See Hannah Waddingham Young in Her Early Career: From West End Star to ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Ted Lasso’
The British superstar spent years shining on stage before her unforgettable TV breakthrough
Key Takeaways
- Before Hannah Waddingham was on 'Ted Lasso,' she had a successful theater career.
- Waddingham is the daughter of an opera singer, so performing was her destiny.
- Hannah Waddingham had a very notable role in 'Game of Thrones' before 'Ted Lasso.'
On August 4, Hannah Waddingham will make her return to screens in the fourth season of Ted Lasso, where Ted and the team take on a new challenge as they lead a second division women’s soccer team. Though it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen her character Rebecca Welton on screens, Waddingham has kept busy over the last few years, the actress most recently enjoying the success of her action comedy series Ride or Die, where she shined alongside Octavia Spencer.
With her fierce confidence and wide range of talents, it’s a surprise the 52-year-old hadn’t experienced this level of international stardom prior to her Ted Lasso debut—but the fact of the matter is Waddingham had carved out her own little alcove of achievement in the theater world before making a splash on television.
Here, a look back at Hannah Waddingham’s early career—and that iconic Game of Thrones role people are still talking about.
Hannah Waddingham was destined for the stage
The daughter of an opera singer, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that a love of performing runs in Hannah’s veins, and in 1998, she made her West End debut after growing up surrounded by the arts.
“Musical theater people don’t get into it for money or fame. It’s in your blood; it’s in your bones; it’s a vocation,” she told The Zoe Report. “I don’t remember ever not wanting to sing or act—I remember the opposite. Finding out some people’s parents worked in offices, I was like, ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’”
Over the course of her stage career, Waddingham showed her skills on the West End and Broadway, some of her most notable roles including the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz and more.
While much of her career unfolded on the stage, she also managed to leave her mark on various television series and soap operas including Hollyoaks and Brooksides.
However, it was when Hannah Waddingham appeared on Game of Thrones that folks really started to pay attention.
Hannah Waddingham stole the show on ‘Game of Thrones’
In 2015, Hannah made her Game of Thrones debut as Septa Unella. When Cersei Lannister is arrested, Unella acts as her main tortmentor, but her most iconic scene was Cersei’s walk of atonement.
Forced to march through the streets nude, Cersei is followed by Septa Unella, who chants “Shame!” along the way. In the end, Cersei enacted her own form of revenge against Waddingham’s character, and the experience was full of emotions for a variety of reasons.
For starters, Waddingham had given birth only a few weeks prior, and throwing herself into her work was tough to wrap her head around. In conversation with The Guardian, the actress remembers hearing her baby cry while filming, and while part of her knew she was providing for her child, “The other part was going, I’ve got terrible separation anxiety. So when I watch it back, I just see a woman who doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going.”
In 2020, her skills were put even further on display, and today, we can’t help but cheer her on. “I’ve talked about it to a couple of people, who’ve had that thing of the ‘overnight success’ later in their careers. There are a few of us who have been right in the belly of things, working in places that are not as la-di-da as you would have in TV,” she told The Guardian of her sudden recognition. “An overnight success after 25 years is delicious. And I’m fine with it, because I’m very at peace with who I am. I’m more than happy to share that I’m 51 and proud of it.”
Catch Hannah Waddingham in Ted Lasso Season 4, premiering on August 4.
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