Julia Garner is no stranger to an iconic character, but it seems her role as petty criminal turned ruthless casino manager Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s thrilling drama Ozark is one that she’ll struggle to say goodbye to.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Garner discussed the emotional toll of the past five years of filming, and the sadness she felt at the end of the series.

Sharing the “really, really hard” experience of parting ways, Garner admitted it was “one of the saddest weeks”. Many of the cast and crew – which include Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Sofia Hublitz – had been a part of the series from day one.

“I feel like Ozark changed all of our lives for different reasons,” she continued. “So when you have a life-changing experience, you’re always going to be connected to those people.”

Garner’s character Ruth was first introduced as a small-time yet sharply intelligent young member of the criminal Langmore family in the first season, which debuted in 2017.

After being taken under the wing of Marty Byrde (Bateman), she has since become the powerhouse of the series and will form some of the biggest conflicts of the final season. And, as a recent trailer for the final episode revealed, her quest for revenge is sure to see the series end with a bang. 

Though the series has reached its expiry after four seasons, Garner admitted: “I could shoot Ozark for the rest of my life, selfishly.”

It’s a sentiment shared by her co-star Linney, who also admitted in the interview that it was tough to leave her friends behind after sharing the screen for half a decade.

“I’m still saying goodbye to people. I’m still picking up the phone and saying, ‘How are you doing?’” she recalled.

“I hope I never fully say goodbye to it. I hope I’m always connected to these people in a way so that I don’t feel like it ever dies within me. I don’t think it ever will.”

Ozark, season 4, part 2 is released today on Netflix.

Images: Getty