You may have waited 19 years for the sequel to The Shinning and now with Rebecca Ferguson at her devlish best, Doctor Sleep – penned by horror movie master, Stephen King – is finally here.
And after watching the movie behind my hands, coming into contact with Rebecca Ferguson IRL is enough to incite chills. However, the reality is very different.
As I walk into her central London hotel room, the English-Swedish actress, sat with her legs tucked underneath her and her heels discarded to one side, holds out her arms and exclaims, “would you like to kiss my cheeks?”
Discussing her fabulous persona, it’s all too evident she is in a jovial mood, “My mum is like Edina in Absolutely Fabulous, compared to her I am Saffy.” If Saffy was even an inch as sassy and vibrant as Rebecca, she may have stood a chance in that dysfunctional home.
Rebecca has, however, starred in some of the biggest films of recent times including The Greatest Showman after her first big break as The White Queen, the lavish period drama which is ever fitting for the actress who holds herself to this day with queenly poise.
Today we are here to deal with darker drama, however, and as I deliver my review of the film to Rebecca she teases, “what did you think it would be? Fairies?”
“I enjoyed the darkness,” she continues. “Everything isn’t fluffy pink clouds and has been for such a long time. Look Medieval Times wasn’t easy, either!” I mean the plague wasn’t exactly a LOL was it, Rebecca, “No it wasn’t and maintaining the throne was such a hard job, too. But the world is a hard place. I don’t put too much analogy into the things I do. So much gets compared to Trump and Brexit, and we just need a bit of escapism, too.”
“I sometimes look down at my own job,” Rebecca tells me. “I sit with lawyers, doctors who save lives and I think, ‘I dress up and I tell stories.’ But then I think, “no it’s important to tell stories, and compare the evolution of mankind. It’s so important.”
Rebecca may be hard on her vocation and have embraced the darkness but her first reaction to the script was one of elated joy. “It’s not often that I am given a script and I don’t want to change bits,” Rebecca divulges. “There are a lot of scripts I receive that are written for the man and they forget to re-read it for the woman’s part. So that is usually my first note for people. This script came in and I had no alterations, there was nothing and that is very unusual. I thought all the stories were impeccable, I loved the humane aspect of Rose The Hat and what she just wants to do is love and serve and support her family.”
But how did she look after her own mental well-being during months of filming such intense material? “I first use a face cream,” she jokes. “Even though there were tough scenes to film – it was heavy, it was dark – there was so much light and pepperoni pizza on set. There was so much support, it was one of the best shoots I have had, I felt to supported. To be able to portray one of Stephen’s characters is such a gift that it can become a bit too much and you worry you aren’t going to do it justice. I loved making it so much – it’s a love story for me – I feel sad to let her go and her Rockstar attitude.”
Doctor Sleep may also be one of the most anticipated sequels in horror movie history, but pressure isn’t something Rebecca has much time for. “I don’t seek out pressure,” she says. “There are a lot of people who will say that this is a big role to take on after The Shining and all that jazz. But for me it’s a great character, based on a great book and that is all I need. The pressure comes later and that’s when I go off and do another movie.”
Rose the Hat is another character in an empowering line up for Rebecca, and I wonder if roles such as the badass base, Ilsa in Mission Impossible, who goes toe to toe with Tom Cruise, have enabled her to have more faith in herself and her own voice.
Contemplating her answer for a few seconds, Rebecca responds: “I think I have always had the free space in my upbringing to be very verbal with my thoughts and ideas. I have never felt the need to not express it. My mother was always very clear in saying and sometimes I do have to pull back a bit, ‘you need to be well equipped with knowledge before speaking out of turn.’ It’s one thing to have opinions and I try to balance being powerful and strong. I think that something is unfair I will stand up and talk about it. I will tell the person too.”
Is there a time when Rebecca has pushed herself to speak her mind and it’s inevitably been an empowering experience? “Yes! Definitely! But we don’t have time to talk about that.”
And just like that my audience with Kween Rebecca is over, and what a Kween she is.
Doctor Sleep is in cinemas now
