These days, Hannah Waddingham is best known for her role as the sharp-dressed AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso. However, before she was wearing power suits and heels to run a football club, she was wearing robes as she played Septa Unella on Game of Thrones – who is more commonly known as the woman who says “shame.” Now, the Emmy-winning actress has detailed the importance of her look on the fantasy series, and why she actually loved the fact that her GOT character looked like she’d just “been dug up.”
While speaking about the new season of Ted Lasso on The View, the panelists couldn’t help but also ask Waddingham about her iconic Game of Thrones character. After speaking about the power of seeing a tall powerful woman on screen, the actress also spoke about how great Septa Unella’s look was, even if she looked like she’d just risen from a grave. She said:
That's a theater thing. I mean Whoopi and I have talked about this. That is a theater thing. You have to be selfless and just serve the character. I'm not interested in looking dolly all the time, it needs to be whatever suits the character. I mean I liked the fact that in Game of Thrones, I looked like I'd just been dug up, exhumed from somewhere.
Boy did that look fit the character. Hannah Waddingham still interacts with fans about Game of Thrones, and the fact that she was the woman who said “shame,” showing how many were impacted by her performance.
While she was only in eight episodes, she made a profound impact on GOT, and just about everyone who has seen the show likely vividly remembers Cersei’s walk of “shame,” and the woman who rang the bell behind her. The entire sequence as a whole, with Cersei's naked walk juxtaposed with Waddingham’s fully robed nun behind her ringing a haunting bell, is one of the most visceral and uncomfortable moments. Honestly, I'd say it was more brutal than some of the most gruesome deaths on GOT. Part of the reason it worked so well is both women were fully committed to their roles, and they were “selfless” to “serve the character.”
Much like Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey and more, Hannah Waddingham is one of the beloved guest stars from Game of Thrones, whose career has really flourished in recent years. Part of the reason for that success to me is her commitment to her performances and her theater background. As she noted, in the theater, it’s important to be selfless and do what’s best for the person you’re playing. She did that on GOT, and she’s continued to do it, especially on Ted Lasso, which is a show she won an Emmy for.
Overall, it’s cool to get a peak behind the curtain, and hear what goes into an actor’s performance. Part of what made Hannah Waddingham’s GOT character work so well was her drab covering outfit and straight face, and her dedication to the look was icing on the cake.
To see Hannah Waddingham’s transformation into Septa Unella in Game of Thrones, you can stream the series with a Max subscription. As for what the actress has been up to recently, you can see her as the lovely Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso with an Apple TV+ subscription.
