Ep 111: Rebecca Ferguson

Reign with Josh Smith

Dune fans the time has come, Dune: Part Two is FINALLY coming to cinemas and today we are joined by the M-O-T-H-E-R of Dune in so many ways; the incredible Rebecca Ferguson.

After starting out in Swedish soap operas, Rebecca landed her first English-speaking role in the BBC drama, The White Queen and she didn’t look back. She quickly joined Tom Cruise - who she credits with changing her life in this episode - in the Mission Impossible franchise, starring in three of it’s movies, and has also starred in The Greatest Showman, Apple TV’s Silo, The Girl on The Train and now two Dune movies.

If you missed the first Dune movie, Rebecca plays Lady Jessica, the mother of Timothée Chalamet’s character Paul, who is destined to become the universe’s greatest leader. However, he has the power to see the future, and only he can see how dangerous he will be in this fantasy world. In Dune: Part One, things were dramatic for Lady Jessica to say the least after her husband was murdered, she lost her power and was exiled. Dune: Part Two is no different; she's pregnant with a baby she can talk to in the womb (yes, really), becomes THE all-powerful reverend mother, and that is just a taster of what to come. If you are confused so far, all you need to know is that as sequels go, this is one of the all time greats!

Today Rebecca and I have a DMC about everything Dune where she reveals she initially played hard to get, telling the franchise’s director, Denis Villeneuve (who she calls Denny) she wasn’t interested in the role (!!!) and she talks about the valuable lessons she learnt from working with Timothée.

Rebecca also tells ms about the time she stood up for herself in the face of an absolutely horrid co-star in another movie, which is a firm reminder to us all to always use our voice, even when we are scared to.

I absolutely LOVED talking to Rebecca and I think you will leave this episode just as obsessed with her as I am. It’s rare to meet someone this authentic and comfortable in their own skin, especially in this industry. If you do love this episode please get in touch with me via social media @joshsmithhosts! And speaking of epic people, if you missed it, check out last week’s episode with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. Love Josh x

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