Emma Corrin says they were bullied over androgynous appearance at school
Emma Corrin has reflected on attending an all-girls school while growing up not conforming to one gender.
The 28-year-old actor, who goes by they/them pronouns and is known for their role as Princess Diana on The Crown, recalled going to a school dance and being mocked for their appearance.
“I went to the dance and someone thought I was a boy and asked me to dance, and it became a big joke in my class,” said Corrin, revealing that this was the turning point that caused them to start conforming to societal expectations surrounding femininity.
“I grew out my hair and rolled up my skirt,” explained Corrin.
In the GQ interview, Corrin reflected on their experiences of coming out as non-binary in July 2021, stating: “You get knocked down a ton and then you come out and you’re verbal about your identity, and then people f***ing stamp that out; make f***ing stupid clickbait headlines that make you feel like s*** and use your identity against you as a weapon.”
The Deadpool & Wolverine star said that their younger self is “now actually being looked after” following a backlash to their coming out.
After publicly revealing their gender identity, Corrin played the gender-swapped lead in a West End production of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando in 2022, which The Independent‘s Jessie Thompson rated four stars out of five.
Corrin said they didn’t realise how “affirming it was to do that every day, when it’s something so close to you - something that feels incredibly personal and celebratory”.
“The atmosphere in that theatre at the end of the show was amazing. I felt like it was really making a difference to tell that story in that way, in such a healing space of immediate connection. It’s a real celebration of fluidity.”
The Independent described Corrin’s performance as “highly magnetic” and “magnificent”.
Corrin is starring as the supervillain Cassanda Nova in Deadpool & Wolverine, out on 25 July in the UK, alongside Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
Corrin cited Christoph Waltz’s Nazi officer in Inglourious Basterds and Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka as inspirations for their Marvel debut.
“There’s something extravagant in Wilder’s performance,” Corrin said. “And it’s a similar energy that Christoph Waltz has in Inglourious Basterds, because he’s wearing a uniform so he can sit there and drink a glass of milk and pretend he’s a f***ing fairy godmother.”
Despite the global fatigue of superhero films, Corrin made it apparent there were no fears to be had about the success of film in the eyes of the audience: “There’s a lot of pressure on it, but I think that it’s the right one at the right time.”
“Because it’s Deadpool and Deadpool has always broken the mould, right?”
