Rebecca Ferguson has explained why she chose not to publicly name the co-star she once described as an “absolute moron” after a disturbing confrontation, saying the experience was more about her own growth than exposing someone else.
The Golden Globe nominee revisited the incident two years after first speaking about it in a February 2024 appearance on Reign with Josh Smith podcast.
In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaarmade Ferguson clear that her decision to keep the person’s identity private was deliberate.
“It wasn’t about the person. It was about me,” she said, reflecting on how unprepared she felt at the time to stand up for herself in a calm and direct way.
She admitted the situation felt overwhelming, adding that she didn’t know how to ask for a private conversation then, something she believes she could handle differently now.
Ferguson also addressed broader conversations about workplace behavior and pushed back against criticism of changing industry standards.
“A lot of people say we’ve become too awake, but I think no, it’s great. The pendulum needs to swing to the other side so we can find a balance in between,” she said, suggesting that open discussions about power and respect are long overdue.
The original incident, which took place years earlier, involved a co-star yelling at her during filming, leaving her so upset that she walked away in tears.
At the time, Ferguson recalled the actor yelling, “‘You call yourself an actor? Is this what I’m supposed to be working with?’
She later revealed that she required the individual to leave the set and asked to act in front of a tennis ball instead, explaining that the person’s senior status made the situation feel particularly isolating.
“Because this person was number one on the call sheet, there was no safety net for me,” she said in 2024. “No one had my back.”
Since she first shared the story, online speculation has swirled about the identity of the unnamed actor.
Ferguson has certainly ruled out some of the most common guesses and confirmed that it wasn’t Hugh Jackman or Tom Cruise.
Dwayne Johnson also appeared to distance himself from the allegations after publicly showing support for her.
Despite the curiosity surrounding the incident, Ferguson remains focused on why she spoke up in the first place, not to shame someone else, but to highlight an experience that many artists quietly endure, and to show how far she’s come since that moment.
