Hannah Waddingham Said A Drama Teacher Told Her She'd Never Become A Successful Actor, And The Reason Is Extremely Upsetting

    The Emmy Award-winning actor had the chance to prove her biggest hater wrong, and I want to know if you have a similar story to share.

    Mychal Thompson
    by Mychal Thompson

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hannah Waddingham recently revealed a harsh yet defining moment in her acting career, and it's incredibly relatable.

    Closeup of Hannah Waddingham in a one-shouldered sequined dress
    Robin L Marshall / FilmMagic

    The 49-year-old actor has had a brilliant rise to stardom over the years, with roots beginning on the stages of the West End and Broadway for productions like Spamalot, Into the Woods, and The Wizard of Oz.

    Closeup of Hannah Waddingham
    Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images

    She's appeared in popular shows like Netflix's Sex Education as Sophia Marchetti, one of Jackson's mothers.

    Sophia sitting in between Jackson and his other mother, Roz, in a scene from "Sex Education"
    Netflix

    And who could forget her scene-stealing arrival to Seasons 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones as the "Shame Nun" Septa Unella?

    A closeup of Septa Unella in a scene from "Game of Thrones"
    HBO

    In this role, Hannah recalled a particular scene from Season 6 as "the worst day of [her] life," which left her aquaphobic and claustrophobic.

    Finally, from 2020 to 2023, Hannah portrayed her most notable role to date on the feel-good Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso as the owner of AFC Richmond, Rebecca Welton.

    Rebecca sitting in the stands cheering in a scene from "Ted Lasso"
    Colin Hutton /©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection

    In 2021, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for this unforgettable role.

    But, despite her killer career on the rise, Hannah revealed that she had one hater who unintentionally became the driving force for her to succeed, and it's all too familiar.

    Closeup of Hannah Waddingham on the red carpet in a long-sleeved lace dress
    Billboard / Billboard via Getty Images

    During a conversation on the BBC Radio 2 podcast Michelle Visage's Rule Breakers, Hannah shared how one drama teacher said she would never be successful for a really messed-up reason.

    Variety / Penske Media via Getty Images, Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    "I had one drama teacher that said to the whole class: 'Oh, Hannah will never work on screen because she looks like one side of her face has had a stroke,'" Hannah recalled.

    HBO / Via media.giphy.com

    Hannah, who became an award-winning actor, intended to make this hater eat their words and used this moment as motivation to prove them wrong. "I thought, 'I will do, come hell or high water, I will work on screen,'" she added.

    Closeup of Hannah Waddingham
    Nbc / Lloyd Bishop / NBC via Getty Images

    Although she said it gave her a "complex" for years, she made it a mission to strive for the big moment she could open the door and "rip it off its hinges" to make room for others coming up who shared similar experiences.

    Closeup of Hannah Waddingham
    Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images

    Later in the conversation, she described how she almost stepped back from on-screen acting completely and returned strictly to the theater before landing her role in Game of Thrones. And, gee, we're glad this is how everything played out.

    BuzzFeed Community, I want to hear about a defining moment when a hater (family member, boss, teacher, ex-partner, etc.) doubted you and how you rose to the occasion and succeeded.

    Share your story in the comments (or use this anonymous Google form), and your response may be featured in an upcoming post — your experience could help someone else.