In A Sunday Telegraph interview to announce her appointment as the new face of cosmetics brand Urban Decay, Ruby admits she struggled to get a break when she first moved to the US as an unknown in 2013.
The former MTV VJ rented an apartment in Santa Monica and slept on a blow-up mattress on the floor. Her only company was a rescue dog Ri, who she adpted before she could afford furniture.
“I had a rough time and for the first year it was nothing to write home about,” says Ruby.
“I couldn’t get my foot in the door in any way, shape or form.”
The turning point came when a despairing Ruby took matters into her own hands.
“Because I couldn’t get into the room with any agents or directors, I thought ‘I have to start creating my own content’.”
The result was an autobiographical five minute short film titled Break Free, which has now been viewed more than 21 million times on YouTube.
In it Ruby starts off as a blonde bombshell standing in front of a mirror, who then strips back her make-up and cuts her hair to resemble a heavily tattooed, short-haired male.
“I just really wanted to put something out there as a message for other people, and it just went viral.
“It was a statement for society that I didn’t think I was making at the time.”
The clip immediatelty grabbed the attention of Orange Is The New Black creator Jenji Kohan who then offered her the breakthrough role of Stella in the hit TV series.
“I literally had two and a half years of tumbleweed. But now it’s the complete opposite.”
Ruby also has three Hollywood blockbusters due for release in the next few months: xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and John Wick 2.