Aside from starring in Guy Ritchie's widely- acclaimed Netflix series The Gentlemen, Ruby Sear has an extensive inventory of creative accolades up her sleeve. From being both a painter and model to founding a vintage-inspired fashion brand, plus being our cover star this issue, Ruby isn’t showing any sign of slowing down.
If you’ve seen the aforementioned hit series (and if you haven’t, please cancel your evening plans) then Ruby’s name needs no introduction. She stars as Gabrielle, a mysterious character who, much like the rising star herself, is “just trying to prove herself and wants to be taken seriously in the industry”.
The Gentlemen, which garnered 215 million viewing hours in its first two weeks of being on the platform, was Ruby’s first foray into the acting world – one that she describes as a “crazy time”. “I sent off a self-tape and then I was asked to come in for an in-person audition,” she says. “Three weeks passed over the Christmas break and I hadn’t heard from anyone so I thought I definitely didn’t get it.”
“Then, I went to the gym one day and stopped at Pret for lunch and my agent called me and told me I’d been booked for it. I remember grabbing my coffee and running home to tell mum and dad. It was so exciting.”
“I got into it [acting] quite late to be honest, I was probably about 21 and I never really thought about doing it as a career."
At the time, Ruby had “no idea how big the part would be”, expecting it to possibly be one scene or a small cameo. Much to her surprise, Gabrielle’s character kept returning to the storyline, cementing her name on the credit sheet.
Before auditioning for the show, Ruby had never (and still hasn’t) been to drama school, which she admitted made her super “nervous when surrounded by professional actors”. However, she quickly fell into place after meeting the cast who she describes as “so lovely”. In particular, her co-star Michael Vu, who plays Jimmy, Susie Glass’ chief weed grower, who she now shares a “brother-sister relationship” with. “We often voice note and share things we like with each other. He feels like a big brother or best mate from school that you always have a laugh with. He’s a true gentleman, too.”
It wasn’t until it got filmed and fans started to take pictures and message me that I realised it was kind of a big deal
© Saskia LawsonDespite turning heads on the small screen, Ruby’s acting career hasn’t been exactly linear. “I was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up in Southend. I got into it [acting] quite late to be honest, I was probably about 21, and I never really thought about doing it as a career. My brother’s obviously an actor, so I kind of thought that was his thing and that I would be a film director because I find the production and art side of things interesting.”
After moving to Los Angeles at 16, Ruby was quickly cast as a model in a variety of campaigns and soon began to play extra parts in music videos, one of which was for BTS's boy band member V, which now has over 75 million views on YouTube. As Ruby chats to me candidly via Zoom with her dog Missy sitting proudly on her lap, it came as no surprise that when she said, “I wasn’t really aware of how big it was. It wasn’t until it got filmed and fans started to take pictures and message me that I realised it was kind of a big deal”.
My dad showed me Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick movies when I was really young
© Saskia LawsonBeing the humble starlet that she is, Ruby attributes much of her success to how she was raised and not down to creativity being in her DNA. Her mother is celebrated British professional baker Juliet Sear who “makes the best roast potatoes” and her father is an acclaimed author. “I was raised on watching really good films and TV shows and listening to really good music. My dad showed me Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick movies when I was really young, which other kids my age probably had no idea about.”
It’s that very cultural richness, instilled by her father, that inspired Ruby (among all her other accolades and achievements) to pursue a path as an artist herself. “My dad would always take us to art exhibitions or other exhibits at the weekend, because he was always into art and wanted us to at least grow up around it and have the opportunity to do it as well.”
I now look back on it as a really fun period of my life.
© Saskia LawsonRuby started her painting journey in her final year of high school, submitting a piece that “surprisingly turned out OK” for her GCSE final. After leaving school at 16 and fleeing across the ditch to LA, Ruby picked up a paintbrush once again and began to stylistically put her thoughts down on canvas. The pieces from that era are hauntingly beautiful; dark moody oil paintings and portraits, renditions of people she noticed from the “little flat” she shared with her housemates in LA.
Her favourite piece that she’s painted was while she was working as a waitress in an eccentric bar in Hollywood – a time in her life that she describes as being “really fun”. Ruby became acquainted with the resident “old French guy” who was “a hilarious iconic character in the area”.
Naturally, this man needed to be documented: “Everyone that went in there loved him, so I tried to do a series of that, and painted a portrait of him. I now look back on it as a really fun period of my life.”
© Saskia Lawson“My nan was a teenager in the sixties and she always talked about that time with me which I think fuelled my love for that period and vintage shopping.”
She still paints, and if you thought that art and acting weren’t enough to keep the ingénue busy, you’d be sorely mistaken. When she’s not filming alongside Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, Ruby can be found sifting through secondhand treasures for Le Cherie, her own handcrafted British fashion label inspired by her love for the swinging 60s and her grandmother who grew up during the era.
Since the age of 14, Ruby can remember having a particular pull to that decade. “My nan was a teenager in the 60s and she always talked about that time with me which I think fuelled my love for that period and vintage shopping.” Which is the reason why her favourite outfits from the cover shoot were between the all-red look or the sequin mini skirt moment.
Whilst thrifting for a wedding guest dress one day, Ruby noticed that most of her heirloom finds featured a ‘Made in England’ tag, which she quickly realised didn’t equate to many modern-day brands. “A lot of my vintage stuff says ‘Made in England’, and that’s why I think it’s lasted so long. That’s when I had the idea to make some pieces that I can wear, and if anyone else wants to wear them then that’s great.”
Everything is made in east London and from deadstock fabric
© Saskia LawsonFrom there Le Cherie was born. It took about two years to get it up and going and she started taking inspiration from vintage dresses, including her holy grail wardrobe find, which is a 30s silk bias dress that she found in a tiny London boutique on Camden Passage in Islington.
“I love making them shorter or changing the colour to make them feel more like me,” she says. And she is dedicated to sourcing consciously. “Everything is made in east London and from deadstock fabric. I go to this place in Hackney, which is kind of like a big warehouse that has everything. It feels a bit more sustainable and it’s fun to pick through all the different colours and silks.”
When she’s not dressed in silky lace- trimmed vintage finds, Ruby describes her style as“comfortable and minimal”admitting that if she could only wear one brand for the rest of her life it would be Levi’s. “I wear 501s every day. I love the classic fit and I think when you’re comfortable, you feel more confident. But If I was going somewhere nice, I’d maybe add a pair of Mary Janes or ballet flats – still comfortable but also cute.”
The full interview with Ruby Sear appears in the Feb/March issue of H! Fashion, out now in stores…
