Lucy Boynton on Becoming Ruth Ellis in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

Mar 12

Lucy Boynton steps into the world of 1950s Britain to portray Ruth Ellis, the last woman

to be executed in the UK, in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story. Boynton shared how

she approached the complex, often-misunderstood figure, drawing heavily from A Fine

Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story by Carol Ann Lee. She points out the details

provided from the book of what women’s lives were like at the time. The scope and

depth of the experiences and trauma that shaped Ellis provided Boynton with the

empathy and understanding of her character.

Boynton describes Ellis as ambitious, magnetic, and rebellious—qualities that made her

both admired and scrutinized. The series delves into the duality of Ellis’s life— how she

knew how to present herself to the public and the life she lived behind closed doors.

Boynton expresses her respect for Ellis’s integrity as she never indulged in self pity.

Through this portrayal, Boynton elegantly delivers a performance that explores the

societal context of women’s lives during this era, and the importance in telling this story.

Watch the full conversation below:

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