British actor Hannah Waddingham would not have achieved fame and been recognized for her work as an actor on screen with prestigious awards had she resigned to accepting her drama teacher's cruel critique of her as a young student.
Waddingham, who recently won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 for Ted Lasso, appeared on the BBC Radio 2 podcast Michelle Visage's Rule Breakers and revealed:
"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.'"
Although she admitted the teacher's comment "gave [her] a complex for years," she refused to give up on her passions despite the humiliating moment.
The 49-year-old star recalled:
"I thought, I will do, come hell or high water, I will work on screen."
"I used to knacker myself senseless.""
"I used to be doing a [theater] show at night and I used to literally take anything to get myself on screen."
Fans were appalled by the teacher's discouraging words.
Users also strongly disagreed with the rude criticism.
Her hard work paid off.
After working in various theater productions in venues at the West End and on Broadway in shows like Spamalot—for which she earned an Olivier Award nomination for her portrayal of the arresting Lady of the Lake—she eventually made it to the screen and has been steadily working ever since.
She has since worked in films like The Hustle and Hocus Pocus 2 and had memorable turns in various TV shows like Ted Lasso, 12 Monkeys, Game of Thrones and Sex Education.
Waddingham continues to be in demand by the entertainment industry.
Last March, it was announced that the London native will be joining the cast for the untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film.
She even co-hosted the internationally popular Eurovision Song Contest 2023 final in Liverpool.
So to that drama teacher we only have one thing to say:
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Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram