Gwendoline Christie

The growth spurt nobody saw coming

At six foot three, Gwendoline Christie had her career shaped by her height long before she ever set foot on a set. During her training years at Drama Centre London, teachers warned her that her physique would limit her to supporting or purely incidental roles. She chose to ignore the advice and threw herself into classical theater to refine a technique that could offset what the industry saw as a hindrance.

Early on, she worked closely with photographer Polly Borland on experimental projects that explored the limits of the human body. That period was key to understanding her image not as a barrier but as a powerfully expressive tool. And the gamble paid off.

Nobody expected a woman of her height to fit into mainstream television.

In 2011, the casting team for Game of Thrones was looking for someone who could embody Brienne of Tarth, and Christie saw her chance. To land the role, she underwent extreme physical training that included horseback riding, sword fighting, and a diet designed to add fourteen pounds of muscle mass. The result was a performance that challenged the norms of femininity in big-budget fiction over eight seasons.

From the Wall of Westeros to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Her success in cable television opened the doors to major Hollywood franchises. In 2015, she joined the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the chrome armor of Captain Phasma. Although the character had limited screen time, her presence generated a huge wave of merchandise and debates about the role of women in action movies.

Her career didn't stop at formulaic blockbusters. In 2017, she worked with director Jane Campion on the second season of Top of the Lake, playing a police officer in Australia. The role let her step away from epic fantasy and show she could handle dense dialogue in realistic, claustrophobic settings.

Her physique allowed her to inhabit spaces other actresses could not reach.

In 2022, Netflix recruited her for two of its most ambitious projects. In the series The Sandman, she took on the role of Lucifer Morningstar, bringing a cold, aristocratic elegance that set the character apart from earlier versions. That same year, she played principal Larissa Weems in Wednesday, directed by Tim Burton, on a shoot that took place mainly in Romania.

The connection to haute couture

Off camera, Christie has built a strong connection with the avant-garde fashion world. In 2015, she walked the runway for Vivienne Westwood and has regularly collaborated with designers such as Giles Deacon and Iris van Herpen. Her relationship with fashion is no accident, as she uses clothing as an extension of her personal narrative on red carpets and at public events.

Her height has made her a central figure in contemporary fashion photography. But she has always prioritized projects where the script demanded a real psychological transformation over aesthetics. So in 2019, she returned to the stage at the Bridge Theatre in London to play Titania in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that received notable reviews for its immersive approach.

In 2025, she joined the cast of the second season of Severance for Apple TV+.

Production on this series was considerably delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes in the United States. Filming took place under strict confidentiality measures at various locations in New York and New Jersey. Christie's contract included confidentiality clauses that kept details about her character under wraps until the official premiere.