Hannah Waddingham, 5ft11, was told she was ‘too big’ to be on camera and says Ted Lasso co-stars told her take her heels off when filming together
Hannah Waddingham has revealed she was told she was ‘too big’ to appear on camera.
The tall actress (5 feet 11 inches) stated that she was denied opportunities for roles because of her model-like height. She explained that the common perception was ‘you might appear too large on screen, so stick to what you know.’
Hannah shared that there were no problems regarding height discrepancy while collaborating with Jason Sudeikis, a 6 feet 1 inch talent behind the hit series Ted Lasso. Interestingly, he supported her choice of wearing heels, making her appear taller than him in their scenes together.
In fact, Hannah admitted that multiple men requested her to take off her high heels during the filming process.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, she mentioned that there were some actors on the set of Ted Lasso who asked if she could go barefoot during a scene. Despite their request, she continued to wear her heels.
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Previously employed as a plus-sized model, Hannah disclosed that her acting aspirations were shaken after a theater instructor at her school commented negatively about her appearance, stating that it seemed as though she’d experienced a stroke on one side of her face. This comment affected her confidence.
At the beginning of her career, an actress was unfortunately labeled as “tall and strange” (or “awkward”) by a casting director.
Today, I find myself far removed from the days of being subjected to harsh criticism about my looks, as I am now gratefully embraced by a community that admires my beauty on social platforms worldwide, originating from London. (Hannah)
Raised and nurtured in the heart of southwest London, I myself was a student at the prestigious Streatham and Clapham High School for girls. Following this, I pursued my passion at the esteemed Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.
After completing her education, Hannah, the offspring of renowned opera singer Melodie Kelly, devoted herself to pursuing a career in theater acting.
Among her early careers, she worked at an interactive dinner theater production called “Joni and Gina’s Wedding”. Here, participants act as wedding attendees and interact with performers.
2000 saw Hannah putting out her single “Our Kind of Love,” a song penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber specifically for his musical “The Beautiful Game.” This release was made in celebration of the composer reaching the milestone of his 50th birthday.
In 2002, she made an appearance in a play titled “Space Family Robinson.” After that, she landed the role of Lady of the Lake in “Spamalot,” for which she received recognition with an Olivier Award nomination.
As a devoted admirer, I had the privilege of witnessing a spectacular production that captured both the West End and Broadway stages. Remarkably, this show amassed an impressive total of seven Laurence Olivier Award nominations in the year 2012.
Additionally, Hannah started trying out for various television and movie parts while she was engaged in her West End performances. Her first appearance on the silver screen occurred in 2008 with the film How To Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Back in 2014, I found my breakthrough role as Tonya Dyke in the popular ITV show Benidorm. But it wasn’t until 2016 that things truly took off for me when I was cast as Septa Unella in the fifth season of Game of Thrones – a dream come true!
Landing the role catapulted Hannah onto the Hollywood scene, subsequently securing her the part of Jackson’s mom, Sofia, in the popular Netflix show Sex Education, which premiered in 2019.
In the subsequent two years, Hannah attained remarkable success in her profession by securing the leading part of Rebecca Welton, a charismatic yet frosty football club owner, in the Apple TV+ series titled Ted Lasso.
Hannah’s latest roles have seen her star in Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning and Lilo & Stich.
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2025-06-09 13:18