Bessie Carter on Playing 'A Bit of a Baddie' in 'A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story'

"Six revolver shots shattered the Easter Sunday calm of Hampstead and a beautiful platinum blonde stood with her back to the wall. In her hansd was a revolver," wrote the Daily Mail in reporting the murder of David Blakely, a 25-year-old upper-class racing driver, in 1955. The platinum blonde right of out some film noir was 29-year old Ruth Ellis, a cool nightclub hostess, model, and working single mother of two, who was in the midst of abusive relationship with Blakely. In that moment, she asked for the police and readily admitted to the crime. Her cool demeanor continued through her sensational trial weeks later, where she refused to portray herself as a victim and was sentenced to be hanged. The Daily Mirror reported she was "the calmest woman who ever went to the gallows."

Ellis was the last woman executed this way in England, and her death became the major force in abolishing the death penalty, though it would take more than a decade to do so. In the wake of the hanging, the Observer suggested that people should "consider the task of explaining to the late Mrs Ruth Ellis's 11-year-old son, now at a boarding school, what has happened. This boy, who is also fatherless, has had something done to him that is so brutal it is difficult to imagine. We should realise it is we who have done it." Andy, her son, killed himself in 1982.

Ellis's story was the source of the Mike Newell's 1985 film "Dance with a Stranger," with Miranda Richardson and Rupert Everett. It was also the basis of a tv series in 1999, two documentaries, a number of books, a 2013 play and a 2018 opera, "Love Me To Death." It is presently being told in a four-part mini-series "A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story," currently streaming on BritBox.

The series, directed by Lee Haven Jones, stars Lucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis and Laurie Davidson as David Blakely. Crucial to the narrative are a couple – Carole (Bessie Carter) and Anthony Findlater (Ed Sayer) – who urged Blakely to end the relationship.

Audience know Carter from her ongoing role as Prudence Featherington on Netflix's "Bridgerton" for the past three seasons. She also appeared as Evie Wilcox in the 2017 adaptation of EM Forster's "Howards End." The 31-year old actress is the daughter of two well-known British actors: Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton.

Bessie speaks with EDGE about learning about Ruth Ellis, her desire to be part of "A Cruel Love," and what to expect on Season Four of "Bridgerton."

EDGE: When did you first hear of Ruth Ellis?


Bessie Carter: I grew up near Hampstead, where many events took place. So, in my childhood, I absorbed some of the myths surrounding Ruth Ellis, but I didn't know any of the details. I knew what maybe some viewers would know before watching it, which was there was a blonde bombshell who shot her lover, which obviously is a very seductive log line. After reading this script and Carol Ann Lee's book, you get the whole story, which was much more than I had anticipated.

EDGE: Why was this something you wanted to be part of?

Bessie Carter: To be perfectly frank, I just got an audition. I was thrilled to read the script and thought it was great. I'm not in a place yet to choose my job, and I went and met Lee Haven Jones, the director, and Sam Jones, the casting director, and we got along really well, which I think is always really nice when you feel the team or someone you'd want to work with. I think they felt the same because they gave me the job. I was flattered to be given the part and felt very honored to be part of telling this story and shining a light on it. Also, as an actor, I immensely enjoyed playing a complicated woman, who I think is painted as a bit of a baddie. It's a nice challenge.

EDGE: Your character, Carole Findlater, is a friend of David Blakely. How did you go about your research?

Bessie Carter: It's a real gift to be given the opportunity to play a real person because you can look them up and find a lot of information on them. I saw photographs of her at the club with her husband, Anthony, David Blakely, and Ruth. It was really useful to look into her eyes and wonder what was going through your mind. Of course, I read the book on which the series is based, but then you really have to focus on the script because that's the version we're telling. I wanted to approach her as not being the villain. I wanted her to be three-dimensional. Our director was good at challenging me by saying, "Don't play the end," which was great advice because we all know what happens. I think it's very in keeping with that bourgeois upper class that Carol was a part of. She's always smiling, but there is a dagger under the surface and the cloak. I wanted to find as many masked moments as possible to make the moments in the later episodes where that mask comes off. I got to do a couple of great scenes with Lucy Boynton, who plays Ruth, in Carol's actual home. That added attention to the scenes, which I think couldn't have been created on the page. It was kind of spooky that we were really on that doorstep imagining what really happened.

EDGE: I don't want to give too much away, but I felt like the last interaction between Carole and Ruth was the catalyst for the result of the story. Would you say Carole is the quiet villain?

Bessie Carter: I believe it's in episode one when Ruth is writing a letter to David Blakely's mother stating that the people she blames are Carolyn and Anthony Findlater. Throughout the series, without spoiling it, there is a wedge that is slowly being put between the two via this couple who are part of the upper-class club. They believe David should be a part of and shouldn't mix with a different class. After the war, they were all really struggling to know their place. Carole is definitely a representative of that upper class who doesn't want to mingle and wants to keep things the way they are.

EDGE: What's it like to work with such a great cast – Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, and Toby Stephens?

Bessie Carter: I just admired them from afar for a long time. I knew Lucy socially, and I knew Toby Jones through my family. It was a very warm set because I knew half of them, and that's always really nice. Having an absolute joy and sense of humor among the cast is wonderful, especially when you're doing quite heavy stuff is essential. Lucy had to carry a lot of that herself. I think she was amazing. She executed it without being, excuse the pun, so delightfully, truthfully, and honestly. It makes you better when you're working opposite really good actors.

EDGE: There are a few harrowing scenes that make for an intense viewing experience. When making a story like this, how do you care for your mental health?

Bessie Carter: That's a good question. I can leave it at work. The challenge with a job like this is to leave your 21st-century lens on it and play the truth of the 1954 story to hopefully evoke change in 2025. I didn't have to go to such dark places as Lucy did. Carole is quite restrained, so in some ways, I was also allowed to stay restrained and tight, leaving no room for emotions. I felt pretty protected during the process, and filming up was down the road from where I lived. It was summer, so I was lucky.

EDGE: How did portraying Carole impact you?

Bessie Carter: It was tough. It's tough to know that these women were pitted against each other when, actually, we should all be looking out for and supporting each other. I suppose that did make me slightly sad, but again, it galvanized me to remember the importance of why we make art, why we tell stories, and especially why we investigate stories that have been told through one lens before and give them a fresh approach. This story felt really important to tell, and I am proud to be part of it.

EDGE: We still live in a world where women are being judged and silenced, much like Ruth Ellis. What advice do you have for women who are fighting this?

Bessie Carter: That's a really good question and a really good point. You're so right. I don't want to use the word victim, but the person who is being attacked or taken advantage of; we need to continue to fund resources for support, shout loudly about what support is available, and continue to make stories that shine a light on to allow them to see that they're not alone. Fight for changes to the system. I hope this series continues to start conversations where people feel brave and speak to a friend or family member, but most importantly, feel safe and get the support they need.

EDGE: Albert Pierrepoint, the hangman, said, "I have seen some brave men die, but nobody braver than her." What made her so brave?

Bessie Carter: She didn't victimize herself. Lucy made an excellent point about this. She said Ruth had 28 years of experience living in a world of men who looked at her, listened to her, and treated her awfully or treated her how they wanted her to be. Ruth was criticized for being stoic, sturdy, and inaccessible in court. They wanted her to be the weeping victim, but she refused. I think there is something emotional and moving about seeing someone who knows their fate and refuses to break. I think there's something so human about that. I've got goosebumps, actually even thinking about your question. It's a really powerful thought, isn't it, of how many lives Albert was privy to the end of and how she held herself together.

EDGE: I have to ask, and you're probably not going to have any answers, but what can you tell us about season four of "Bridgerton Story"? Also, the Featherington's are my favorite family; they need their own spin-off.

Bessie Carter: I totally agree with you. I genuinely think a Featherington spinoff would be amazing! I think they are such a funny antidote to the beautiful main love story, and I think you need that comic relief. And so, I am really proud to be playing the role of Prudence. I am grateful to play that part because I think they bring something needed to the show. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything because they will kill me.

"A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story" is currently streaming on BritBox.