Hannah Waddingham's drama teacher said she would 'never work on screen'
Hanna Waddingham.
Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesFor Hanna Waddingham became an Emmy Award winner, a drama teacher predicted she would never succeed in television or film.
During an interview on the BBC Radio 2 podcast “Rule Breakers by Michelle Visage“On Wednesday, January 17, Waddingham, 49, recalled a former professor insulting her and making fun of her appearance in front of her classmates.
“I had a drama teacher who said to the whole class, 'Oh, Hannah will never work on screen because she looks like one side of her face has had a stroke,'” Waddingham said.
The British actress starred in theaters in England before launching her TV career in 2002 in the BBC sitcom To link. Waddingham noted that she didn't let the negative comments stop her from playing a role.
“I thought: I will do that. Come hell or high water, I will work on screen,'' she added.
However, Waddingham did admit that the insult left her with “a complex for years.” Eventually, she gained more confidence, which led to more than 40 film and TV credits, but mostly small parts.
After more than twenty years of acting, she was determined to move on to lead roles.
“So I told my agents at the time, 'I'm not doing it anymore… If it's just one scene, I'm not doing it anymore, and you shouldn't insult me for it because it's offensive,'” Waddingham said. “'I have been a leading lady for 22 years. I don't do it anymore. I'd rather be in a world where I'm appreciated.'”
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She added, “So I took a complete step back. And then Game of Thrones happened.”
In 2015, Waddingham was cast in the recurring role of Septa Unella in seasons 5 and 6 of the HBO fantasy series.
Five years later, she was cast as Rebecca Welton Ted Lasso. The role earned her a 2021 Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Speaking on the 'Rule Breakers' podcast, Waddingham talked about how being told she would fail motivated her and served as the theme for her Emmy acceptance speech.
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“This is why I made a point in my Emmy speech: the one thing I said to myself [was]If this weird moment comes and I get this award, and I get my foot in this door, I'm going to rip it off its hinges so that musical theater people, or theater people, can follow,” she explained.
That Ted Lasso has ended after three seasons, Waddingham has two major films lined up for 2024. She will star opposite Ryan Gosling in action comedy The autumn manand makes her animation debut in The Garfield Movieand joins a voice cast featuring Chris Pratt And Samuel L Jackson.
She also has an undisclosed role in the latest film in a blockbuster franchise, Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning part two starring Tom Cruisewhich will premiere in May 2025.