Rebecca Ferguson "studied trauma" for gruelling Silo role

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, she explained: "I always try and find the interesting dilemmas within characters, right? When you read something, there could be a character, A, B, and C, and you follow the narrative. I like finding the depths that are dark and the fact that she was so riddled with trauma and it was sedimented trauma.

"I studied trauma for the role and how expressive, or non-communicative, those people become because they’re so locked in their own grief. That, for me, was one of the biggest drives for her – how to maintain physical elements… of embodying trauma, like how does it show on your body?"

The series, based on the Wool novels by Hugh Howey, follows the residents of an underground silo in a dystopian world. They don't know why they're there, or why they can't leave – only that it's imperative that they don't. However, all is not as it seems.

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For Dune actress Ferguson, being a sci-fi hero in a genre that can seem so male dominated was hugely important.

She told RadioTimes.com: "I watched a TED Talk from a man who talked about the fact that he couldn't take his little girl to the shops to buy hero outfits for a girl.

"He showed images of Darth Vader having a discussion with Luke Skywalker on the T-shirt. It was actually Princess Leia but they've changed her for Luke because it sells better. Men sell.

"When you start looking at it and dissecting it, it is actually appalling and horrendous and quite disgusting. So the fact that I can be part of a growing entity of female heroes and giving our children something else, it means the world."

Silo will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on Friday 5th May. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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