While she may be best known for her role in Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham appeared in HBO's Game of Thrones as a powerful supporting character.
Summary
- Hannah Waddingham's character in Game of Thrones, Septa Unella, had a significant impact despite her small role.
- Septa Unella, also known as the "Shame Nun," gained pop culture prominence for her iconic scene with Cersei Lannister.
- Waddingham enjoyed playing Septa Unella because of her de-glammed appearance.
Despite having a relatively small role, Hannah Waddingham's memorable Game of Thrones character made an enormous impact on HBO's series. Based on George R. R. Martin's book series A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy show that follows a series of characters that include Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) who are all involved in an epic war over who should become the ruler of Westeros. Unfortunately, the characters also have to prepare for an invasion from a group called the White Walkers, led by the Night King, who want to destroy the entire realm.
Throughout the HBO series, Game of Thrones has had a number of strong side characters who played a vital part in the overall narrative, one being the character played by Hannah Waddingham. Waddingham is a prominent theater actress who has graced the stages of both London's West End and Broadway, but most know her for her Emmy-winning role as Rebecca Welton in Apple TV's Ted Lasso. However, even before Ted Lasso, Waddingham's Game of Thrones character became a huge pop culture phenomenon, especially for her iconic scene involving Cersei Lannister.
Hannah Waddingham Played Septa Unella The Shame Nun In Game Of Thrones
First introduced in Game of Thrones season 5, Hannah Waddingham plays Septa Unella, a member of the Faith of the Seven clergy and one of the High Sparrow's (Jonathan Pryce) most loyal followers. However, Unella is more collectively known within popular culture as the "Shame Nun", which alludes to her famous scene in which she strips Cersei completely naked and then forces her to walk around King's Landing while ringing a bell and chanting "shame" for her crimes of committing adultery with Lancel, Cersei's cousin.
However, Cersei ultimately gets her revenge because after destroying the Sept of Baelor and reclaiming her position as the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she immediately imprisons Unella and torments her for all the pain she caused against Cersei. Cersei reminds Unella of the promise she gave to her about how her face would be the last thing the nun would see before Unella dies, and afterward, Cersei brings Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson) into her cell. Cersei leaves the room and smiles as she hears Unella's screams while the viewer is only left to imagine how The Mountain is torturing her.
Waddingham Liked Septa Unella's De-Glammed Game Of Thrones Look
Despite Unella's grisly fate, Waddingham enjoyed playing the character, specifically because of Unella's drab appearance. Waddingham states, "I'm not interested in looking dolly all the time, it needs to be whatever suits the character. I mean liked the fact that in Game of Thrones, I looked like I'd just been dug up, exhumed from somewhere" (via CinemaBlend). Her role as Unella also highlights how talented of an actress Waddingham is as the dour, zealous nun is a completely different character from the more confident and fashionable Rebecca Walton she played in Ted Lasso. Waddingham even got to keep the shame bell after her time on Game of Thrones was over.
Related Topics About The AuthorTimothy Lee is a writer who has been working at Screen Rant since 2023. Ever since he wrote his first film review for his college newspaper, he has been obsessed with the art of film criticism. Aside from the work done at Screen Rant, Timothy writes film reviews for small news outlets and runs his own movie-themed YouTube channel.
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