Who Was Hannah Waddingham Before 'Ted Lasso'?
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Making it in Hollywood is tough, and the hottest names working today all took their own path to stardom. Whether it's a former TV star who lands a spot in the MCU, or a hilarious secondary performer who finally got the chance to shine, all journeys to the top are unique.
Ted Lasso is one of the most popular shows on TV, and Hannah Waddingham has been exceptional on the show. Like many others, her journey has had some memorable stops along the way.
Let's take a closer look at who Hannah Waddingham was before landing a main role on Ted Lasso.
Hannah Waddingham Is Great On 'Ted Lasso'
Since the show's debut in 2020, Hannah Waddingham has been starring as Rebecca Welton on the hit series, Ted Lasso. This show did a particularly good job in getting the right people in the right roles, and this is especially true for Hannah Waddingham.
Waddingham didn't know what was in store for her character, but she knew that the show had a lot of potential early on.
"No clue past the pilot, and I'm not exaggerating. Without seeing anything else, I knew there was potential. I read that script and thought, ‘Okay, there's no way that this character is going to be anything like I think she is,'" she told T&C.
Clearly, Waddingham has a good eye, because her character has developed into an integral piece of the show. Other characters are great in their own right, but people genuinely love what Rebecca brings to each episode.
The actress is doing great on Ted Lasso, and she had a long road to get to where she is now.
Hannah Waddingham Was In Movies Like 'Les Miserables'
In the world of film, Hannah Waddingham has been working since 2008. She is not necessarily known for being a film performer, but she has appeared in some notable projects, and even has a huge one coming later this year.
Prior to starring on Ted Lasso, Waddingham appeared in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Les Miserables, Winter Ridge, and 2019's The Hustle.
When dishing on what it was like to work on Les Miserables, Waddingham said, "It was great fun. Myself and Kate Fleetwood were the two main bitchy factory workers bullying Anne Hathaway as Fantine. I developed a really nice relationship with Tom Hooper, the director of The King's Speech, because he was being cheeky about musical theatre. We all just had such a laugh and Anne’s a lovely girl and of course the lovely Hugh Jackman who was just wonderful and very down to earth and made it really enjoyable."
This all predates Ted Lasso, but those keeping an eye on her future know that she is going to appear in Hocus Pocus 2 later this year!
Waddingham did solid work on the big screen, but the majority of her time has been spent doing television work.
Hannah Waddingham Took Part In Other High Profile TV Shows
On television, Hannah Waddingham has been turning in work since 2002. She has appeared on shows like My Hero, Footballers' Wives, Doctors, My Family, and in 2015, she started her time as Septa Unella on Game of Thrones.
Septa Unella had a memorable run on the show, and she was partly responsible for Cersei's walk of shame becoming an iconic scene.
Said Waddingham of filming Cersei's walk of shame scene, "My first day ever on Thrones was standing at the top of those stairs. My daughter had popped out maybe nine weeks previously, so I didn’t even know what my name was that day. And I said to you, ‘Oh, my God, this is so epic.’… ‘Oh, my God, do you ever get used to this?’ And you were so cool about it all. And I thought, I want to be like her when I grow up.”
Of course, one of the most notable things about this scene is the fact that Waddingham's character tolled a bell as Cersei was walking through King's Landing.
In an interview, Waddingham confirmed that she got to keep the bell, though it did signify the end of her time on the show.
"That’s when you know that your character is really dead. When they give you like, the ‘hero’ thing of your character. They’re like, ‘Thank you very much and goodbye,'" the actress said.
Before her time on Ted Lasso officially got underway, Waddingham would also appear on shows like Krypton and Sex Education.
Hannah Waddingham is doing some outstanding things on Ted Lasso, and the road that she took to get to where she is now is truly remarkable.
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