Gwendoline Christie feels proud to have "represented" women "outside of the constraints of conventional society" with her role in ‘Game of Thrones’.
The 40-year-old actress starred as Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy drama, and has said that "so many women" have come up to her to tell her how grateful they are for her character, who shuns traditional gender roles.
She said: "So many women come up to me and talk about what it means to feel represented outside of the constraints of conventional society."
And Gwendoline is proud to represent women, as she never believed there would be "women that looked like" her on television, because she is over six feet tall.
She added: "In 2011, I didn’t think I would ever see women that looked like me in mainstream entertainment. It felt like there was one mould that wouldn’t be broken and diversity was not a part of the conversation. So the fact that Brienne existed? Wow."
The actress has also admitted she’s struggled to let go of her famous character since the show came to an end this year, because she often worries another role as pivotal as that one "might never happen" again.
Speaking to GQ Style, she said: "What occurred was a shift; something spoke to me and allowed me an insight into humanity. Thrones, and Brienne, together they gave me a lot of hope, and a lot of experience.
"I’ve been dealing with this idea of loss since I first got the character. Now, it’s about stepping into other worlds and other humans and allowing that to happen.
"It was so hard for so long. But a little bit of acceptance means a huge amount."
Gwendoline Christie proud to represent women
