Lucy Boynton has admitted that portraying Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, was ‘more intense’ than she had anticipated.
Ruth Ellis was put to death nearly 55 years ago aged just 28 for shooting dead her violent boyfriend, racing driver David Blakely.
The actress, 31, stars as the titular character in new four-part ITV drama, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, with the first episode released last month.
And amid new pictures from the drama, Lucy looked back on researching Ruth’s tragic life for her role, admitting that one can’t read her story without being ’emotionally affected’.
Speaking to The Italian Reve, Lucy explained: ‘It was different than I expected, and it was more intense than I’d anticipated.
‘I tried to start the research process from a very analytical point of view. I was really aware of how much the media portrayal of Ruth Ellis had colored public opinion of her and colored the way that she was then written about afterward, so I wanted to approach her in a completely neutral way to be able to ascertain my own opinion.’
Lucy Boynton has admitted that portraying Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, was ‘more intense’ than she had anticipated
The actress, 31, stars as the titular character in new four-part ITV drama, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, with the first episode released last month
Ellis had been condemned to death for shooting her violent racing driver boyfriend David Blakely following a trial that lasted less than two days (Seen is real Ruth Ellis with boyfriend David Blakely)
The film star noted how she later attempted to approach the project from a more ’empathetic and emotional’ viewpoint in order to figure out how to portray Ruth, however, those feelings emerged much sooner than she had anticipated.
She continued: ‘I realized very quickly there was no neutrality when approaching this topic and there was no neutrality when approaching her case. You can’t read about the details of her life and what happened to her and what happened to her within the time of meeting David Blakely and not feel emotionally affected.’
The actress noted that she was 29 when she played Ruth, who was 28 at the time of her death, with Lucy adding that these parallels were ‘really affecting’.
She added that the society that she lives in today has ‘immensely improved’ from Ruth’s period of her life, going on to say that she found the research process ‘really intense’, while the filming itself was ‘really hard’.
The Bohemian Rhapsody star went on to remark how she was ‘really plagued’ by the ‘dark material’ as a true story is harder to leave at work than a fictional one.
The four-part series is described as ‘a compelling legal and emotional rollercoaster’ and is based on Carol Ann Lee’s acclaimed biography A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story.
Set in 1955 in the glamorous and intoxicating world of London club-land, Ruth found huge acclaim as the capital’s youngest club manager and was the last woman in the UK to be hanged for her crimes.
The series will tell the tale of Ruth’s life as a manageress, her abusive relationship, and her subsequent arrest, trial and the legal fight to reprieve her.
Amid new pictures from the drama, Lucy looked back on researching Ruth’s tragic life for her role, admitting that one can’t read her story without being ’emotionally affected’
Lucy explained: ‘It was different than I expected, and it was more intense than I’d anticipated’
‘You can’t read about the details of her life and what happened to her and what happened to her within the time of meeting David Blakely and not feel emotionally affected’
Of the first look at Lucy playing Ruth, executive producer for Silverprint Pictures Kate Bartlett said: ‘Lucy Boynton is absolutely mesmerising as Ruth Ellis, pictured here, at the height of her success as London’s youngest club manager.
‘Aged 28, her ascendancy was brought to a sharp halt when she became enmeshed in an intoxicating love triangle which brought death and tragedy.’
Lucy said: ‘Ruth Ellis’s story is a fascinating one. Both she and this complex case have always evoked a strong reaction.
‘With Kelly [Jones]’s insightful scripts I’m looking forward to bringing a new perspective to both familiar audiences as well as those who are unaware of her mark on British history.’
