Rebecca Ferguson is defending her recent revelation about a negative experience on one set, even though it earned strong reactions from some of her former co-stars.
Recently, while doing press for Dune: Part Two, Ferguson opened up about an uncomfortable experience she had with an unnamed fellow actor. She accused the actor of screaming at and degrading her in front of the whole cast and crew. She said during a podcast interview, “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?’, and ‘What the f**** is this?” Unfortunately, due to the actor’s placement as #1 on the call sheet, she felt forced to work with them and recounted the difficulty of having no one stand up for her. However, she soon found the strength to stand up for herself and told the actor off.
Ferguson chose not to identify the actor in the incident, as the story’s focus was highlighting a significant moment in her career where she vouched for herself and stood up against mistreatment. Understandably, though, the internet was outraged on her behalf and sought to find out who the actor was. There was some harmless internet sleuthing going on, which was more about users showing their support for Ferguson than an actual witch hunt. Yet some of her past co-stars took the sleuthing quite seriously.
Rebecca Ferguson reveals her co-stars’ reactions to her statement
While appearing on The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM, Ferguson opened up about the reaction to her story. She hadn’t expected the story to blow up the way it did. While she acknowledged that she “kind of enjoyed the grab,” the internet sleuthing, and attention, she reiterated that the point of her interview was never about trying to find the “idiot” actor. She stated:
But the point of the interview wasn’t about finding the person — of course, people will be interested. But I was excited about the question, which was a very good question by [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.
However, she goes on to detail how others in the industry weren’t very supportive of her telling her story. Ferguson revealed that some of her former co-stars were scared they would be mistaken for the perpetrator in her story. Some even went as far as to call and ask her, “‘You understand what you’ve done, right?”
Ferguson had the perfect response, acknowledging that their feelings weren’t really her responsibility. She stated, “And I was like, ‘Oh my God. No, I didn’t think.’ 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.’”
Ferguson makes an excellent point, reiterating that she’s going to tell her story regardless of her former co-stars’ reactions. After all, if they are truly good people who didn’t do what she accused the mystery actor of, what do they have to be afraid of? It’s very refreshing to see her defending her right to tell her story, as it is all too common for people to make a woman’s story all about themselves or a man. Women are often pushed to apologize or struck with silencing attempts and misogynistic rants for speaking their truth. They are constantly expected to modify or toss out their stories just because someone’s feelings might be hurt or it might not paint them in the most positive light.
However, as Ferguson pointed out, there’s really no need to coddle or care about those upset by hearing the truth. Her story is her story, and it’s solely about her and a defining moment in her life. If her co-stars were scared by it or wanted to somehow make it about themselves, then that’s their problem and not Ferguson’s responsibility.
(featured image: Dave Benett / Getty)
