Natalie Dormer Was ‘Profoundly Bullied’ At School But Didn’t Let It Stop Her Dream Of Being An Actress

Nov 29, 2022 by apost team

Since gaining worldwide recognition in 2012, Natalie Dormer has become a sought-after actress after her outstanding performances on both television and the big screen. Despite her success, life wasn’t easy for Dormer who had to go through a lot in life before making it to where she is right now.

Dormer has proven time and again her versatility as an actress, effortlessly taking on various roles on both television and the big screen. Perhaps one of her most notable works onscreen was her game-changing portrayal of Margaery Tyrell in the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones." While working on "GoT," she also took on the character of Cressida in "The Hunger Games" franchise, which further elevated her to global fame.   

Born and raised in Reading, England, Dormer is of Norwegian and Welsh descent. She trained under the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Only six months after her graduation, she landed a role in the film "Casanova," which was released in 2005. She went on to appear in other successful shows such as "The Tudors" and "Elementary."

Dormer made her stage debut at the Young Vic in 2010 in the play "Sweet Nothings." A year later, in 2011, she portrayed Private Lorraine in "Captain America: The First Avenger."

Over the years, she has received various accolades including winning an Empire Award and receiving nominations for a Critics Choice Award, two Gemini Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. 

Despite "GoT" paving the way for her success and skyrocketing her to fame, Dormer said she doesn’t want to be remembered only for her role in the show.

“I just never want to be defined solely for any role, but I know that with 'Game of Thrones' it will take a few more years than other roles to go; I am not her, I have the ability to change,” she told The Rake in an interview in 2018.

After everything she has achieved in life, Dormer said she realized that what’s important is that she gets to do what she loves while finally earning money that she could use to pay her bills.

“You have all these imaginary places where you go where you think, I made it, whatever that means. F*** me, you’ve made it if you can pay the bills and keep a roof over your head doing something you love,” she said.

“What I have learnt as a woman who has come out of the angst of her twenties and being liberated by knowing yourself in your early thirties, you don’t have to hold yourself to the promises you made yourself when you were 18,” she added.

Although people see her as someone incomparable, Dormer said she was nowhere close to being perfect during her younger days.

“I wouldn't go back to my teenage years for love nor money,” Dormer told the Daily Mail. “You know the girls who everybody thinks they want to be — the ones who are dating the sexy boys, like the captain of the football team? I was nowhere near them. I was never an alpha girl and those girls terrified me … they still do!” she added.

Perhaps it was also one of the reasons why she lacked confidence in herself growing up, only finding herself when she entered her 20s.  

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Describing herself as a late bloomer in an interview with the Independent, she said she eventually became a “head girl, a straight-A student...all of those things. Very boring, very repressed... repressed, not boring — boring's wrong. I'm definitely a late bloomer... one of those who truly finds their niche in their thirties — no bad thing."

“I was incredibly geeky and had no sense of style. I came out of my shell a bit when I was doing my A-levels and found drama, but I really didn't get into my stride until I was pushing my late 20s,” she said.

Dormer revealed that she was “profoundly bullied in school,” with people treating her in a mean way as well as name-calling her.

“The true cleverness of psychological bullying is that if you are asked to describe to a teacher what someone has actually said or done, it looks like nothing at all,” she said.

In an interview with the Daily Mail back in 2008, Dormer admitted that she often gets criticized for her face. “People do say I have a mischievous face,” she said. But at the end of the day, Dormer believes that she’s pursuing her passion for acting for a reason,

“I know I’m not a conventional beauty. You can read a lot of painful things on the internet, which criticize you aesthetically — but as far as I’m concerned, that’s not what an actress is,” she remarked. 

Even though she has faced various challenges in life, Dormer has definitely found happiness too — not to mention she has a lovely daughter whom she gave birth to in 2021. She has indeed a lot of reasons to be fulfilled in life!

What can you say about Natalie Dormer’s story? Did you feel inspired? Let us know your thoughts and pass this on to anyone you know who is a fan of the actress!