It was nice being dirty and moody and bloody for this film
BRIDGERTON STAR RUBY BARKER’S GRITTY NEW ROLE IS WORLDS AWAY FROM THE CORSETS AND GOWNS OF THE HIT PERIOD DRAMA. SHE TELLS DANIELLE DE WOLFE ALL ABOUT IT
BRIDGERTON star Ruby Barker’s latest role could not be more different from the lavish period drama.
It’s safe to say the dirt and actionpacked sequences that play out as part of her new film How To Stop A Recurring Dream are a far cry from the corsets and demure demeanour of her character Marina Thompson in the hit Netflix series.
Ruby, 24, actually filmed the modern day-set movie before Bridgerton and says that swapping leopard print leggings for Regency corsets and extravagant gowns was something she took in her stride.
“I couldn’t let that throw me,” says Ruby of the thematic transition between the two projects.
“I shot How To Stop A Recurring Dream first – I shot that in 2018 and I started Bridgerton in 2019 I think.
“I just had to focus on the character and the job at hand, do my historical research and get used to wearing a corset.
“I took a corset home with me so that I could practise. I wore it all the time so I could practise breathing in it because they’re really uncomfortable.
“I wore a half corset, so it wasn’t as bad. Nicola (Coughlan), who played Penelope, was in a full-on corset. I don’t know how she did it but she did, she’s an absolute trooper.”
How To Stop A Recurring Dream, the debut feature from British filmmaker Ed Morris, is a tale of two sisters caught in the midst of their parents’ gritty separation.
It also touches on questions surrounding identity, Ruby’s character of the eldest sister Yakira is shaped through her experiences growing up as the only mixed-race member of an otherwise all-white household.
“Yakira’s dealing with alienation,” says Ruby. “And I think one way we see her deal with that is the fact she’s mixed-race and she lives in this suburban, mostly white sort of area.
“I grew up in a situation like that, so I could really relate to that.
“I relate to it as well because, when my parents split up, my mum married a woman and she had a daughter.
“And so, I lived with two white mums and a white stepsister, and door was a mixed-race family.
“I looked more like I should have been over there, but I was in this really different, modern-day kind of set-up. And Yakira has a similar sort of family background.”
With the film’s premise hitting close to home, Ruby says the script’s relatability wasn’t initially something director Ed Morris and the wider production crew were aware of.
“They had no idea,” says Ruby. “But when I went into the casting, I did tell them my life story.
“I was like, ‘listen mate, this is me. This is where I come from. This is my background’, you know? Because this role was just mine.
“And it was, so it all worked out in the end.”
Known for his directorial projects across both advertising and music, Ed is probably most famous for his now-banned documentary This Is Not – An Interview with Tony Kaye, depicting a series of conversations with the renowned American History X director.
How To Stop A Recurring Dream retains the unpolished undertones that litter the filmmaker’s past work.
The film’s undeniably rough edges are at their most visible when the plot takes a dark turn, following on from the news that the impending separation will involve splitcustody of the siblings.
As Yakira takes matters into her own hands, she proceeds to kidnap her younger sister and takes to the road in an attempt to reconnect ahead of the pair’s parting.
“I loved the fact she stole her dad’s classic car,” exclaims Ruby of the storyline.
“I love the fact she kidnaps her stepsister. I love the fact there are all these action-y moments within the script that I wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to do.
“I love the dream-like quality of it and the trippiness and the darknext ness, and then the real heartfelt sadness when it’s exploring loss and grief and separation and all that sort of stuff.
Ruby goes on: “She does have a boyfriend but what is the situation there? And why don’t her parents even know where her phone is or how to get hold of her?”
It was the gritty plotline and aesthetic that proved an additional draw for Ruby.
“I only hurt myself once doing the action stuff... which is good for me because I am a bit of a clumsy person.
“It was just so much fun getting to run around, be wild and let my hair get all crazy and twigs in it and stuff like that, it was just fantastic.
“Other than having to dirt up, I didn’t have to wear make-up for the majority of the film.
“It was nice being all dirty and moody and bloody – I feel that’s how you should be when you’re on a film.”
How To Stop A Recurring Dream is available to stream via Amazon, Google Play, Apple TV and other major streaming platforms now