"I used to be a bimbo"- When Betty Gilpin opened up about being typecast for her looks

Betty Gilpin is one of the actors who, despite having all the talent in the world, was originally recognized for her looks and her image as a blonde beauty. She has been nominated for 3 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and has also won a Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie.

However, the actress, before she broke out with her starring role in Glow, often found herself extremely typecast for certain roles. Most of these roles, moreover, banked on how she looked, something that the actress did not always want. She discussed this in a 2022 interview with The Guardian.

"I used to be a bimbo with t*ts. Suddenly I’m a Magic 8 ball with t*ts...I’m 35. The roles that I played 10 years ago used to be the bimbo with no answers. Now, even though I’m playing the therapist wife, I have all the answers about my husband’s problems at his Nasa job. Which is not really realistic, either! It’s just making me one-dimensional in a different way."

She expressed how her casting has evolved but in a way that still keeps most of her characters single-dimensional. She went on to open up about the treatment she got in the industry and how she feels so much different from the roles usually given to her.

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"I am more than the sum of my cheekbones"- Betty Gilpin on being underused in many projects

Betty Gilpin is one of the actors, like early Scarlett Johansson, who got roles for their looks and appeal but were rarely given the opportunity to do more than that. Gilpin, who considers herself a character actress, has proven her skills more than once, one shining example being in Craig Zobel's The Hunt. But this particular thing is a bit hard for the ones in the industry to see.

Gilpin elaborated further:

"I work within the shell that I’ve been given,...But it doesn’t always square with how I feel inside. I think I’ve been trying to shake the world by the collar and say: ‘I’m a character actress! I am more than the sum of my cheekbones and areolas!’ But if that’s what gets me the job then sure, let’s put on a push-up bra and some contour if that means I get to make some weird faces and choices."

Betty Gilpin got her opportunity to shine when Netflix made Glow, a brilliant television series that was prematurely canceled despite the great ratings. Betty Gilpin played Debbie, the primary ally and primary rival of Alison Brie's Ruth Wilder. It would be fair to say that both the characters were almost equally important to the narrative and Gilpin had more than proven herself in the role, bagging many accolades in the process.

Currently 38, Gilpin, like many actresses, continues to try and get roles that will let her explore more depth and would demand things that are beyond her good looks.

Betty Gilpin is soon set to appear in Death by Lightning, an upcoming historical miniseries. She also recently appeared in American Primeval, which has fans praising her acting already.

Stay tuned for more updates.