GLOW is an American television series created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, based on the women's wrestling promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). The following is a list of characters from the series.
Cast
Main characters
Ruth Wilder
Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) is an actress struggling to land a role on film or television. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Ruth's love of acting began in her hometown, and she honed her skills at the Blue Barn Theatre. Having studied the works of August Strindberg, Ruth relies heavily on method acting.
Her Protestant grandfather died of hypertension when Ruth was 10. This affected her profoundly as she dressed up as Anne of Green Gables for a year afterward. One day, she is given an invitation for an audition, which turns out to be for the fledgling women's wrestling promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). Ruth initially has personality conflicts with director Sam Sylvia due to her tendency to overact in the ring. Aside from her acting style, Sam often questions her looks, unsure whether or not he finds her attractive. Making matters worse is her affair with Mark Eagan, the husband of her best friend, Debbie. Because of this, she is known by the other women as a homewrecker. Her attempts at creating a quasi-villainous wrestling persona include characters called the Homewrecker, Mint Julep, "a bitchy southern debutante type," The Aunty Christ, an "evil person" who "gives out raisins to kids on Halloween," and after her research at motel proprietor Gregory's family bris, Gittel the Orthodox Warrior. She finally creates the in-ring persona of Zoya the Destroya, a Soviet heel based on the real GLOW wrestler Colonel Ninotchka. Ruth joins Sam on venue scouting to a Mayan-themed theater after Bash fails to arrive. They bond and she gives him relationship advice about ending his relationship with Rhonda. Discovering she is pregnant the day of Sheila's roller rink birthday celebration, Ruth calls Sam for a lift to Planned Parenthood the next morning. When Bash's mother Birdie cuts off his funds, the girls attend her fundraiser under the guise of WAD: Wrestlers Against Drugs. Each girl shares a fake recovery story and Ruth uses her moment to apologize to Debbie. Her story compels Birdie to provide a venue for the show. With Sam absent for the pilot, Ruth picks up his directing role. As Zoya the Destroya, Ruth takes the win after her match. From the audience, Debbie challenges her as Liberty Belle and is named the winner; only to have Welfare Queen steal the crown from Liberty Belle. Ruth asks Debbie to go out for a celebratory drink after the show however, Debbie turns her down.
In Season 2, Ruth directs the show's opening sequence without Sam's approval, resulting in tensions between the both of them. While Ruth settles her differences with Sam, she falls victim to a drunk and cocaine-induced Debbie, who breaks her ankle during their match. The injury sidelines her for eight weeks, resulting in a heated argument between her and Debbie over past issues with each other. After the duo reconcile with each other, Ruth continues to provide story ideas for the show and also portrays a non-wrestling character Olga, the good twin sister of Zoya, in numerous skits. Ruth continues to interact with Justine and Sam outside of the ring even encouraging Justine to attend her school dance with Rosalie and Sam as chaperone. While slow dancing with Sam, Ruth pulls away from an attempted kiss and arrives at Russell's apartment to take him up on his previous dating offer. She tells Sam the news about her sleeping with his cameraman Russell when he brings up the previous night's dance. Sam has Ruth direct alongside him in the booth. He rewards her by having her win the GLOW Crown in the show's final episode.