What Drew Hannah Waddingham to Play Jinx in The Garfield Movie?

Summary

• Hannah Waddingham's last few years have been remarkable in terms of her career.
• For the actress, her character Jinx was love at first sight.
• The Garfield Movie sees the title character on yet another adventure.

Hannah Waddingham is perhaps the best example of the volatility of an acting career. Although the British actress has been in the business for decades, working in theater, television and film, she has only recently become a household name. Even supporting roles on TV giants like Game of Thrones and Sex Education, as well as her role in The Hustle opposite Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, have not made Waddingham as famous as her Ted Lasso character, Rebecca Welton.

Since the Apple TV+ comedy-drama, Hannah Waddingham has reached new heights of fame. She hosted the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, dazzling audiences with her charisma and command of the French language. The actress made a cameo appearance as the Mother Witch in the long-awaited Hocus Pocus sequel. And this year, she stars in David Leitch's The Fall Guy and the upcoming animated comedy The Garfield Movie, in which she plays the antagonistic cat Jinx. And apparently, there was something about the role that appealed to Hannah.

First Impressions Count

No matter how many times you are told not to judge a book by its cover, the rule of thumb is that people do pay attention to appearances, and first impressions always affect you and your perception of things and people. In Hannah Waddingham's case, this is exactly what drew her to Jinx – the first drawings of the character (pun intended). The images also helped the actress come up with a whole personality for Jinx.

'They sent me the initial pencil sketches [of Jinx], which is such a privilege to see, you don't get to see that, and it was so complete so quickly that I was just like, "Her voice has to be as volatile as these sketches are. The frenetic kind of nature of them,"' Hannah Waddingham recalled the first impression her character made on her. 'It was a real, immediate [connection]. I just knew who she should be, you know? Revolting and such a b**ch.'

The Garfield Movie

The Garfield Movie, which opens in theaters this Friday, May 24, follows the beloved eponymous character as his long-lost father, Vic, suddenly reappears in his life and asks for help when he is wanted by the villainous cat Jinx and her gang. Now Garfield must step out of his carefree lifestyle to save his estranged parent. In addition to Hannah Waddingham, the movie stars Chris Pratt as Garfield and Samuel L. Jackson as Vic.

Source: Entertainment Tonight.