What You Don't Know About Rebecca Ferguson

International star Rebecca Ferguson has made quite the splash in Hollywood. The stunning Swedish actress is noted for her versatility, having starred in films and shows across a number of genres. With major roles in hit titles like The White Queen, the Mission: Impossible films, The Girl on the Train, The Greatest Showman, The Kid Who Would Be King, Men in Black: International, and Doctor Sleep, Ferguson's resume is quite impressive.

While Ferguson is an internationally acclaimed actress, her name isn't one that regularly makes headlines. This is not a reflection of her star power, though — Ferguson is a very private person, preferring to keep her work and home lives separate. Outside of her career, Ferguson is also a doting wife and mother who's focused on raising her family out of the limelight.

Because of her reticence to put her private life on display, there's probably a lot that you don't know about this celebrity. To that end, here's a closer look at Rebecca Ferguson.

Rebecca Ferguson credits her successful career to her parents, who were very supportive of her talents when she was growing up. "They were just very loving and have never told me that things aren't possible," she told Contributor, adding that they let her "develop at my own pace."

Ferguson further elaborated on how her parents guided her in an interview with The Guardian, telling the outlet that her mother urged her to try different hobbies including gymnastics, salsa, and even the card game bridge. She also tried the modeling world — and hated it — before trying her hand at acting when her mother encouraged her to attend a TV casting. Ferguson wasn't on board with acting at first, convinced that it wouldn't be for her; when her mother first suggested the idea, Ferguson recalled thinking "that's absolutely terrifying," revealing that she was nervous even standing in front of her class.

To Ferguson's surprise, though, things clicked and she fell in love with the art. Ferguson landed that first audition and her mother helped her continue to build up her acting resume, running lines with her to help her prepare for roles.

Being an international star can be quite taxing, especially for someone as private as Rebecca Ferguson. Fortunately for her, she's often able to blend into a crowd, and told The Guardian that she's "never" recognized in public. 

It's surprising that someone who's been in such successful shows and films isn't swarmed with paparazzi whenever she's in public, but Ferguson is happy not to garner too much attention. While Ferguson loves acting, she explained that she doesn't enjoy being famous and would prefer to live her life more off the grid — to the point that she even avoids checking her phone throughout the day, much to the chagrin of her family who complains about not being able to reach her easily.

Ferguson does have an Instagram account, but she rarely posts and doesn't offer up an intimate view of her life. She told Flaunt that, while she does "understand the importance of technology," she prefers to keep things simpler. "I write letters," she said. "And I don't like people knowing what I'm doing all the time."

Rebecca Ferguson's dance skills have come in handy in her acting career, specifically when it comes to doing her own stunt work. While Ferguson doesn't do all of her own stunts, she does quite a few of them, telling Dance Magazine that her knowledge of dance helped her with her own "personal fighting style" when filming the Mission: Impossible movies. She added that her training in the Argentine tango was particularly helpful as the dance style teaches you "to follow the line of your spine."

As Ferguson explained, "the balance and strength" in her legs resulting from years of dance lessons have also been helpful in doing her own stunts. But while Ferguson might not need a stunt double very often, she's careful not to take unnecessary risks. "I had a wonderful stunt girl who would always be on stand by and help out if necessary," she told Untitled of filming Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation.

When Rebecca Ferguson takes on an acting role, she's all in. While some actors might limit themselves to simply learning their lines, Ferguson immerses herself in the character. In fact, she finds "the research and the prepping" for a new part to be "the most exciting aspect" of getting ready for a new project. 

Ferguson taps into the character she's playing, and her method of doing so is quite impressive. As she explained to Contributor, there's a lot that goes into "creating a role" as it involves "script work and thinking about history, body, movement, reasons why and secrets."

It's an intense way to prepare for a part, too. "You can't go too far with it," said Ferguson, although she added that sometimes she feels like she's "absolutely out in deep water" and "God knows where." While she admitted that she ends up "f***** it all up a little bit," it's clear that her deep dives into her characters works for her.

While it may not be obvious to fans who were chilled by Rebecca Ferguson's eerie portrayal of Rose the Hat in 2019's Doctor Sleep, Ferguson hasn't always been the biggest fan of horror films. The film is based on a Stephen King novel of the same name, and is a sequel to the terrifying classic The Shining, so it's pretty scary fare — a big challenge for a woman who told The Guardian that she doesn't typically watch horror films, admitting, "I have a bad startle reflex."

Ferguson watched a number of horror flicks to prepare for the role, and came away from filming with a deeper appreciation for the genre. She told GQ that she's now "excited to see new scary movies." While she still gets spooked by spooky movies, she said that she appreciates horror films that "carry that element of suspense" like The Babadook and It.

Rebecca Ferguson is so secretive about her personal life that she hasn't even revealed the last name of her husband, Rory, to the public. As noted by People, Ferguson shared in January 2019 that she and Rory had secretly tied the knot over the holiday season.

Ferguson has two children: a son named Isac from a previous relationship, and a daughter with Rory named Saga. Ferguson is doing her best to raise her children with strong feminist ideals, telling the Independent that she wants her daughter to be empowered. She's also raising her son to be "a new man for a new society" who knows that it's okay to cry.

Parenting isn't easy and, like all moms, Ferguson has her fears about how she's raising her family. In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Ferguson admitted that she's afraid she's "going to mess it up." She added, "We always make mistakes."

While Rebecca Ferguson's acting career has taken her all over the world, she's not interested in moving away from the country of her birth. As she explained to Contributor, her farm in the Swedish countryside is the ideal home for her and her family. "It's the calm, it's the trees, it's the ocean, it's the light, it's everything," she said of her peaceful abode. "This is my part of the world."

That doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy traveling, though. As Ferguson told Nylon, she even lived in New York for a time and spends quite a bit of time in London. She admitted that she'd "have probably gone mental" without "the possibility to travel." 

Still, at the end of the day, Sweden is where Ferguson's heart is, and she wouldn't want to live anywhere else, as she appreciates the slower pace of life in her small town. "I feel normal, and I feel like me," she revealed.