Sarah Snook revealed that, early in her career, a film producer body-shamed her on set, highlighting the mistreatment she faced in the industry.
The Succession star – who took home a Golden Globe for her role in the HBO drama – said the unfortunate incident happened when the unnamed executive found her eating a bit of dessert during a break in production, according to her interview with The Sunday Times.
‘One particular day, I had the tiniest bit of chocolate cake,’ she explained, stating that this led the producer to berate her in front of the entire cast and crew of the film.
‘All the while I am dying inside,’ Snook, 36, added.
She recalled the unfortunate incident occurring after she landed the role and was told she needed to shed weight in order to enhance her ‘marketability.’
‘We don’t really want you because you’re a nobody, but the director and the writer think you’re good for the role,’ Snook says she was told after she landed the part.
‘So, what we’ll do is change all of you so that you’re marketable: We’ll whiten your teeth, darken your hair, we’ll give you a personal trainer so you can lose weight and look the part.’
Snook said she went along with it at the time because she thought, ‘In order for me to be successful, I have to be all the things that aren’t me.’
The Australian actress has proven to the naysayers that she is indeed a ‘somebody,’ as she dominates the awards season.
She took home the Best Actress in TV Series, Drama statuette at the Globes for her portrayal of political strategist and media heir Siobhan ‘Shiv’ Roy.
She beat the likes of Emma Stone (The Curse), Imelda Staunton (The Crown), Helen Mirren (1923), Kerri Russell (The Diplomat) and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) in her category.
‘This show, it’s changed my life,’ Snook said in her acceptance speech, before thanking her fellow cast and crew.
‘This was a team effort, it was always that was what made the show amazing.’
She’s also up for an Emmy on Monday.
Snook started out on the stage, appearing in King Lear with the State Theatre Company of South Australia in 2009, shortly after graduating from Australia’s most prestigious theatre school, NIDA.
After making a memorable appearance on Black Mirror in 2016, Sarah secured her career-defining role as Roy in HBO’s Succession two years later.
In a 2018 interview discussing how she got the part, she disclosed that she had auditioned alongside Jeremy Strong, her on-screen brother Kendall Roy in the series.
‘I actually auditioned with Jeremy, who is playing my older brother now. I had put something down on tape, and then got called in for the screen test,’ she told Collider.
‘They flew me from Australia to LA, and between the audition and the screen test, I started to understand what this thing was more,’ she continued.
‘In the final audition, and doing it with Jeremy, I was finally like, ‘Oh, I get it! This is a drama. It’s got a comedy edge, but it’s really sharp.”
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
