Right before she hosted the Olivier Awards, Hannah Waddingham didn’t mince her words when she called out a paparazzi for asking her to “show me leg” as she was taking red carpet photos. The Ted Lasso star quickly responded by saying “Don’t be a dick” before walking away, and now she’s sharing what happened after that interaction, and I’m pleased to report that this story has a happy ending.
For context, Hannah Waddingham was taking photos before the award show she was hosting, and one photographer asked her to “show me leg.” She had the following response (via @odeiotedlasso on X) to the request, and after she said this she walked away from the situation:
Oh my god, you would never say that to a man my friend. Don’t be a dick, otherwise, I’ll move off. Don’t say ‘show me leg,’ no.
That video went viral, and as many complimented the way Waddingham handled the situation, the show went on and she hosted the Oliviers, which is the West End’s theater awards.
Now, a few days after the award show, which went very well by the way, Hannah Waddingham appeared on BBC’s The One Show to chat about it all. When asked about what happened with the photographer the actress gave a positive update, explaining:
I'm good. I called out what needed to be absolutely necessary to call out, and I've received a written apology. So, now I'm so ready to move on, and I'm not having it overshadow what was the most, I think even more than last year, the most glorious, joyful, positive night, you know?
Waddingham briefly explained that after this situation she got an apology from the photographer, and she clearly stated that she’s moving on from it. The actress has never been one to hold back her feelings – just take a look at her candid comments about filming Game of Thrones or her defense of Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible controversy – and she was honest with both the photographer and those who asked her about it.
She then turned her attention to the award show and just how well it went, saying:
And I don't usually say this but I was really flipping proud of that night. It did exactly what we wanted it do. The whole place erupted like a bunch of lunatics. So, that's what the takeaway should be, you know?
You heard her, the takeaway from this should be about how well the Oliviers went, not what happened on the red carpet; that issue has been resolved. And she’s right, that show went swimmingly, as you can see just by watching her opening performance:
Along with shifting our focus to how fabulous the show was, let’s also shine a light on Hannah Waddingham’s exciting projects coming soon. On the 2024 movie schedule, she’ll be playing a role in The Fall Guy cast alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Plus, next year she’ll be starring opposite Tom Cruise in the next Mission: Impossible movie. So, we definitely want to keep our focus on the future rather than the past, especially when those previous issues are resolved.
If we learn more about Hannah Waddingham’s interaction with this photographer at the Oliviers, we’ll keep you posted. However, it seems like this story has been put to bed, so you should shift your attention to her work by watching Ted Lasso with an Apple TV+ subscription and catching The Fall Guy in theaters on May 3.
