Gwendoline Christie

Gwendoline Christie

Christie at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con International
Born 28 October 1978[1][2][3]
Worthing, West Sussex, England, UK
Occupation Actress
Years active 2007–present
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Gwendoline Christie (born 28 October 1978) is an English model and actress. She is known for portraying the warrior Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series Game of Thrones and Lexi in the science fantasy series Wizards vs Aliens. In film, Christie started with minor roles in the Terry Gilliam films The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Zero Theorem, and will appear as Commander Lyme in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 and in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Early life

Christie was born in Worthing, West Sussex,[4] and grew up in a hamlet near the South Downs.[5] She trained as a gymnast as a child, but after a spine injury forced her to abandon that career, she took up acting.[6] Christie graduated from Drama Centre London in 2005.[5]

Career

Christie performing with Patrick Wolf at the London Palladium in 2009

Christie's mentor since drama school has been actor and author Simon Callow.[5] Her theatrical career includes a performance as the Queen in Shakespeare's Cymbeline[7] and "standing out" as Lucifer in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus (2010).[8] On screen, Christie played supporting roles in Terry Gilliam's 2009 and 2013 films The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Zero Theorem, the BBC TV production The Seven Ages of Britain, and the 2012 television series Wizards vs Aliens, among others.

Christie's striking height, 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m),[4] attracted the attention of photographer Polly Borland, who made Christie the subject of a noted series of photographs, entitled Bunny, between 2002 and 2008.[9] According to Christie, she felt then that the photographs—in which she appears mostly nude—could help her come to terms with her body, and challenge notions of femininity. However, she later said that she was shocked in retrospect that she had agreed to them.[4]

In July 2011, Christie was cast as the warrior Brienne of Tarth in the second season of HBO's fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.[10] Her character—an unusually tall, muscular, and plain-looking woman—is a favourite among many readers of the novels, and Christie had been proposed for the role on fan websites long before auditions took place.[5]

Christie said that she could draw on her own experiences of having been bullied for her height and androgynous looks to play the part of Brienne, a role that she was passionate to obtain after reading the A Song of Ice and Fire novels which the show adapts.[6] To prepare even for the auditions, she started wearing unisex clothing to help her get into her character's more masculine mindset, and took up an intensive training regime, gaining over a stone (6.4 kg, 14 lb) of muscle mass.[5] According to series co-writer and -producer George R.R. Martin, she obtained the role practically without debate after an arresting audition at which she appeared already made up and costumed as Brienne.[11] After being cast in the role, she prepared for it by taking horsemanship, sword-fighting, and stagefighting lessons.[5]

Her debut in the second season's third episode on 15 April 2012[12] was well received by critics. Nina Shen Rastogi praised her "eloquent and economical physical performance", noting that her walk, stance, and mien effectively conveyed Brienne's single-minded devotion to her self-given quest to become a knight and to her king Renly.[13][14] For her role as Brienne, Christie was nominated for the 2013 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In April 2014 Christie was cast in the role of Commander Lyme for the final film in the The Hunger Games series. Actress Lily Rabe had signed on for the part previously, but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts.[15]

Christie joined the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in June 2014.[16]

Personal life

In 2015, it was reported that Christie was dating fashion designer Giles Deacon.[17]

Filmography

Gwendoline Christie speaks at the Calgary Comic Expo 2015.

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Time Surgeon The Tape Short film
2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Classy Shopper 2
2013 The Zero Theorem Street Commercial
2015 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 Commander Lyme Post-production
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens TBA Post-Production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 The Seven Ages of Britain The Operator 7 episodes
2012–present Game of Thrones Brienne of Tarth Main role
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television (2013)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2013–14)
2012–2013 Wizards vs Aliens Lexi 26 episodes

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Cymbeline Queen Barbican Theatre
2009 Breakfast at Tiffany's Mag Wildwood[18] Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
2010 Dr. Faustus Lucifer Royal Exchange, Manchester

References

  1. ↑ Gwendoline Christine, Christie Ventures Ltd; findthecompany.co.uk (subscription required)
  2. ↑ "England and Wales Birth Index 1916-2005". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 5 October 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ Styles, Ruth (12 April 2013). "Fashion's unlikeliest couple: Designer Giles Deacon said to be dating fearsome Game of Thrones star, Gwendoline Christie". DailyMail. Retrieved 2 June 2014. Christie, 33, plays warrior Brienne of Tarth
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 McQuoid, Debbie (27 March 2013). "Gwendoline Christie: Natural Born Warrior". Stylist. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Game of Thrones: Gwendoline Christie Interview". SFX. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lash, Jolie (17 April 2012). "'Game of Thrones' – Gwendoline Christie Talks Digging Deep To Play Brienne". Access Hollywood. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  7. ↑ Best, Jason (30 May 2007). "Cymbeline". The Stage. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  8. ↑ Walker, Lynne (16 September 2010). "Doctor Faustus, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  9. ↑ Walker, Esther (29 June 2008). "How We Met: Gwendoline Christie & Polly Borland". The Independent. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Hibberd, James (8 July 2011). "'Game of Thrones' casts fan favorite Brienne". EW.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Martin, George R.R. (7 July 2011). "The Maid of Tarth". Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  12. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (12 April 2012). "'Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie: 'I'm similar to Brienne'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  13. ↑ Shen Rastogi, Nina (16 April 2012). "Game of Thrones Recap: How Do You Sleep?". Vulture.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  14. ↑ Shen Rastogi, Nina (8 April 2012). "TV's best show about women". Salon.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  15. ↑ "'Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2' Adds 'Game of Thrones' Actress Gwendoline Christie". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Feeney, Nolan (June 2, 2014). "Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie Join New Star Wars Film Cast". Time. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Gwendoline Christie wears boyfriend Giles Deacon cape design to the Elle Style Awards". Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Breakfast At Tiffanys - Theatre Royal Haymarket London - Cast and creative". london-theatreland.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.

External links

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