‘Fantasy Island’s Kiara Barnes Reveals How Ruby Is ‘Deeply Connected’ To Her Own Grandmother (Exclusive)

There’s conscionable thing astir Ruby connected Fantasy Island. After primitively coming to the land arsenic a guest, Ruby has extended her enactment and go Roarke’s right-hand woman. With her calm disposition and saccharine Southern accent, Ruby is the explanation of comfort. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Kiara Barnes astir the origins of Ruby’s accent and however her grandma influenced the character.

Kiara Barnes and Roselyn Sanchez successful ‘Fantasy Island.’ (FOX)

“I didn’t adjacent truly consciously bash it [the accent]. I was connecting with my Nana, who lives successful Mississippi. I person a batch of household successful the South arsenic well. I grew up everywhere: Missouri, California, and Utah… I spent clip successful Mississippi. I’ve conscionable been each implicit since I was a kid. But I person a batch of household successful the South. The quality Ruby is truthful profoundly connected to my Nana, my grandmother. I conjecture I conscionable people was channeling Gloria and conscionable her energy. She has specified a poise successful the mode that she talks and she makes you consciousness you privation to beryllium with her and present. It’s precise intentional.”

She continued, “I truly wasn’t adjacent readying it oregon doing immoderate conscious reasoning of this is however I privation to spell astir this. It conscionable people benignant of came that way. This is the chill happening astir the thought of not chasing aft roles oregon not trying to find roles but letting roles find you. That’s precisely what it felt like. It wasn’t forced. It people came to me, and I autumn into Ruby. I conscionable autumn into that quality and Kiara conscionable goes determination other for the filming, and past I travel location and I’m back. It’s been precise therapeutic to beryllium rather honest. Just due to the fact that I consciousness similar I person her with maine connected set. I adjacent got to person her past season, my Nana, travel and watch. It was a immense and peculiar infinitesimal to beryllium capable to person her there.”

Ruby, inspired by the quality Tattoo successful the archetypal series, initially comes to the land arsenic a 75-year-old pistillate with her hubby aft her crab diagnosis. After they’re transformed backmost to their younger selves, Ruby decides to get a tattoo connected the island. Ruby ends up staying connected the land for bully and leaving her different beingness behind. HollywoodLife asked Kiara whether oregon not she thinks Ruby tin unrecorded a afloat beingness connected the island.

Kiara Barnes stars arsenic Ruby. (FOX)

“I deliberation she’s figuring it out. She’s discovering it. This is each truthful new,” Kiara said. “This is similar her 2nd twelvemonth arsenic an worker connected the island, truthful she’s inactive precise overmuch sorting out, well, if Helene tin leave, tin I leave? Is determination immoderate benignant of loophole? She’s inactive trying to wrapper your caput astir the ins and outs of the land due to the fact that it has its ain concealed agreements and things that adjacent I deliberation Roarke is figuring retired arsenic good with definite things.”

The histrion added, “I deliberation she’s getting much and much comfy with it, but I deliberation it’s truly saccharine that Roarke is consenting to find ways to assistance Ruby consciousness much comfortable. Because she near virtually her full beingness — kids, family, grandkids — to beryllium connected this island. I deliberation she conscionable has a hard clip thinking: did I marque the close choice?”

Ruby and Roarke’s adjacent relationship is cardinal to the show. Kiara admitted that she was “so nervous” gathering co-star Roselyn Sanchez for the archetypal time. But she had thing to interest about.

“Immediately, she comes successful cracking jokes and wanting to get to cognize maine and my life. She conscionable has this genuine quality astir her work. She’s precise intrigued by radical and conscionable conversations. Any anxiousness I had went close retired the window,” Kiara told HollywoodLife.

The FOX bid has had a fig of notable impermanent stars, including Teri Hatcher, Bellamy Young, and the late Leslie Jordan. Kiara revealed that she thinks Jeff Goldblum would acceptable “personality-wise” arsenic a impermanent star. “He would wholly conscionable beryllium determination and bask the experience,” she said. “He’s specified a agleam vigor that I consciousness similar we could constitute thing truthful amusive and chill for him. He’s bully astatine play and bully astatine comic and balancing. So I consciousness similar we could amusement that helium could bash that. That’d beryllium awesome.” Fantasy Island play 2 airs Mondays connected FOX.

Click to Subscribe to Get Our Free HollywoodLife Daily Newsletter to get the hottest celeb news.