‘Bridgerton’ Star Ruby Barker Slams Netflix & Shonda Rhimes’ Production Company Shondaland For Allegedly Not Showing Support After She Suffered Two Psychotic Breaks During Filming

Ruby Barker, Shonda Rhimes

‘Bridgerton’ Star Ruby Barker Slams Netflix & Shonda Rhimes’ Production Company Shondaland For Allegedly Not Showing Support After She Suffered Two Psychotic Breaks During Filming

British actress Ruby Barker is calling out the producers of “Bridgerton” for allegedly not supporting her amid her battle with serious mental health issues.

In a recent podcast interview, Ruby Barker was candid and opened up about her experiences in the acting industry. In particular, the 26-year-old revealed the struggles she faced while portraying Marina Thompson in the Netflix romance series “Bridgerton.” According to Ruby Barker, the creators of the show didn’t reach out to check on her after she suffered two psychotic breaks.

Ruby Barker

During the sit-down, the UK native spoke on the negative toll that her role had on her while filming the acclaimed series. She also directly addressed Netflix and the show’s production company Shondaland — which was founded by writer/producer Shonda Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes

Barker said,

“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 me if I’m okay or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support. Nobody.”

Barker took on a regular role during the show’s first season and returned as a guest actor for season two. Her character, Marina Thompson, is a Featherington cousin who tries to hide her pregnancy out of wedlock. The actress claimed that the isolated role wasn’t good for her mental state, which began to decline while filming season one of the series.

She continued,

“During filming, I was deteriorating. 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 said her first psychotic break took place in 2019 a week after production wrapped for season one. Allegedly, she was hospitalized for a year and the incident was kept “on the down-low,” seemingly so the show’s premiere ratings wouldn’t be affected.

“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… 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.”

Ruby Barker in “Bridgerton”

Barker added,

“It’s almost like I had this metaphorical invisible gun to my head to sell this show because this show is bubbly and fun. I don’t want to come out and poo poo on that because then I’ll never work again.”

The entertainer publicly shared that she was hospitalized for a second time in 2022. At the time, she reportedly thanked Netflix and the show’s executive producer Shonda Rhimes for “saving her” by casting her in “Bridgerton.”

The podcast episode’s clip gained the attention of many, prompting fans to share their thoughts on Barker’s mental health struggles and the production’s response.

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[Sources: 1, 2]