Hannah Waddingham Reveals The Best And Worst Thing About Being Recognised By Game Of Thrones Fans On Flights

Playing Septa Unella, AKA the bell-ringing 'Shame Nun’ - has its ups… and downs.

Hannah Waddingham might be best known these days for playing Rebecca Welton, the don’t-mess owner of AFC Richmond, in Apple TV’s award-winning Ted Lasso, but she still gets recognised for her small, but iconic role in Game Of Thrones.

Prior to becoming a household name across the pond, the British actor was a hugely successful theatre and TV star, with roles in the likes of Sex Education and Benidorm.

But it’s her memorable role as Septa Unella, known to Game Of Thrones fans as the bell-ringing ‘Shame Nun’, that she’s still recognised for - especially if she’s on a plane without make-up, which Hannah says, can be a blessing and a curse.

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Hannah Waddingham
Michael Buckner via Getty Images

“I only get recognised as Septa Unella when I haven’t got any make-up on,” she told The Zoe Report.

Recalling a time when she was en route to shoot Game of Thrones’ sixth season, with her then-18-month-old daughter in tow, Hannah said: “You can imagine what that was like, trying to get her to take her bottle.

“I was just totally in mommy mode, and this guy sitting next to me went, ‘Would I be right in thinking you can ring my bell?’ I was like, ‘My God, note to self: Put a little lipstick on next time.’” 

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Hannah played Septa Unella, AKA ‘The Shame Nun’, on Game Of Thrones
HBO

But it’s not always a bad thing being recognised when she’s cooped up in a plane, 36,000 feet up somewhere over the Atlantic.

When flight attendants ask her for a picture, Hannah admits: “It’s quite fun, though. You’re all holed up, and they don’t say it in a horrible way. They say it in a lovely, cheeky way, and then they leave you alone and give you a really lovely drink.”

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