Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer defends Hollywood's obsession with looks, claiming male actors are also 'objectified just as much as women'
- Natalie Dormer says that both men and women are judged on their looks
- But she believes there is a problem with ageism in showbusiness
- The actress stars in BBC2's new drama The Scandalous Lady W
Natalie Dormer is no stranger to controversy or corsets and in her new role as bed-hopping Lady Worsley the actress embraces both.
The 33-year-old, last seen playing Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, will set pulses racing as the man-eating 18th century aristocrat in The Scandalous Lady W, which is being touted as BBC's raciest costume drama yet.
But the star insisted to the Radio Times that the historical figure's life is also a glimpse of early women's lib: 'This is a story of a remarkable woman in a man's time. She is vulnerable, and then she slowly empowers herself. That's a great arc,' she said.
Natalie Dormer has revealed in an interview that she believes males actors are subjected to just as much objectification as female actors in showbiz
The bodice-ripping drama reenacts the notorious break-up of Sir Richard Worsley and his wife Seymour, a case that shocked society.
In the Scandalous Lady W, viewers watch as Natalie's heroine beds a number of lovers before meeting her husband in court to expose his behaviour.
But what was even more shocking about her sexual liaisons was that her husband, wealthy politician Sir Richard Worsley, played by Shaun Evans, not only condoned them, he arranged them - and then watched the bedroom encounters through a keyhole.
It's just the latest part that sees Natalie strip off, but the Hunger Games star insists that it's no longer just women who are being asked to disrobe for the sake of art, with men being assessed for their appearance just as much.
Natalie takes on the role of Lady Worsley in the BBC's most recent bodice ripping drama The Scandalous Lady W which she describes as 'a story of a remarkable woman in a man's time'
Natalie is no stranger to controversial roles having starred in HBO's Game of Thrones which has recently been described as 'gratuitous' and 'disgusting' for its graphic portrayal of violence
Natalie Dormer as The Scandalous Lady W on the cover of next week's Radio Times
She said: 'My personal experience has been to work on phenomenal jobs in which the men are objectified as much as the women. Actors suffer from it, too. Wasn't there a thing about Aidan Turner in Poldark?
'It's a visual medium, so to a certain extent you get judged on the way you look.
She added that sexism isn't holding talented actors back. 'I believe that perseverance will out, that if you're good and you work hard, everyone will notice.'
But Natalie concedes that ageism is a problem for women in the industry, after Maggie Gyllenhaal was told recently that at the age of 37 she was too old to play the love interest of a 55-year-old man.
'I haven't got that problem yet! But if you mean there's a double standard, of course there is.
'Maggie Gyllenhaal has a great career. She might be b****ing about it, but she's navigating it.'
Natalie, who also played Anne Boleyn in The Tudors, has starred in some of the most talked-about scenes on HBO's fantasy smash hit drama Game Of Thrones.
But she defends the show's bloodshed and X-rated content, telling the magazine: 'I don't find it gratuitous. You can watch a film like Superman, and characters will be mown down by guns, yet you won't see any blood.
'That's when I get angry about violence: when its consequences aren't portrayed.'
And like many actors she's aware of how ephemeral the industry really is and reveals her changing fortunes as she struggled to establish herself after a role in a hit BBC series.
'I went back to temping to buy Christmas presents. A year after Casanova, I was back in a friend's office doing cold calling,' she said.
Natalie Dormer's full interview is in next week's Radio Times, on sale Saturday, 15 August
The Scandalous Lady W will be screened on BBC2 on August 17
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3192632/Game-Thrones-star-Natalie-Dormer-defends-Hollywood-s-obsession-looks-claiming-male-actors-objectified-just-women.html#ixzz3iWvTgmvZ
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