Born into a family full of creative and intellectual talent, Ruby has written, produced and directed her own short films for years. As Gabrielle in Guy Ritchie’s most recent TV show, The Gentlemen, she has taken a giant leap into the world of celluloid.
Ruby’s family environment was somewhat unorthodox. Where other kids grew up watching In the Night Garden and Sponge Bob Square Pants, family TV for Ruby and her brother George meant Alfred Hitchcock films and The Mighty Boosh. “The four of us have a tattoo of it,” she shares, pointing to the inside of her right ankle. Laughing she adds, “Sort of a family trademark, I suppose.”
Her professional journey has been one of organic evolution. Behind the camera, her work includes Code Switching, VHS East London, and The Red Lake – three shorts she wrote, produced and directed in 2019; and in When Fate Calls, which she cowrote with her brother the same year.
At the same time, she was modelling “to earn some money”, taking part in TV commercials and music videos. Her acting skills were honed during her studies at Actors Temple London. “I very much enjoyed how acting allowed me to express myself in many different ways.”
Being cast for Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen represented a big step forward in her acting career. Candidly, she comments, “I got very lucky with that one. I think the casting team liked me because I am from Southend [Southend-on-Sea, Essex] and my natural accent fitted what Guy was looking for.”
“I very much enjoy how acting allows me to express myself in many different ways.”
– Ruby Sear
The Gentlemen is an eight-part drama, inspired by Ritchie’s eponymous film from 2019. In it, Eddie Horniman, played by Theo James (The White Lotus, Sanditon, Allegiant) inherits a large estate from his aristocrat father, and becomes the new Duke of Halstead – only to discover that it’s sitting on top of the biggest weed farm in Europe. Horniman is determined to escape the farm’s clutches and keep his family and estate safe. In order to do that, he has to become a bit of a gangster himself. The problem is that he starts liking it. From here, the whole plot changes. Ray Winston, Vinnie Jones, Kaya Scodalerio and Freddie Fox, are some of the household names helping to bring this fast-paced criminal drama full of shady – and often charming – characters to life.
Ruby plays Gabrielle, a hired gun, and a woman of mystery. “Basically she is a tough woman with a strong character, who gets entangled with the hoodlum families. She’ll take on any job, no matter how big or small, never letting her conscience get in the way. She is the peak of professionalism… until she meets Jimmy Chang, that is!”
“Gabrielle is a true professional. She’ll take on any job, no matter how big or small, never letting her conscience get in the way.”
– Ruby Sear
Given this was her very first time on set, Ruby felt a bit nervous about the whole thing, but her co-actors and the rest of the crew, all helped her settle in quickly. “I got very close to my love interest in the show, Jimmy (played by Michael Vu), who I think is going to steal the show. Vinnie Jones was also really nice to me, and he is hilarious. Joely Richardson was very welcoming and kind, as was Kaya Scodaleiro, who plays the lead female character. All of the cast and crew created such a welcoming environment. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a lovely team!”
Parallel to acting, Ruby also paints; a passion she developed during her time living in LA. Her liberal parents, Simon and Juliet Sear, gave her a lot of freedom early on, and encouraged her to explore her creativity, push boundaries, try new things. […]
Show Comments +