Hannah Waddingham has revealed that she dislikes photoshoots with male photographers after some traumatic episodes in her past. The Ted Lasso actress said that during past shoots, she was required to project a compromised image of herself which left her feeling humiliated.
Waddingham said: ‘I don’t mind admitting that sometimes I don’t like to be photographed by men, which I need to work out and work on a bit because there have been times in the past that have been very fixed- telling me to do this and move in a certain way that they would never ask a man to move. Photoshoots can be a vulnerable place.’
View 3 ImagesHannah Waddingham has spoken about why she doesn’t like being photographed by men(Image: Getty Images)
The 51-year-old said that people assume actresses are comfortable in front of the camera. ‘There’s loads of people at a shoot and people assume that you’re just endlessly confident, which you’re not. Part of the reason why you’re an actor is to be other people, not yourself.
Waddingham became a household name after her breakthrough role in Apple TV’s Ted Lasso and has since been celebrated for becoming a star later in life, in a youth-obsessed industry.
But the actress who will soon be seen in the new season of Ted Lasso later this summer, insists that the term ‘overnight success’ does not apply to her, after decades plugging away in theatre.
She said: ‘I started out when I was 21, I was a West End and Broadway leading lady for 22 years, so I find the ‘overnight’ thing hilarious. No one gets into theatre for fame or money; you get into it because you love the craft and it’s a vocation. The shift into screen work came because I’d just given birth to my child, the love of my life and I didn’t want to be out, six nights a week, eight shows a week.’
View 3 ImagesWaddingham stars in Ted Lasso, alongside Jason Sudeikis(Image: Apple TV+)
But Hannah, whose daughter, Kitty, is now 11, says that she spent many years ‘knocking, knocking, knocking’ on the TV and film door that is so often shut closed on theatre actors, but she says, screen stars, often don’t have the resilience to tread the boards.
Speaking on the Woman’s Health, Just as Well podcast, she said: ‘Theatre people are often told, we’re too big for camera, well how about you try and show us not to be. But I’ve often found, because it puts bums on seats, screen people will come into theatre, who with all due respect, haven’t got a clue the stamina it takes to do eight shows a week.
“You can be a good actor, but the stamina it takes to be onstage, live, we call it “show fit” certainly in musicals, for eight shows a week, is not for the faint hearted. So, I am very proud of my theatre roots and the people that were around be then from my generation who continue to be in shows because they’re badasses.’
The London-born actress spent a more than a decade in theatre before breaking into telly with roles in ITV’s Benidorm and the BBC’s Not Going Out. Her pre-break out TV role came in Game of Thrones when she starred as Septa Unella, the shame bell nun.
Article continues below
After working steadily, she landed her role in Ted Lasso for which she won an Emmy in 202. In her Emmy’s speech she urged the industry to give actors from musicals a chance to work in telly.
This week she confirmed that she’s in a new relationship, after splitting from her daughter’s father, Italian businessman Gianluca Cugnetto in 2023.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .