Rebecca Ferguson is sharing more details about her experience clashing with a male actor on set while filming a movie.
In 2024, Ferguson revealed on the “Reign with Josh Smith” podcast that she worked with an “idiot” co-star who made her cry after a verbal altercation.
The “Mission Impossible” actress, who stars in Netflix’s upcoming “A House of Dynamite,” gave more insight about her previous viral comments where she recalled working with a difficult actor who “screamed” at her, prompting her to walk off set, in a recent interview with the Times in the U.K.
“This person would literally look at me and say, ‘You call yourself an actor?,’” Ferguson recalled. She demanded they leave the set the next day. “I remember being so scared. And I looked at this person and said, ‘You can eff off. I’m going to work toward a tennis ball. I never want to see you again.’”
When asked if she had heard from the actor since her comments had gone viral, she said she had not and “didn’t care” to, noting that she’s aware that other people who have worked with him have also “had a shitty time.” She also described the situation as “complex” and that “she was not blameless.”
Ferguson added, “I will shove someone under a bus in front of an entire crew to make a point. I don’t applaud my own behavior in that. It’s a really tricky world. We put a lot of blame on bullies, and when we get older, we can understand that people are insecure. When you start standing up for yourself, it’s really tricky. They’ll fire you and give the job to someone else.”
The actress has since confirmed that her comments were not about Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds.
During the interview, Ferguson also reflected on acting alongside Cruise in “Mission: Impossible,” jokingly describing the top-billed actor as a “man child” but insisting she meant that in a “good way.”
The pair filmed three of the “Mission: Impossible” installments together, in which she detailed how demanding the role was.
“You don’t have scripts and have no idea where it’s going to go, which is annoying and tedious and glorious,” she explained. “You train for a stunt scene for months, and all of a sudden they cut it.”
Her next project is “Dune: Part Three,” where she will return as Lady Jessica. During her interview, she described the script as “phenomenal” as they are currently in the middle of shooting.
Meanwhile, Ferguson can be seen taking on another tough, female character with her latest film, Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite,” where she plays a White House aide who is captain of the Situation Room, overseeing the U.S. response to nuclear threats.
Despite taking place at the White House, the actress explained how the film is not meant to reflect current political times but, instead, raises questions about who holds authority over nuclear weapons.
The film is “not about criticizing who’s in charge — it’s questioning the fact that we have such a stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world and we don’t talk about it,” she explained. “Nine countries have active nuclear weapons, but only three are part of NATO. What does that mean? What does it mean that one human being can start a nuclear war?”
