Hannah Waddingham does not appear to have an off switch. In the past few weeks, she\u2019s walked red carpets on several continents, sat for a stack of press junkets and is now juggling two major show launches and a new beauty campaign\u2014all seemingly at once.<\/p>\n
The first act is Ride or Die<\/em>, Prime Video\u2019s new action-comedy series in which Waddingham stars opposite Octavia Spencer, and executive produces alongside her. Waddingham plays Judith Burton, a woman who has spent 25 years posing as a \u201cmind-numbingly dull\u201d forensic accountant while secretly working as one of the world’s top assassins, known in the field as Whiptail. When her best friend of two-plus decades, Debbie (Spencer), finally discovers the truth, the two are forced on the run together across Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Waddingham didn\u2019t just play the part\u2014she fought for it, literally. \u201cI really hit the ground running with the stunts,\u201d she says proudly, although she admits when she jumped on the Zoom to first chat about the part, she hadn\u2019t \u201centirely read the whole email\u201d regarding what the script entailed. <\/p>\n \u201cSubliminally, the audience sees me fight a lot in the first few episodes, whether it\u2019s unarmed combat or with a gun. I \u2019m not going to lie, it\u2019s been intense. I did them back to back, pretty much. It was like Dancing With The Stars<\/em>\u2014finish one on a Friday, learn another one at the weekend, shoot another one on the Monday. I was really wrong out…but, when I watch it back, I\u2019m really proud of it. They all look pretty epic.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I also point out I\u2019ve never done stunts like this before? I\u2019m almost in one piece. I\u2019ve got scars and everything…that\u2019s my badge of honor.\u201d<\/p>\n The show\u2019s opening sequence, filmed at the top of a mountain in Austria, is Waddingham herself, no stunt double in sight. As creator Tessa Coates puts it: \u201cThere\u2019s no reason it needed to be Hannah, but Hannah said, \u2018No, it\u2019s going to be me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n It’s that physicality that showrunner Matt Miller says was imperative for the role to work. \u201cHannah has a physical confidence to her where you actually believe she’s an assassin, which is a tall order,\u201d he says. \u201cThat part can’t feel forced or fake, or the whole show falls apart. You need to buy that.\u201d<\/p>\n Waddingham has her own theory on why it’s resonating. \u201cOf course, there are a million action-drama-comedy things out there…so many things about two women being funny with each other, or two women who are perimenopausal and menopausal. There\u2019s things with guns, things with cars, clever espionage\u2014all of that. I was concerned. I thought, how is all of that going to fit in one pot and each of those things find its moment? But it does, in every single episode.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, the actress is stepping back into the Emmy Award\u2013winning role she never really left behind: Rebecca Welton, the AFC Richmond owner in Ted Lasso<\/em>, which returns for a fourth season this fall. This time, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) returns to coach the club\u2019s women\u2019s team, and Rebecca\u2014alongside Keeley (Juno Temple) and Higgins (Jeremy Swift)\u2014is behind the push to grow the women’s game. <\/p>\n Rebecca\u2019s own storyline gets more complicated, too, as her long-distance relationship with Matthijs starts veering toward something more permanent. \u201cWe\u2019re three years into Rebecca and Matthijs\u2019 relationship,\u201d says Waddingham. \u201cThey\u2019ve been having a great time, but he\u2019s starting to nudge it toward something more\u2014and Rebecca\u2019s asking herself whether she wants that.\u201d<\/p>\n Waddingham reflects that returning to the character came with an unexpectedly emotional realization. \u201cWe\u2019re all so close that I never really missed anyone,\u201d she says of the cast.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it made me realize the only person I didn\u2019t get to be with anymore was Rebecca,\u201d she continues. \u201cThere’s something very strange about missing a character that only exists when you\u2019re embodying them.\u201d<\/p>\n Between an assassin thriller, a beloved ensemble comedy and other exciting projects in the queue, it\u2019s fair to say Waddingham is having a moment, and now she\u2019s bringing some of that same energy to skin care.<\/p>\n The actress has just signed on as the face of Paula\u2019s Choice\u2019s new Pro-Collagen Peptide Plumping Intensive Moisturizer ($49), the brand\u2019s sixth peptide-powered launch and second moisturizer in the category. And, after a year of throwing punches on camera, there\u2019s a lot of Waddingham’s strength and stamina woven into the launch.<\/p>\n The rich, cushiony formula is powered by the brand’s 3x Pro-Collagen Peptide Complex, which is paired with red micro-algae extract to help trap water at the skin’s surface, and a moisture-locking lipid technology designed to reinforce the skin barrier. Paula\u2019s Choice says the cream keeps skin feeling hydrated for up to 120 hours, with the goal of skin that looks instantly plumper and smoother, and gets better at holding onto moisture over time.<\/p>\n \u201cI am absolutely delighted to partner with Paula\u2019s Choice,\u201d says Waddingham. \u201cI love a skin-care product that delivers on what it promises, and this formula provides deep, comforting hydration while leaving skin looking plumper, smoother and more replenished. It’s high-performance skin care that makes a noticeable difference and has quickly become a favorite part of my daily routine.\u201d<\/p>\n Also part of that daily routine: Waddingham\u2019s young daughter, who she says deserves the credit for all of it. \u201cShe\u2019s always watching\u2014and I\u2019m always remembering that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.sanity.io\/images\/0vv8moc6\/newbeauty\/3bb2ec6880789932d1a30ea470d06e2ff54f77cd-2653x3500.jpg?w=1200&auto=format&q=70\")
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