Rebecca Ferguson is standing firm in her truth, and it turns out she’s not alone in her experience.
More than a year after opening up about a troubling encounter with an unnamed costar who screamed at her on set, the Dune actress shared that others in the industry have since confirmed similar run-ins with the same person.
“Other people who have worked with this person also had a s–tty time,” Rebecca told The Times in an interview published Oct. 9.
Though several of her former costars, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, publicly praised her for speaking up, Rebecca admitted the actor in question never reached out, and she’s perfectly fine with that.
“I will shove someone under a bus in front of an entire crew to make a point,” she said bluntly. “I don’t applaud my own behavior in that. It’s a really tricky world.”
She went on to reflect on how power dynamics can make confronting bullies in Hollywood difficult.
“We put a lot of blame on bullies and when we get older we can understand that people are insecure,” she explained. “When you start standing up for yourself, it’s really tricky. They’ll fire you and give the job to someone else.”
Rebecca first shared the story in early 2024 during an appearance on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, where she detailed how a co-star’s constant outbursts left her feeling humiliated and powerless.
“I did a film with an absolute idiot of a costar,” she said at the time.
“This human being was being so insecure and angry because this person couldn’t get the scenes out. And I think I was so vulnerable and uncomfortable that I got screamed at.”
She continued, “But because this person was number one on a call sheet, there was no safety net for me. So no one had my back.”
The situation escalated when, in front of the entire crew, the actor reportedly lashed out, saying, “You call yourself an actor. This is what I have to work with. What is this?”
That moment became a turning point for Rebecca.
“I remember the next day, I walked on and I said, ‘You get off my set,’” she recalled.
“I remember being so scared and I looked at this person, and I said, ‘You can eff off. I’m going to work toward a tennis ball. I never want to see you again.’”
Despite pushback from producers, who told her she couldn’t do that to the project’s lead, Rebecca stood her ground.
“They said, ‘You can’t do this to number one. We have to let this person be on set,’” she remembered. “And I said, ‘But the person can turn around and I can act to the back head.’ And I did.”
While she’s never revealed the identity of the actor, Rebecca has clarified that the person was not Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds, or Hugh Jackman, all of whom she’s praised as wonderful collaborators.
Now, after hearing from others who’ve endured similar treatment, Ferguson’s story stands as a powerful reminder of the importance of setting boundaries, even in the face of industry pressure.
