Hannah Waddingham Fiercely Calls Out a Photographer Who Demands She Show More Leg on the Red Carpet

“You’d never say that to a man.”

Hannah Waddingham
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rachel Burchfield
By Rachel Burchfield
published

At Sunday night's Laurence Olivier Awards, actress Hannah Waddingham—who was hosting the awards ceremony for the second year in a row—was taken aback as she prepared to walk the red carpet. While posing for photos outside of Royal Albert Hall, a member of the paparazzi made a request for Waddingham to show more leg in her custom Marchesa dress (which featured a thigh-high slit). Waddingham was having none of it, per a video shared by X user @odeiotedlasso. (The video currently has 1.6 million views and counting.)

“Oh, my God,” Waddingham replied, visibly shocked. “You’d never say that to a man, my friend.”

Hannah Waddingham

Waddingham was having absolutely none of the sexist treatment leveled on her by a photographer at Sunday's Olivier Awards.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

But Waddingham, per Entertainment Weekly, didn’t stop there. Though the paparazzo’s specific request is inaudible, we can deduce what it was based off of Waddingham’s stunned reaction: dressing down the photographer, the Ted Lasso star told him “Don’t be a dick, otherwise I’ll move off. Don’t say ‘Show me leg.’ No.” Per the outlet, “The crowd cheered her on as she walked away.”

Her coup de grâce as she walked inside Royal Albert Hall was reminding the photographer to “have some manners,” Page Six reports. 

Hannah Waddingham

After a paparazzo asked Waddingham to show more leg, Waddingham dressed him down to cheers from the crowd watching.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Hannah Waddingham

Waddingham rightfully said that the same request would never have been made of a man, and demanded the photographer "have some manners."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Thankfully, as Entertainment Weekly put it, “Waddingham’s night only got better from there.” The awards ceremony honors the best of London theater, and Waddingham opened the show with a performance of “Anything Goes” to massive applause before kicking off her hosting duties.

Hannah Waddingham

Waddingham's hosting duties at the awards ceremony included multiple costume changes.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Hannah Waddingham

This is the second year in a row Waddingham has hosted the Olivier Awards, which celebrate the U.K.'s best in theater.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

And Waddingham is no stranger to standing up for herself on the red carpet. Lest we forget, while attending the Emmys earlier this year, she quickly corrected Live from E! Countdown to the Emmys host Laverne Cox after she accidentally introduced her as “Hannah Waddington.”

“Waddingham,” the actress said with a smile. “Let’s get that right, straight away.” 

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more. 

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