Game of Thrones' Brienne of Tarth made Gwendoline Christie one of the series' breakout stars, but Christie told ES Magazine this week that "none of the people who knew me could understand why I would want to play that part".

"I know how generic it sounds but it just was, in every sense of the word, incredible that that part should come along, made for me in a way that none of my friends would’ve identified for a second," Christie said. "They saw all of the fighting, the physicality, the fact that it was a character who was constantly being described as ugly."

Getting yourself cast as a character mockingly heckled by others as 'Brienne the Beauty' could certainly feel like a bit of a dig, but Christie took to Brienne immediately, partly because of the physical transformation the part demanded: "I had to cut my hair, change my body, strip off my make-up. This is not the person I have presented to the world at all."

Eventually, playing Brienne helped Christie to accept herself too. "I'm happy out here with all the other leftovers, who show love and support for each other," she said. "All of the inconsistencies, complexities and ugly parts — whatever that might mean — can exist and beauty can be made out of it."