Arguably Ozark’s most popular character throughout all the seasons has been Ruth Langmore. Julia Garner played this plucky potty-mouthed spitfire role better than anyone could possibly have been and stole the entire show. As sensitive as she was, she had one of the most sensible roles of all other twisted characters. 19 years old when the show began, Ruth Langmore is portrayed as a brave and powerful woman against all odds. Yet the savage blonde head had something on the sets of Ozark that scared the living daylight out of her.

Remember the Julia Garner dock rigging scene?

In one of the earliest scenes in the series, Ruth, influenced by her uncles, was forced to attempt to kill Marty (Jason Bateman) at his dock. Going at war with herself, Ruth finally decided to execute the plan. However, to test her plan before putting it into motion, she was supposed to try it on a mouse. Although Ruth Langmore wasn’t afraid of holding the mouse, Julia Garner was. The actress is a murophobic (someone scared of mice) so much so that the hand we see holding the mouse isn’t even hers.

The boldest character, who always gave a tough time to a Mexican drug Cartel and continued to keep the most treacherous characters on their edges, couldn’t bring herself to do it. All we saw was an extra’s hand play on the screen. Later in an interview with The Cut, Julia reveals her phobia of mice. “I can’t even watch ‘Ratatouille’! It’s a cartoon rat, but it’s gross. It cooks. That’s disgusting,” revealed Julia. The Inventing Anna actress goes to share how Ozark makers tried to convince her to do the rat scene imagining it to be a phone charger. However, she couldn’t go through with it. “And I’m like, I’m never going to charge my phone again,” added the actress. 

How the resulting ramifications ended up establishing a new bond in the series 

Although this must have been a jestful moment for the team on the sets, the scene that actually took place in Ozark was one of the most intense episodes ever. No matter how far it went, Ruth sacrificed her family for her loyalty to Marty. This was the scene that established a unique bond between Marty and Ruth.

Ruth gained Marty’s trust, and the Byrdes considered her no less than family. While their low-key beautiful father-daughter relationship has always been dismissive., there was this genuine connection built up on trust that kept them going almost till the very end.

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How did you like Ruth Langmore’s character in the show? Let us know in the comments below.