“No, because I got paid to act”: Rebecca Ferguson Ate Her Own Words, Started Crying During the Disturbing Doctor Sleep Sequence

Rebecca Ferguson’s unbound potential was explored and exploited long before she found an outlet in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. Her authority over the craft made her a sensational and sought-after talent in Hollywood almost overnight after hard launching into the action blockbuster genre with Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in 2015.

However, it wasn’t until Doctor Sleep that Rebecca Ferguson turned the eyes of industry critics toward her as an actor worth looking out for. The Swedish star soon climbed the charts, pairing up with the biggest movie stars of the decade for some of the biggest films across different genres. In time, Ferguson has become one of Hollywood’s rare treasures due to her reputation as an actor loved by fans almost as much as she is adored by critics and filmmakers.

Rebecca Ferguson Relives a Harrowing Experience on Set

The cinematic experience is built around the idea of escapism and fantasy. No matter how authentic the plots may seem, films are inherently constructed to draw out the viewer’s emotions through carefully assembled stories and intriguing narrative arcs. But often, these arcs dole out more of an effect on the actor who embodies such characters than the audience who witness them in theaters.

During the filming of Doctor Sleep (2019) alongside Ewan McGregor and Jacob Tremblay, Rebecca Ferguson faced one such experience which, in her own words, was more harrowing for her than the child actor she shared the scene with. In an interview with ReelBlend podcast, Ferguson recounted:

“I remember being super cocky because someone had said to me, ‘Are you going to feel really emotionally distraught tearing [Jacob Tremblay] to bits and eating him up?’ And I went, ‘No, because I get paid to act.’ Something passive aggressive like that. And then we were rolling. I was getting ready. I’ve got my knife. I’m stretching in the background. 

And it’s action! And all of a sudden, I hear this sound that is like a pig screaming before slaughter. It is the most harrowing [sound] and I’m standing – I’ve never experienced it, ever – I had tears just start pouring and I’m like, ‘Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t.’ And I’m just wiping my face thinking, ‘I’m going to ruin it, I’m going to ruin his take!’

And then I glide in and I’m literally, you can see it in the shot, I’m moving my head and wiping tears whilst filming this scene.”

Although the scene might have been difficult for Ferguson, Tremblay handled the situation like a champ. The child actor’s ability to separate fiction from reality shone through after he immediately disassociated from the “harrowing” scene and demanded a Coke in between takes from his father. That simple distraction was enough to pull Rebecca Ferguson out of her trance while filming.

Rebecca Ferguson Becomes Hollywood’s Sweetheart

The Swedish actress, Rebecca Ferguson, was on the acting scene for far longer than anybody can remember. But her artistic ambitions were limited to a very narrow field of exposure, and despite her strong and pronounced presence in films, there was a time when she was still a wide-eyed actor trying to break out and make it big in Hollywood.

After launching into the big blockbuster scene at breakneck speed as Tom Cruise’s leading lady in the ultra-modern, über-spy franchise, Rebecca Ferguson found herself starring in leading roles opposite Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Oscar Isaac in films stretching from musicals to dystopian sci-fi space opera.

Most recently, her villainous turn in Timothée Chalamet‘s Dune franchise brought out her career-best performance as her enigmatic character arc as Lady Jessica truly allowed her to transcend the limits of her craft and deliver something truly exceptional on screen.

Doctor Sleep is available for streaming by renting or purchasing on Prime Video, Vudu, or Apple TV.