Hannah Waddingham Said A Drama Teacher Told Her She'd Never Become A Successful Actor, And The Reason Is Extremely Upsetting

Hannah Waddingham recently revealed a harsh yet defining moment in her acting career, and it's incredibly relatable.

Closeup of Hannah Waddingham in a one-shouldered sequined dress
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The 49-year-old actor has had a brilliant rise to stardom over the years, with roots beginning on the stages of the West End and Broadway for productions like Spamalot, Into the Woods, and The Wizard of Oz.

Closeup of Hannah Waddingham
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She's appeared in popular shows like Netflix's Sex Education as Sophia Marchetti, one of Jackson's mothers.

Sophia sitting in between Jackson and his other mother, Roz, in a scene from "Sex Education"
Netflix

And who could forget her scene-stealing arrival to Seasons 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones as the "Shame Nun" Septa Unella?

A closeup of Septa Unella in a scene from "Game of Thrones"

Finally, from 2020 to 2023, Hannah portrayed her most notable role to date on the feel-good Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso as the owner of AFC Richmond, Rebecca Welton.

Rebecca sitting in the stands cheering in a scene from "Ted Lasso"

In 2021, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for this unforgettable role.

Colin Hutton /©Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection

But, despite her killer career on the rise, Hannah revealed that she had one hater who unintentionally became the driving force for her to succeed, and it's all too familiar.

Closeup of Hannah Waddingham on the red carpet in a long-sleeved lace dress
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During a conversation on the BBC Radio 2 podcast Michelle Visage's Rule Breakers, Hannah shared how one drama teacher said she would never be successful for a really messed-up reason.

Hannah Waddingham with her Emmy
Variety / Penske Media via Getty Images, Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

"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,'" Hannah recalled.

"Shame. Shame. Shame."
HBO / Via media.giphy.com

Hannah, who became an award-winning actor, intended to make this hater eat their words and used this moment as motivation to prove them wrong. "I thought, 'I will do, come hell or high water, I will work on screen,'" she added.

Closeup of Hannah Waddingham
Nbc / Lloyd Bishop / NBC via Getty Images

Although she said it gave her a "complex" for years, she made it a mission to strive for the big moment she could open the door and "rip it off its hinges" to make room for others coming up who shared similar experiences.

Closeup of Hannah Waddingham

Later in the conversation, she described how she almost stepped back from on-screen acting completely and returned strictly to the theater before landing her role in Game of Thrones. And, gee, we're glad this is how everything played out.

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BuzzFeed Community, I want to hear about a defining moment when a hater (family member, boss, teacher, ex-partner, etc.) doubted you and how you rose to the occasion and succeeded.

Share your story in the comments (or use this anonymous Google form), and your response may be featured in an upcoming post — your experience could help someone else.