Gwendoline Christie Discusses Being Cast In Wednesday And How It Differs From Game Of Thrones

Across eight seasons and 73 episodes, HBO's "Game of Thrones" ignited the careers of several UK actors. Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), and many more all led the series with engaging and dynamic performances that built a huge following throughout the 2010s. The supporting cast of characters was equally mesmerizing, including Gwendoline Christie's stoic and powerful role as Brienne of Tarth, a sworn sword dedicated to fulfilling her duty no matter the cost. Brienne's bravery and skills as a fierce defender when coupled with her purity of heart consistently won rave reviews (via Rolling Stone).

When the series came to an end in 2019, Christie continued her career with a series of versatile and wholly opposite characters from the warrior viewers had come to know her as. After her turn as the benevolent Lucifer of Morningstar in Netflix's "The Sandman," she also joined the streamer's other 2022 breakout "Wednesday" as the beguiling Larissa Weems. The actor has spoken candidly about how Larissa differs from the more remote Brienne of Tarth, and much of this has to do with the personalities of the two characters.

In an interview with Vogue, Gwendoline Christie recounts how she was worried about being cast in future roles after "Game of Thrones" ended due to her "unconventional" appearance. She then broke down how she approached the looks of many of her characters including Principal Larissa Weems on "Wednesday." The actor said, "I've wanted to work with Tim Burton my entire life. I cannot believe I've had this opportunity and how glorious it's been." Christie then spoke about how she cherished the character because Burton allowed her to approach the role however she wanted.

This included Christie molding the look of the educator on many female characters from older Alfred Hitchcock films, which certainly comes across in the costume design. The "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" actor later added, "And after playing Brienne of Tarth for 10 years, and love Brienne of Tarth, I sort of wanted to play the opposite of that." This led her to discuss the primary differences between Larissa and Brienne which included a lack of shame on Weem's part when compared to the far more reserved Brienne.

Christie added how the "Game of Thrones" heroine had to overcome a great deal of indignity due to the way society treated her for so long. She then concluded by pointing out how her "Wednesday" role "is a character who was bold and assured and proud and presenting herself to the world."