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"I really had to stop my self-doubt from getting in the way."
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-2201575542-9103d5c6dbcb4c9986a7ac9f5ece0a5c.jpeg "Gillian Anderson wearing a strapless black dress on the red carpet in 2025")
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The number one rule of imposter syndrome is that almost everyone experiences self-doubt—including Hollywood's most seasoned celebrities. Consider Gillian Anderson: reflecting recently on her role as Eleanor Roosevelt in Showtime's The First Lady, the actress revealed that she was "shocked" when she got the part.
"[Roosevelt] was such an extraordinary woman, and you know, I'm five foot three, and she was five foot nine or ten," Anderson explained in an interview with Marie Claire UK. "She was just very tall, and we didn't look anything like each other."
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Setting aside their height difference, Anderson's real (and very relatable) "challenge" was overcoming her own insecurities. "First of all, I couldn't believe I could do it," she said. "I really had to stop my self-doubt from getting in the way. And yet, the opportunity to play someone like her, and to live in her shoes for a period of time, was extraordinary."
Anderson went on, "Part of the reason I said yes was to experience it and to study her. That's part of reaching the end goal…You have to convince yourself that you can do things you might not yet be able to do. And by doing it, or acting like you can do it, suddenly you can, and you're no longer afraid."
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The First Lady premiered in 2022 and told the story of three iconic presidencies through the lives of three women: Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis). It ultimately received mixed reviews and was not renewed for a second season. Anderson later explained her interest in playing Roosevelt during an interview with L'Officiel.
"I have admired her altruism and her action for some time," she said. "It wasn’t really until I started doing the research and diving into her whole life, and the hardship that she experienced when she was younger, that I realized the degree to which she dedicated her life to service…she had real deeply-felt compassion for human beings who were suffering. It was an honor to spend time as her and to have permission and a reason to properly [study] her. I’m very glad I said yes."
