Bridgerton star Ruby Barker has called out Netflix for allegedly failing to support her after she experienced “psychotic breaks” when her mental health deteriorated on set.
Barker, 26, appeared in the hit show’s first two seasons as Marina Thompson, a character involved in a pregnancy scandal.
Just one week into filming the first season, Barker’s mental health began to suffer, which she previously attributed to “intergenerational trauma bundled up inside”.
But she has now claimed that her struggles were exacerbated by the storyline of her Bridgerton character and that, while she was hospitalised, nobody from Netflix or the show’s production company Shondaland contacted her to see if she was OK.
Barker also alleges that, instead, her health struggles were brushed under the carpet.
Appearing on LOAF Podcast, the actor said: “During filming, I was deteriorating. It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracised, on her own under these horrible circumstances.”
But when Barker “went into hospital”, she claims Netflix and Shondaland, which was founded by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, “really covered [it] up and kept [it] on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out”.
According to Barker, she had “two psychotic breaks”. She alleged that nobody “contacted me or even emailed me to ask if I’m OK or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support”.
Opening up about her experience, the actor 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 I was trying really, really hard to act like it was OK and that I could work and that it wasn’t a problem.”
Barker compared the pressure to “sell the show” as “bubbly and fun” to “almost like [having] this metaphorical invisible gun to my head”, stating she felt she couldn’t call out her alleged experience at the time due to worries she “might never work again”.
The Independent has contatced Netflix and Shondaland for comment
Since its first season debuted in 2020, Bridgerton has become one of Newtflix’s biggest hits. It made stars of lead actors Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, and spawned a spin-off, titled Queen Charlotte, earlier this year. A fourth season of Bridgerton is in production.
Miller’s role in Bridgerton was her first high-profile role after small appearances in British shows Doctors and Cobra.
Last year, a study by Claro Wellbeing found that, although 71 per cent of work organisations are taking part in mental health awareness initiatives, only 36 per cent of them actually offered “good” or “outstanding” mental health benefits to their employees, according to the staff themselves.
Speaking to The Independent in September, Dr Nick Taylor, the CEO and co-founder of Unmind, expressed the importance of “having senior leadership who are transparent and open about their mental health and wellbeing”.
Taylor also said that the rise in “mental health days” can be “attributed to greater awareness and reduced stigma surrounding mental health concerns”, but only if management tackles the subject at a deeper level.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
