British actor Gwendoline Christie, who is six-foot-three, says she struggled with breaking into the entertainment industry because of her height. Then she was cast as the formidable warrior Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones and the rest is, as they say, history. Since the blockbuster adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s sprawling fantasy first premiered in 2012, Christie has gone on to become not only an in-demand actor but also model and muse. The star has walked for everyone from Vivenne Westwood to Miu Miu, made designs by Rick Owens and Iris van Herpen her very own on the red carpet, and provided major inspiration to her partner, designer Giles Deacon. In a new “Life in Looks” video for Vogue, Christie tracks her extraordinary rise as a fashion fixture.
Christie kicks off her trip down memory lane with the iconic Brienne. The rough-and-tumble role required Christie to take up extensive strength training and fully embody her physique. “I had to take my hair away. I had to acknowledge my height, my strength, my size, my androgyny, and also my vulnerability,” Christie says. “But I also had to really go down to the gym!”
It did not take too long for the rising star to find her footing on the red carpet. In 2015, she attended the red carpet for Star Wars: The Force Awakens wearing a deconstructed Oscar de la Renta gown designed by Peter Copping. From there, Christie soon established herself as a dynamic model in shows and campaigns for the industry’s top designers. Christie reflects on attending a fitting for Miu Miu that ran into midnight. She was practicing her walk with the brand’s creative director Miuccia Prada. After a few tries, Christie nailed it. “She told me, ‘Now that’s a walk.’”
Most recently, Christie starred in the smash Netflix program Wednesday alongside Jenna Ortega. In the Tim Burton-directed series, Christie plays headmistress Principal Larissa Weems for the school of outcasts (and monsters) that Wednesday attends. She says her and Burton’s approach to the character’s wardrobe was a subversive turn on the archetypal Hitchhock heroine, since, as Christie says, she would not expect to be cast in such a role. “We kept her shoulders strong and these strong collars, so this face was always presented.”
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