October 31st 2023.
Ruby Barker, lead actor for the first season of the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, has gone public with her experience of a lack of support from the streaming giant and Shondaland after she suffered from two psychotic breaks.
In an interview with The LOAF Podcast from Oxford University, Barker revealed that no one from either Netflix or Shondaland reached out or contacted her after her mental health struggles.
“No one from Netflix, no one from Shondaland, not a single person, since I had two psychotic breaks from the show, have contacted me or even emailed me to ask if I'm okay or if I would benefit from any sort of aftercare or support,” Barker said, as reported by Variety.
The 26-year-old also explained how her character’s journey in season one had contributed to her breakdown. As the scandal of society, Marina, the social-climbing Featheringtons’ cousin, moved to town while hiding her pregnancy, Barker began to struggle during filming.
“During filming, I was deteriorating. It was a really tormenting place for me to be because my character was very alienated, very ostracized, on her own under these horrible circumstances.”
Barker's first psychotic break happened after filming the first season, and she spent a week in hospital. But the overnight success of Bridgerton made it hard for her to recover, as her hospital stay was kept quiet to avoid bad publicity for the show.
“In the run-up to the show coming out, I was just coming out from the hospital, my Instagram following was going up, I had all these engagements to do...My life was changing drastically overnight, and yet there was still no support, and there still hasn't been any support all that time,” said the rising star.
When the second psychotic break happened in 2022, as Bridgerton returned for more episodes on Netflix, Barker was open with her fans about her mental health struggles on social media. She thanked Netflix for allowing her to be part of the successful romantic drama, but was honest about the lack of consideration she received for her mental health.
Now that her character is no longer part of the show, Barker feels more comfortable speaking out about her experience and how her mental health was overlooked in order to keep the show “bubbly and fun.”
Ruby Barker’s full conversation regarding mental health can be found on The LOAF Podcast. Her story is a stark reminder that mental health should always be taken seriously and that no one should suffer in silence.
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