Actor Rebecca Ferguson said she unexpectedly received tons of support from industry peers after her recollection of being screamed at by a "toxic" actor during production on a movie went viral.
Back in February on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, Ferguson talked about an actor she didn't mention by name who was extremely unprofessional and tore into her during filming.
The confrontation resulted in her standing up for herself for the first time and telling them off.
The Dune star's traumatic revelation sparked an online sleuthing campaign to identify the unnamed costar, which Ferguson said she wasn't expecting.
On Sunday, she explained on SiriusXM's Jess Cagle Show how her Hollywood peers grilled her about sparking an online frenzy theorizing who this angry actor was.
“I’ve got phone calls from amazing costars who I’ve worked with going, ‘You understand what you’ve done, right?’"
"And I was like, ‘Oh my God. No, I didn’t think.’"
Social media users shared speculations on who the aggressor was in Ferguson's story, none of which were confirmed.
The following are examples indicative of the drama she was accused of causing.
However, one of the "amazing costars" who came to her defense following the viral story was Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, with whom she worked together in 2014's Hercules.
Johnson was previously on fans' hit list but was exonerated after he took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
“Hate seeing this but love seeing her stand up to bullsh*t."
“Rebecca was my guardian angel sent from heaven on our set. I love that woman. I’d like to find out who did this.”
Ferguson, who is famous for playing MI6 agent Ilsa Faust in three Mission: Impossible films—Rogue Nation (2015), Fallout (2018), and Dead Reckoning Part One—previously confirmed the unprofessional actor was neither Hugh Jackman—her 2021 Reminiscence costar—nor her Mission: Impossible costar, Tom Cruise.
Some fans thought the scrutiny she faced was unnecessary.
Ferguson continued in her Jess Cagle Show interview:
“I mean, it’s not my responsibility, to be honest. I don’t really care."
"You know, ‘You’re great, but my story is my story, and if you’re a good person, then don’t worry about it."
You can watch a clip of the interview, here.
Rebecca Ferguson Responds to Co-Star Who Screamed at Her: "That Went Viral Didn't It?youtu.be
Ferguson admitted:
“Number one, yes, I kind of enjoyed the grab."
But added that having the online community find out who the tormentor was wasn't her intention.
The 40-year-old Swedish actor explained:
“But what I realized even at the age that I am now is it doesn’t matter. I am me."
"I definitely think I’m much more open. I also know where my boundaries are."
She continued:
“But what I was excited about the question, which was a very good question by [podcaster Josh Smith]."
"Because the point was: Is there a point in your career where you were treated in a way where you changed your decision on—this is how I formulated it in myself—where you want change, or you will not accept it?"
"And it was such a clear moment for me working with this person.”
In the interview with Smith, she recounted the drama, saying:
“I did a film with an absolute idiot of a co-star and this human being was being so insecure and angry because this person couldn’t get the scenes out."
“And I think I was so vulnerable and uncomfortable that I got screamed at and I would cry walking off set.”
She said of the hostile costar:
“This person would literally look at me in front of the whole crew and say, ‘You call yourself an actor? This is what I have to work with?’ I stood there just breaking."
“Because this person was number one on the call sheet, there was no safety net for me. No one had my back.”
You can listen to her opening up about the tense situation, here.
Dune 2's Rebecca Ferguson reveals former 'idiot of a co-star' 'screamed' at her & left her 'crying'youtu.be
The horrific experience led to her defending herself for the first time as a professional actor.
The next day, Ferguson said she arrived on set and told this person:
“You get off my set. You can F off. I’m gonna work towards a tennis ball. I never want to see you again.”
Producers later approached Ferguson and reprimanded her about how she spoke to "number one" and informed her they needed this person on set.
Her response was:
"And I said, ‘The person can turn around and I can act to the back of the head.’ And I did."
"I was so scared. I feel it now when I’m saying it.”
She ultimately got real about the distressing situation with her director, who told her:
“You’re right. I am not taking care of everyone else. I’m trying to fluff this person because it’s so unstable.”
“It was great from that moment, but it took so long for me to get to that," she said.
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