Gwendoline Christie Says 'Wednesday' Role Is First Time She's Felt 'Beautiful on Screen'

Gwendoline Christie’s role in “Wednesday” was transformative.

The 44-year-old British actor is known for her roles as Brienne of Tarth in “Game of Thrones” and the First Order stormtrooper Captain Phasma in the “Star Wars” films, but it was starring as Principal Larissa Weems in the Netflix series that she said truly made her feel “beautiful on screen.”

Christie was handpicked by director Tim Burton to take on the role of the Nevermore Academy leader and then given the freedom to “do whatever (she wanted) with the character,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

That offer proved to be an “unbelievable opportunity” that made her proud of her role.

“It is the first time I’ve ever felt beautiful on screen,” Christie said. “I cannot express my extreme gratitude more heartily to Tim and (costume designer) Colleen (Atwood) and our hair and makeup team. Colleen Atwood is rightfully a legend, and what she does is close to witchcraft in terms of transformation. It is an honor of my life to work with Colleen and to work with Tim.”

To prepare for the role she watched Hitchcock films, “to examine a different way of moving, of poise, elegance, and a more balletic stance. Women in those movies would hold themselves with confidence and grace.”

When molding her Larissa Weems, she kept thinking the character was an outcast who went to a school for outcasts and “was always second best and was always in Morticia’s (Catherine Zeta-Jones) shadow,” Christie said.

“What kept coming to me was this idea of this Hitchcock-style heroine, this screen siren, that maybe that young woman would look to our mystic portal, the cinema, to be an incarnation of her fantasies,” she said. “And weirdly, Tim had exactly the same idea and so did Colleen Atwood.”

“Wednesday” follows Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) as she attends Nevermore Academy and uncovers various school secrets. The cast includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzman as Gomez, as well as Christina Ricci, known for her portrayal of Wednesday in “The Addams Family” films.

After the series dropped on Netflix, Christie shared a photo a friend sent to her and thanked people for their support.

“Grateful. To all of you for watching @wednesdaynetflix , for enjoying, for your wonderful and kind messages, for your support and your love, thank you!,” she wrote on Instagram on Sunday, Nov. 28. “This is from my lovely friend of 20+ years watching the show at home and being generous enough to share their happy experience. Thank you to you ALL for your generosity, too!! It means the world.”

Additionally, many viewers were shocked to learn that Ricci played the ‘90s version of the titular character.

Ricci starred as the iconic character in the 1991 hit movie “The Addams Family” and its sequel, “Addams Family Values.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com