Rebecca Ferguson's breakout role was in 'The White Queen' miniseries
Before her roles in 'Silo' and 'Mission: Impossible', Rebecca Ferguson had her international breakthrough in a 2013 miniseries. Her portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville in 'The White Queen' earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Ferguson's breakout performance
Before anchoring the Apple TV+ sci-fi series 'Silo', Rebecca Ferguson earned her first major award nomination for the 2013 historical miniseries 'The White Queen'. Her portrayal of the controversial English monarch Elizabeth Woodville marked an international breakthrough for the Swedish actor. The role secured her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
The 10-part series, which originally aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on Starz in the United States, adapted Philippa Gregory’s historical novel series 'The Cousins' War'. It chronicled the Wars of the Roses from the perspective of three different women. Ferguson's performance as the shrewd and ambitious commoner who becomes queen consort was widely praised and is credited with launching her career in English-language productions.
From royalty to sci-fi
Ferguson's role in 'The White Queen' served as a direct precursor to her casting in major Hollywood franchises. She was subsequently cast as MI6 agent Ilsa Faust in 'Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation' (2015), a character she would reprise in two sequels. Her rise continued with roles in 'The Greatest Showman' (2017) and Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune' (2021).
Her current work as Juliette Nichols in 'Silo', the Apple TV+ series which premiered in 2023, has brought her renewed attention. The show, a dystopian drama about a community living in a vast underground silo, has been renewed for its second and third seasons. For many viewers of 'Silo', Ferguson's foundational role as a medieval queen in a prestige historical drama remains a lesser-known but critical part of her career trajectory.