You know that you absolutely love Natalie Dormer, but how much do you actually know about her? Sure, she's an amazingly talented actress who has appeared on some of your favorite shows, from The Tudors to Elementary to a little show you might watch called Game Of Thrones. She's been in the news lately because everyone is singing the praises of season six of the fantasy drama, claiming that women are finally coming out on top on the show and getting the respect and storylines that they totally deserve. It seems to be working out pretty well because fans and critics are super pleased with this season. And you're definitely watching and loving it along with them. And, of course, something pretty shocking happened recently... but no spoilers here.But Natalie isn't just Margery Tyrell. She is so, so much more and you should probably know some things about her if you want to call yourself a true fan. Here are 15 things that you didn't know about Natalie Dormer. And yes, in case you were wondering, she really is as cool as you thought.
15 She's A Film Snob
Okay, so this might not be the most surprising thing on the planet since you would think that most actors and actresses are basically film snobs since they want to choose the best projects possible and watch people at the top of their craft. But Natalie Dormer told Vice.com that she's a "film snob." She continued and said, "I love any genre if it's done well." Us too, Natalie. It's interesting because when you read random interviews with actors and actresses, sure, sometimes they sound cool and like really funny and great people. But for the most part, they sound kind of like robots and they just seem to be in total P.R. mode for their latest movie or project. But not Natalie. She honestly sounds like she really does know what she's talking about, and that definitely goes for when she talks about film and her tastes and beliefs.
14 She Wrote A Movie
Natalie may be absolutely gorgeous and unique looking, but that doesn't mean that she's only a pretty face. Nope, she's so much more than that, and we love her for it. Natalie co-wrote a movie called In Darkness which she calls a "psychological thriller." We honestly can't wait to check this one out. She's also starring in the film. It's really cool when actors break out of their comfort zone and try something else like writing or directing or producing, and it's cool that she's doing it now, when she could honestly rest on her laurels (aka her Game Of Thrones) and not do anything else for a while. But nope, she's pretty determined to succeed, she has a ton of ambition, and she wants to branch out. So we can't wait to see what she does. We have a feeling it's going to be a smashing success, especially because she's said in interviews that thrillers are genres that she takes pretty seriously.
13 She's Philosophical
Who doesn't love a pretty face and brains too? It's not a bad gig to have. It's pretty cool when actresses prove to be smart as well, and Natalie Dormer is definitely super intelligent. She's super philosophical and even verging on existential. Seriously, find any online interview with her and you'll see for yourself. Get ready to be super impressed and inspired because she has some really cool thoughts about tons of topics. You definitely want to read her Vice.com interview about her horror film The Forest because she gets all philosophical about what the genres of thrillers and horror can do. She said, "I'm fascinated in what pushes the boundary of human capacity. How far does a person go?" She mentioned her Game Of Thrones character as well and said she often wonders about that. So again, Natalie Dormer is no way, shape or form just a pretty actress. She's pretty deep, too.
12 She's In Her Mid-30s
Natalie is 34, which is not old of course... but that would be in normal person years. In Hollywood, unfortunately, when women approach the age of 40 and above, they don't get the best roles and it can be a huge struggle to stay on top and continue their successful careers. So it can be a bit surprising that Natalie is in her mid-30s and her career is honestly just getting started. It's such an unfair thing because of course, you're not suddenly less talented the closer you get to 40. But it just goes to show that it's completely and totally possible to make it when you're out of your 20s. Isn't that such an inspiring and comforting thought? Don't you feel so much better about your own career dreams and goals? Yeah, we thought so. Natalie is so cool and she's definitely showing about zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, signs would say that she's just getting started, and we can't wait to be along for the ride.
11 She's Super Zen
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the reporter asked Natalie about the fact that this was the first Game Of Thrones season where the script went ahead of the books. She had a super zen approach to this that is pretty great. She said, "It's fun not knowing. You don't know where you're going in real life, right? It doesn't happen often to an actor that you don't know where you're going, so it was kind of liberating." We honestly couldn't love that statement more. It just wouldn't be possible. You really never know, right? There's only so much dreaming and planning that you can do because unexpected things happen to you on a pretty much daily basis. You get delayed by the subway or traffic on your way to work. You get delayed at work by a massive crisis that needs your attention and suddenly you're not as productive as you had thought you would be. Yeah, that all happens, whether you're a famous Game Of Thrones star or a regular old person.
10 She's A Runner
Natalie talked about her life-long adoration of running in an interview with The Guardian back in February. She chatted about how she has always really liked running and when she was growing up, she just took to the athletic activity and was even running cross-country. She hurt her knee and was even told by a doctor to quit this healthy habit, but she was not super into that idea and is still a big runner to this day. Bet you didn't know that fun fact, right? It's interesting because you often hear actresses and other celebrities talking about more trendy workouts like yoga (and yes, she does love her yoga, too) but Natalie really loves to run. She even does races and marathons sometimes. So if you're a runner, then you definitely have that in common. Wouldn't she make the best friend to go for a super long run with?!
9 She Vacations Once A Year
Did you know that Natalie is so super busy that she only takes a vacation once a year? Yeah, that might not be the biggest surprise in the world since you can tell that she takes on a lot of fun and interesting projects and always seems to have that work ethic that is so crucial to success. But it is a fun fact because so many celebrities seem to barely work and they always seem to be on vacation or somewhere warm (like a certain reality TV family, maybe???). But you won't see constant beach or bikini photos of her, because she takes a fun and relaxing trip once a year only. She has said that she is a fan of all kinds of trips from a city where you see everything on foot to somewhere warm where you can truly chill out. So the next time you're lamenting the fact that you only get a break from work and your routine once a year, go ahead and remember that Natalie does the same thing. So if a famous actress can, you can survive it too.
8 She Thinks Men Are Just As Objectified
Interesting though, right? But that's exactly what you expected from such a smart and cool actress, right? She has said that "men are objectified as much as women" as reported on Salon.com in 2015. It's a cool thought because it honestly is true. We mean, just look at Magic Mike... People aren't focusing on the storytelling or plot lines, right? Yeah, exactly. That's the reason why you tune into so many TV shows and movies that you do. Just admit it and move on with your life. It's okay. Of course, women face sexism too -- she's definitely not trying to say that or argue that because that would be pretty impossible to prove wrong. But she is very intelligent and realizes that people shouldn't be so quick to think that men and women are so different when it comes to this kind of treatment. We love her and think she's absolutely right.
7 She's Kind
Not everyone in Hollywood is as sweet and caring and compassionate as Natalie. But she's honestly the real deal and is pretty much a model celebrity. She loves to help people and has done certain things to help out in the charity world. This past April, she ran a charity run and said she didn't even need to know what her time was: "I'm here today because 3,000 children get in contact with ChildLine every day. And we don't have enough money to talk to every single one of them." That just makes your heart melt, right? Yeah, we thought so because we're over here swooning too. It really is nice to see that not everyone is totally obsessed with their appearance and wealth and getting more power and all that. She really makes you realize that not every celebrity is the same and that you shouldn't expect them to be.
6 She Loves Carbs
Nope, Natalie Dormer is not one of those super skinny actresses who absolutely refuses to eat anything besides salad, kale smoothies and... that is pretty much it. Maybe throw some water and green tea and coffee into the mix and that's a regular day's worth of eating and drinking. No, Natalie's not like that, and we couldn't be more excited about that fact. She has said in interviews that she absolutely adores carbs, especially when she's gone for a really long run and can definitely justify that since she's being active and her body needs the carbs to refuel. She mentioned macaroni and cheese, so if you ever wondered if you had anything in common with a famous actress like Natalie Dormer, now you know that you do. Because who doesn't love mac and cheese and want to eat it 24/7? Exactly. That just wouldn't be even a remote possibility.
5 She Eats Properly
Not everyone in Hollywood has a super great approach to health and wellness and food and fitness. You see total extremes everywhere, from young actresses, talking about eating all kinds of junk food all day long to others talking about how restrictive their eating plans have been. But not Natalie. She's got her head on straight when it comes to fuelling her body in the right way... but that probably doesn't come as a surprise at all, since you already know that she's a pretty smart person. She told the New York Times that she drinks a huge amount of water and eats a proper diet. In her words, "The old rules are still the best rules." We just love how she deals with food and health since that really is super true. With all the talk about going Paleo or going Pagan (aka Paleo/slash vegan -- yeah, it gets kind of confusing) or going gluten-free or cutting this out of your diet or adding in this superfood... we can get pretty messed up when it comes to how to best approach our health. So it's pretty refreshing to hear from an actress who's making smart healthy choices.
4 She's Modest
Did you know how completely and totally modest Natalie Dormer is? Well, now you know. She honestly respects the writers and creators of Game Of Thrones so much that she has often said in interviews that actors are really bringing the words and worlds of the writers to life. She doesn't want to as she says "defend" what her character says or does because she doesn't think that's her place or something that she should be focusing on. We really like that attitude because it's very healthy. After all, it's like the writers are her bosses, and she's just following the game plan that has been set in place for her. It's kind of like how it's not your place to defend your boss's actions either or some choices that your company makes. You're not super on top so you can't speak for the decisions that other people make. You're just showing up and doing your job to the best of your ability.
3 She's Got The Best Fans
There's a fan Twitter account for Natalie Dormer (@Nat_Dormer) and it's followed by a whopping 14,000 people. Yes, really! That's a whole lot of fans but as you can tell by the facts on this list, she's super great and she deserves all the fans in the world. On her birthday last February 12th, whoever runs the fan Twitter page tweeted, "Happy Birthday Natalie Dormer who turns 34 today! Have a wonderful, happy, healthy birthday now and forever." Now those are some super sweet and dedicated fans. Wouldn't you want such a super lovely birthday message if you were her? Exactly. It's kind of adorable when fans create fan pages or social media accounts or websites because it's just so selfless. It also makes you feel super nostalgic for when you were a pre-teen/older teen and were really into a certain celebrity and you did the same sorts of things. It's just a pure isolation of someone and it's pretty cute.
2 She's A Dog Person
If you're a dog person, then you definitely have something in common with Natalie because she's got a dog. She has joked in interviews that her dog is kind of humiliating because he loves people so much that he's always super happy to see all kinds of strangers that she comes into contact with. So really, he's not that humiliating after all because that is honestly all kinds of adorable. He sounds like the cutest, sweetest, friendliest dog you could possibly own... and we pretty much want a dog just like that. She has said that she wants to start bringing him with her on her jobs, which would be pretty cool. Can you imagine? Although that might make it pretty hard for the other actors and crew to concentrate... But you can't have everything, can you? So in case you thought Natalie Dormer was a cat person, nope, she's all about her dog.
1 She's Crazy Smart
And along with the other 14 points on this list, that's exactly why we're such big fans and that's why we think you love her, too. Natalie Dormer is a lot of things and super smart is definitely one of them. One of her best quotes? When she said, "I was frequently told at drama school that I was thinking too much. And I still have to suppress that part of me because it can sometimes be a hindrance." We don't think it's a hindrance at all (and the fact that she uses that huge word proves how much of a smartie she really is!) because it's so refreshing and so awesome to see an intelligent celebrity. Sometimes that can honestly seem like a total oxymoron, unfortunately. We're going to be fans of Natalie Dormer absolutely forever because she's got a good head on her shoulders, she's got a great attitude about work and fame and life, and she's just super cool. Now can we be best friends with her or what?!
Sources: Vice.com, Theguardian.com, Nytimes.com, Salon.com
