“Bridgerton” actress Ruby Barker has publicly criticized Netflix and Shondaland, the production company behind the hit series, for their alleged lack of support during two separate psychotic breaks she experienced following the show’s success. Barker, who portrayed Marina in the first season and returned as a guest actor for Season 2, revealed that she received no contact or assistance from either Netflix or Shondaland during these challenging periods.
Barker attributed the decline in her mental health to the filming of “Bridgerton,” emphasizing the negative impact of her character’s isolated and ostracized storyline. The actor disclosed that her first psychotic break occurred in 2019 after completing the first season, and a second incident took place in 2022. Barker expressed disappointment at the absence of any outreach or support from the streaming giant or the production company.
In an interview on Oxford University’s LOAF Podcast, Barker shed light on the difficulties she faced, stating, “When I went into the hospital a week after shooting ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1, it was really covered up and kept on the down-low because the show was going to be coming out.” She revealed the challenges of maintaining a façade of normalcy during the promotional activities for the show, despite undergoing a distressing period.
Barker had previously alluded to her mental health struggles in a May 2022 Instagram post, expressing gratitude to Netflix for casting her in “Bridgerton” but acknowledging that she had been “struggling since ‘Bridgerton.'” In her recent podcast interview, Barker further elaborated on the lack of support from the studios involved in the production of “Bridgerton” during her challenging times.
The actress’s criticism extended to the promotional efforts for “Bridgerton,” where she described feeling compelled to promote the show despite her personal struggles. Barker remarked, “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.”
As of now, there has been no official response from Netflix or Shondaland regarding Barker’s claims.
‘Bridgerton’ actress Ruby Barker calls out Netflix and Shondaland for not supporting her when she suffered two psychotic breaks due to the show:
“Not a single person from Netflix, not a single person from Shondaland, since I have had two psychotic breaks from that show, have… pic.twitter.com/dmu8szD86l
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 30, 2023
