50) HANNAH WADDINGHAM
Religious fanatics makes for some pretty nasty gatekeepers, and English actress Hannah Waddingham gave us a prime example in the grim character of Septa Unella, an acolyte of the High Sparrow.
In an interview with Vulture, Waddingham talks about how the devout Septa Unella does not consider her treatment of the imprisoned Cersei as torture:
"She is (torturing Cersei), but in her eyes, she’s devout and she’s been chosen to take up the mantle here of being the main torturer. And she doesn’t see it as torture. She thinks she’s cleansing her, cleansing her soul. I think she’s trying to teach Cersei that you have to strip everything back … It’s a mind game. It’s breaking her down …"
Waddingham got her first break in TV in the series Coupling (2002), and followed it up parts on shows like Footballer’s Wives (2005), Hollyoaks: Let Loose (2005), Agatha Christie’s Marple (2010), Benidorm (2014), Doctors (2008-2015), In the Club (2016) and 12 Monkeys (2017, above). Her movie credits include How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008), Into the Woods (2011), Les Miserables (2012, below) and The Gatehouse (2016). Waddington has also starred in a number of London stage productions, including Spamalot and Kiss Me, Kate.
Morality aside, Waddington tells Vulture that shooting the torture scenes with Lena Headey was a total blast: “Lena and I had a great laugh doing that, I have to say. We absolutely got on like a house on fire, and at times, we were told off by the director because we were just having way too much fun.”
Waddington is starring in the feature film Winter Ridge in 2018.