Bridgerton actress Ruby Barker is calling out Netflix and Shondaland, alleging that they failed to support her when she faced mental health struggles. Sitting down for an interview on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast, Barker said she had two psychotic breaks after working on Bridgerton, but her bosses didn’t show any concern.
“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,” Barker said on the show according to the Daily Mail. “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 OK or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support.”
The first psychotic break, according to the actress, happened in 2019 after the crew finished production of the first season. Barker said the second scare happened in 2022.
The 26-year-old star, who plays as Marina Thompson on Bridgerton, said she was hospitalized after the first week of shooting season 1, but she kept her story on the down-low because the show was scheduled to be released soon and she didn’t want to be a distraction.
“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 said. “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.”
When Barker experienced the second psychotic break in 2022, she spoke out on Instagram, saying she was “really unwell for a really long time” and had been “struggling since Bridgerton. The Hollywood star thanked Netflix at that time for “saving her” by giving her an opportunity to star in Bridgerton, the Daily Mail reported.
Now speaking with the LOAF podcast, Barker said she continued to promote the show despite her struggles.
“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. “I don’t want to come out and poo poo on that because then I’ll never work again.”
According to Variety, Barker was a regular on Bridgerton in the first season. In Season 2, however, she played as a guest actress.
