Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie submitted herself for Emmy Awards consideration as a nod to her powerful character on the show.
Christie's actions paid off big time last month (Jul19), when she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Brienne of Tarth in the series, and now she explains why she chose to grasp her own destiny and go for gold.
"I checked that it wasn’t an inappropriate thing to do, and I was told it wasn’t," she tells the Los Angeles Times. "People submit themselves all the time.
"I truly never expected it to manifest in a nomination and I don’t think anybody else did either. But I just had to do it for me. And I had to do it as a testament to the character and what I feel she represents."
The actress adds, "I wanted the possibility of being recognised for everything that character represents, for what she’s meant to me and for the part I feel she’s played, in some small way, in the burgeoning landscape we have in entertainment of seeing women in a different way. A more realistic way and a more unconventional way."
Christie wasn't alone in submitting herself for Emmy consideration - her castmates Alfie Allen and Carice van Houten also landed nods after choosing to put themselves forward.
Gwendoline will go up against Ozark's Julia Garner and Killing Eve's Fiona Shaw, as well as Game of Thrones co-stars Lena Headey, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams when the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winners are announced at the Emmys on 22 September (19).