Gillian Anderson: Role in The Fall Boosted My Sexual Confidence

Gillian Anderson has shared that her role in The Fall was the first time she felt sexually confident while promoting her new book, Want, which explores the intimate sexual fantasies of women.

Anderson, 56, portrayed Stella Gibson, a detective investigating a series of murders in the beloved BBC series. Her role was lauded as a positive depiction of women and bisexuality, with Gibson admired for her confidence, skill, and sense of style.

Speaking at the Southbank Centre on Sunday (1 September), the X Files star acknowledged the personal impact of the role on her own life. “One of the first times I started to feel more confident sensually and sexually was when I was playing Stella Gibson,” she stated.

“[She’s] very self-confident, very comfortable in her own skin and comfortable in her clothes for her own sake, not necessarily for the male or female gaze. She was very open about her sexuality and her bisexuality and sexually confident,” Anderson elaborated.

She continued, “Stepping into her, walking around in her shoes and her clothes definitely had an impact on my own sense of self and my sexuality.”

The Crown star confessed that she still grapples with confidence issues despite her extensive career in the entertainment industry.

Anderson recently depicted BBC journalist Emily Maitlis in Scoop, a film based on Prince Andrew’s disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019. She previously revealed that the daunting prospect of playing Maitlis was so intimidating that she initially declined the role.

“There have been so many times in my career where I have been terrified to step into the shoes [of a character], because of the pressure,” she admitted.

“Terrified to say lines and speak dialogue where I have the power and the control, and be the boss of other people,” she added.

The actor’s new book, Want, draws inspiration from Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden. It features thousands of sexual fantasies submitted by women worldwide, shedding light on their most private desires.

The entries span a wide range of experiences, from the relatively benign fantasy of sex with a stranger to more unconventional desires such as armpit fetishes, the breastfeeding of a male checkout clerk, sex with a brother-in-law, and an orgasm during a medical class examination. Anderson has also contributed one of her own sexual fantasies to the book, though it remains anonymous.

Discussing the power of imagination and its role in enacting change, Anderson said, “What I do as an actor is act as if I am that person, so it’s really started to occur to me the degree to which we all have the power.”

She added, “If I can still have panic attacks and anxiety around it, and every time I start a new job I think I’m going to get fired – why can’t we all get into that role of acting as if we are that powerful, that capable, that sexy. It opens up a whole conversation.”

Source: Southbank Centre, BBC