Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson is no stranger to hard stunts, after two past movies (Rogue Nation, Fallout) with the hit action franchise and two more on the horizon (Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Part 2). However, the actress recently revealed that it was actually a stunt she did for her new Apple TV+ sci-fi series Silo that was “probably the toughest thing I’ve done in my entire life.” [Please note: Spoilers below for Silo Season 1, Episode 3.]
Silo was developed by Graham Yost, from a novel series by author Hugh Howey. The story follows a society of people who have been living underground for many years over cautions of the outside world that were handed down through the generations. Ferguson portrays Juliette Nichols, a generator engineer who works in the lowest levels of the bunker. In addition to starring in the show, Ferguson is also a producer. During an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Ferguson opened up about balancing the two jobs, saying she felt “engaged” and “welcome.”
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“Graham Yost is the showrunner. He sets the bar, he hires people, he sets the energy and the tone, and he’s the most humble, kind human being in the world,” she explained. “I think the fact that he is becomes this ripple effect, and I want that on set. I don’t want bad egos, or people who want things, and people who don’t talk because they’re just not in the mood. It affects everyone around them because they’re the star. They’re allowed to. Bulls—. We all need to bring our store to it because everyone does. We listen to each other and we care and we’re a unity and we’re a family.”
When it came to the physical demand of her Silo role, Ferguson noted one specific stunt, which required her to hold herself up in water, was very challenging. “The exhaustion of body in the water sequence, for example, in the Silo, was really tiring due to hyperventilation.” She then compared it to a past movie moment she was part of, saying, “It reminded me of Life, a film I did with Daniel Espinosa. There was a moment when my character had to hyperventilate while she was heading back to Earth and maybe dying. I remember that feeling of dizziness and the emotional stress it was putting on your body.”
She went on to add, “That one Silo had, but with the physical strength. So I have reached all of the emotions previously, but the toughest one was hanging on. There’s a reason why I’m hanging off something, the silo, and hanging there dangling and trying to get up was probably the toughest thing I’ve done in my entire life.” She concluded by quipping, “I could barely use my arms the days after. It was muscles that have never been used. They were like, ‘What the f— are you doing? I have not trained for this.’ We have not gone climbing recently.” The first four episodes of Silo are now streaming exclusively on Apple TV+.
