-led production company behind the show, for lack of support after she says she suffered two "psychotic breaks."
The British actress spoke about her experience during an interview on Oxford University's "LOAF Podcast" published Saturday, sharing that her mental health worsened after Season 1 of "Bridgerton" wrapped in 2019 and in 2022, telling the podcast's hosts she received "no support" from Netflix or Shondaland during that time.
"Not a single person from Netflix, not a single person from Shondaland since I have had two psychotic breaks from that show have even contacted me or even emailed me to ask if I'm OK, or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support," Barker, 26, said. "Nobody."
In the fictional royal drama series, Barker played Marina, a woman rejected by society because of her pregnancy out of wedlock.
Barker said she was distressed by her sudden rise to fame from being on the hit show, which made promotional commitments difficult.
"It's almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun," she said.
Fact check:The real history behind 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story'
She said she found playing her role challenging due to the isolation the Marina character endured.
"During filming, I was deteriorating," Barker said on the podcast. "It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances."
Barker's character, a small-town girl introduced into high society, is shamed by her cousins for her pregnancy from a secret love affair. Marina faces her secret getting out, enduring pregnancy and a failed abortion and being forced to marry her deceased lover's brother.
"When I went into hospital a week after shooting 'Bridgerton' Season 1, it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out," Barker said of her first psychotic break.
"In the run-up to the show coming out, I was just coming out from hospital, my Instagram following was going up, I had all these engagements to do," she continued. "My life was changing drastically overnight, and yet there was still no support and there still hasn't been any support all that time. So it was trying really, really hard to act like it was OK and that I could work and that it wasn't a problem."
USA TODAY has reached out to Netflix and Shondaland for comment.
"Bridgerton" Season 3 is currently in production. The show's spinoff, "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," premiered on May 4.
Barker also starred in the British television fantasy drama "Wolfblood," the British political drama "Cobra" and the upcoming independent film "How To Stop A Recurring Dream."
veryGood! (17)
Related
- Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
- Child killed, 5 others wounded in Cincinnati shooting
- Gov. Youngkin aims for a GOP sweep in Virginia’s legislative elections. Democrats have other ideas
- Tyson recalls 30,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after consumers report finding metal pieces
- Massive dust storm reduces visibility, causes vehicle pileup on central California highway
- Sweltering summer heat took toll on many U.S. farms
- See Corey Gamble's Birthday Message to Beautiful Queen Kris Jenner
- A Philippine radio anchor is fatally shot while on Facebook livestream watched by followers
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Blinken wraps up frantic Mideast tour with tepid, if any, support for pauses in Gaza fighting
Ranking
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Barbra Streisand talks with CBS News Sunday Morning about her life, loves, and memoir
- Kyle Richards Breaks Down in Tears While Addressing Mauricio Umansky Breakup
- Gov. Youngkin aims for a GOP sweep in Virginia’s legislative elections. Democrats have other ideas
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- Man arrested in slaying of woman found decapitated in Northern California home, police say
- Burrow passes for 348 yards and 2 TDs and Bengals’ defense clamps down on Bills in 24-18 win
- Too Dark & Cold to Exercise Outside? Try These Indoor Workout Finds
Recommendation
-
Worker trapped under rubble after construction accident in Kentucky
-
Biden weighs in on Virginia midterm elections in last-minute push before Election Day
-
Sweltering summer heat took toll on many U.S. farms
-
32 things we learned in NFL Week 9: Not your average QB matchups
-
Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
-
Too Dark & Cold to Exercise Outside? Try These Indoor Workout Finds
-
Why native Hawaiians are being pushed out of paradise in their homeland
-
Megan Fox Addresses Complicated Relationships Ahead of Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems Release