Actress Gwendoline Christie plays Principal Larissa Weems in the Netflix series Wednesday. There she runs Nevermore Academy, a boarding school to which Wednesday Adams (played by Jenna Ortega) is also sent by her family. Already in the first episodes of the series it becomes clear that there are only children at the school who have particularly extraordinary and mystical abilities. The 44-year-old Christie and director Tim Burton recognized that you have to stand out as the headmistress of such a special institution – and incorporated it into the role.
“You can play the character any way you want,” Burton reportedly said, “and then we’ll talk about it,” Gwendoline Christie recalled in an interview with the US magazine “Entertainment Weekly”. The 44-year-old saw it as a huge opportunity to present her skills to the successful director and thought about it in advance.
She collaborated with Tim Burton and costume designer Colleen Atwood on the idea of acting like the heroine of an Alfred Hitchcock film in the role of Larissa Weems. In the style of actresses Tippie Hedren and Kim Novak, who starred in his thrillers. Cool, blond, elegant. Christie studied the characters closely.
Christie also revealed in the interview that she likes to empathize with the characters of people who are very far from their true essence. However, she indicated that she rarely gets such roles. “It was my opportunity to create a role with an impenetrable, imperious character—infused with the classic notion of femininity,” says Christie. While Hitcock heroines usually experience dramatic things, she explains that they are always ready to face risky situations, adding how exciting it was for her.
Gwendoline Christie is very grateful for what the make-up team around Colleen Atwood did in her transformation into Larissa Weems. The costume designer was able to bring out Christie’s strengths and make her feel beautiful in her body. At no point did the 44-year-old actress feel like she had to hide anything or be ashamed, which was an incredible feeling. She referred to her transformation as witchcraft, saying, “It’s the first time I feel beautiful in a role!”
Sources: “EW”, “Netflix”
