Hannah Waddingham reveals that she keeps a mental blacklist of people who blocked her career.
During an appearance on the podcast Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, released April 21, Waddingham talked about her experience rising into prominence since performing as a main cast member of Ted Lasso, for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
As reported by The Sun, Waddingham revealed that she’s kept a list of people in her head who got in her way as a working actor, including producers and casting directors. “Not that you hold a grudge,” chimes Geist, to which Waddingham replies “Not at all.”
However, she adds: “Yes, there is a little list of people who wouldn’t give me the time of day but now want to work together. And I am happy to say to them: ‘Just look somewhere else. I’m human. I remember. Bog off.’”
Earlier this year, Waddingham had said in a BBC podcast that a drama teacher’s insulting remarks had fueled her ambition to be an actor.
“I had one drama teacher that 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,’” the actress said, as reported by Deadline. “I thought, I will do. Come hell or high water, I will work on screen.”
While Waddingham’s role as football club owner Rebecca Welton caught the attention of countless viewers, the actor had previously made an impact in a supporting role in season five of Game of Thrones as Septa Unella.
In April, Waddingham told talk show host Stephen Colbert that she was once waterboarded “for 10 hours” while shooting the fantasy series, resulting in her experiencing “chronic claustrophobia”. Later that month, Waddingham was seen telling off a red carpet photographer after he appeared to tell her to show her leg.
