Swedish actor Rebecca Ferguson has experienced a dynamic resurgence in her career over the past two years, undertaking a wide range of roles across multiple genres. Since 2024, Ferguson’s projects have included playing a mystical mother figure in *Dune: Part Two*, an army officer in the political thriller *A House Of Dynamite*, an AI judge in the science fiction film *Mercy*, twin sisters in the concluding chapters of the crime drama *Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man*, and the headmistress Dame Snap in the recent adaptation of *The Magic Faraway Tree*. Alongside these performances, she has also completed filming the final two seasons of the post-apocalyptic series *Silo*, in which she stars as an engineer uncovering a subterranean conspiracy and serves as an executive producer.
Ferguson attributes this burst of activity partly to uncertainty about her career’s trajectory. Speaking from Los Angeles, the 42-year-old actress admitted that early on, she was willing to take any roles that came her way, motivated both by financial considerations and a desire to stay active in the industry. However, she also highlighted other factors influencing her choices, including the opportunity to work with admired colleagues, as was the case with *Peaky Blinders* and its lead actor Cillian Murphy. "We have the same agent, and it was kind of a running joke that I’d take any part just to work opposite him," Ferguson explained.
Personal connections also played a role in her decisions. The casting of Ferguson as Dame Snap in *The Magic Faraway Tree* was influenced by her eight-year-old daughter Saga’s interest in the book series. Ferguson noted that after her daughter finished reading the novel, she received an offer for the role, making the decision an easy one for her. Beyond such personal motivations, she acknowledged that some roles are simply jobs, though she has become more selective with time.
Ferguson’s involvement in *Silo* was initially uncertain. The series, adapted from Hugh Howey’s trilogy, is set in a vast underground bunker hundreds of years after a global environmental disaster. The show’s creator, Graham Yost, was impressed by Ferguson’s performance in the 2015 film *Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation*, where she portrayed the enigmatic MI6 agent Ilsa Faust. Yost saw her as the ideal choice to embody Juliette Nichols, a resilient engineer who challenges the silo’s strict governance and ultimately emerges as a leader.
Despite the series’ dystopian setting and themes involving misinformation, artificial intelligence, and authoritarian control, Ferguson maintains a measured perspective on the state of the world. She prefers to focus on her immediate environment and the well-being of her family and community rather than dwelling on global crises. "I don’t read a lot of news," she said, emphasizing her sense of safety and the importance of nurturing those around her. Ferguson also mentioned her efforts to protect her children from social media exposure and her dedication to fostering a supportive communal environment at home.
*Silo* is available for streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes released weekly.