“It’s so much easier to be other people. And it’s always in putting on the mask that you reveal yourself” – Gwendoline Christie
Most women do not reach the commanding height of six feet, three inches, so the few that do often find themselves in the spotlight somehow — as models, athletes, and actors. For actor Gwendoline Christie, her towering height made her an ideal choice for the roles of Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones and Captain Phasma in the recent Star Wars films. This came after many told her that she’d never make it as an actress because of her height. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Christie speaks about what inspired her to become an actress and why her Game of Thrones role is a perfect fit for her.
Like many other actors, Christie reveals that her connection with acting developed very early. She recalls, “When I discovered film, I couldn’t get close enough to the screen. I wanted to climb in.” She also adds that acting allows her to be more comfortable with herself by pretending to be someone else. She continues, “Oh, it’s that, 100 percent. It’s so much easier to be other people. And it’s always in putting on the mask that you reveal yourself. It’s however people find it easiest to breathe. And that’s how I find it easiest.”
Christie explains that while others might not have thought of her for the role of Brienne of Tarth, she knew it was the type of part that she was hoping to play. She says, “I know how generic it sounds but it just was, in every sense of the word, incredible that that part should come along, made for me in a way that none of my friends would’ve identified for a second. They saw all of the fighting, the physicality, the fact that it was a character who was constantly being described as ugly. None of the people who knew me could understand why I would want to play that part… I had to cut my hair, change my body, strip off my make-up. This is not the person I have presented to the world at all.”
