Bridgerton star on why they won't return and new "important" focus
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Bridgerton actress Ruby Barker has opened up about why she won't return to the Netflix period drama.
Barker played Marina Thompson in the first two seasons of the show, first as a main role before making guest appearances in season 2.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy to promote Breaking Through with Zeze Millz on ITVX, the actress said she would "probably not" return to her breakout role for season 3 and beyond.
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"Why wouldn't I return to Bridgerton?" she said. "I wouldn’t return to Bridgerton because A) it wouldn't be my choice, and B) when I did Bridgerton – obviously this is very much in the public knowledge and stuff like that – I had a mental health crisis. So whilst I was having the most amazing and most important experience in my professional life, my health was deteriorating so, so much, so, so quickly.
"It wasn't just a manageable bout of – I don't know – depression or anxiety or anything like that. I was seriously, seriously unwell, and I could not cope. And, you know, that's why I wouldn’t return to Bridgerton. And, in addition to that, Marina, my character on that show, really struggles with her mental health. That's her story arc.
"And I think that the producers… You know, she's got a very, very tragic end. I doubt – I highly, highly doubt – that the creators of the show would ask for me, given my history, and what happened to me alongside playing that role, for me to come back and finish that storyline. It's not going to happen. I've done my bit."
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Despite everything she went through on the show, Barker is still proud of her time as Marina.
"I went in. I smashed it. I did a good job. I'm really, really proud of myself," she added. "But, you know, as far as I'm concerned, I've put it to bed. It's a very, very, very bittersweet thing, because, for me, it's not all ballrooms and colourful dresses, you know? But, on the bright side, am I glad I went through it? Yes, I am.
"I'm far more fine. I just am a lot more understanding and aware and conscious of the importance of mental health, particularly within the arts. "
The actress went on to explain that she now does a lot of work in the mental health sector, and considers that her main focus nowadays.
"I do work with Wellbeing in the Arts, which is a charity for mental health for actors, and they provide free services for actors in regards to their mental health. A lot of actors don't know that this sort of thing is available to them.
"I'm also an ambassador for Mind. We’re currently campaigning to put the pressure on the government to raise the standard of NHS psychiatric wards in this country. It's a completely different thing, but the state of the situation is diabolical, in particular for people of colour. And it has been that way for years.
"And when I tell you that people are dying within this system, I genuinely, genuinely mean that. And it's really, really scary.
"And so that's the most important thing for me right now. I do my auditions. I do my creative projects. But improving the state of the mental health services is the most important thing in my life right now."
Breaking Through with Zeze Millz is available to watch on ITVX now.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393. Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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