Gwendoline Christie Reveals the Moment She Decided to 'Honor' Her Height & 'Every Single Freakish Thing About Me' Despite Fears She Wouldn't be Cast in Hollywood
Gwendoline Christie opened up about her response to pressures to conform to industry expectations while living life in the spotlight.
The 44-year-old Wednesday star found breakout success as an actress playing Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. However, the role came after she was told that she wouldn’t be able to succeed in the industry because of her height and features.
She opened up about finding confidence within herself and revealed the industry that did embrace her with open arms from the very beginning while sitting down for a “Life in Looks” segment with Vogue.
Read more about Gwendoline Christie’s Hollywood journey…
The star reflected on her ambitions before she was cast as Brienne, noting that “I’d been told, just simply because I was a tall woman with somewhat unusual looks, that I would probably never work on screen.”
Playing Brienne was a “huge breakthrough” for Gwendoline and a chance to push herself in new ways.
“I had to take my hair away. I had to acknowledge my height, my strength, my size, my androgyny and, also, my vulnerability,” she said.
Even after booking Game of Thrones, the star shared that she had fears that she wouldn’t succeed without conforming to more of Hollywood’s expectations.
The inner battle took place in 2019 while Gwendoline was selecting a dress to wear for the Tomo Koizumi fall 2019 show at New York Fashion Week. She ultimately wore a vivacious look called “The Queen.”
“I was very concerned at that point about being cast-able. I was concerned that maybe I wasn’t being considered for roles because I was just too unconventional and maybe I should make more effort to fit in,” she admitted. “And then I thought, ‘No, I’m not going to make any effort to fit in.’ I’m gonna work really hard and do my best to be good at my job. I’m gonna honor who I am and every single freakish thing about me.”
She wound up using her height to her advantage during the show, knowing that the daring and challenging look wouldn’t be as hard to walk in since she was taller than the model who wore it in a photo she saw.
Gwendoline also spoke candidly about her experience in the fashion industry, where she felt accepted right away.
“It took a long time for me to feel embraced by the acting industry,” she said. “But the fashion industry did embrace me for everything about me that society said didn’t work. For everything about my loudness as a person, my opinions, my sense of humor, my desire to change and transform and simultaneously demand to take up space with the body that I was born into.”
“The fashion industry told me that they love me,” Gwendoline continued.
If you missed it, Gwendoline opened up about transforming into her Wednesday role, comparing it to “witchcraft.”
Press play on Gwendoline Christie’s full “Life in Looks” segment below…