Imelda Staunton Reveals Her Most Hated Character Role

Imelda Staunton has delivered countless memorable performances across theater and film throughout her distinguished career. But there's one role that stands apart from all others. A character she calls an absolute monster.

Playing evil characters presents unique challenges for actors, especially those who are genuinely kind people in real life. The nicest performers often create the most chilling villains by accessing darker parts of themselves they rarely explore. Staunton proved this theory perfectly when she brought Dolores Umbridge to life in the Harry Potter films.

The Monster Behind the Pink Bow

Umbridge didn't appear until the fifth Potter film, The Order of the Phoenix, with a brief return in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Yet her impact was so powerful that fans remember her as if she'd been terrorizing Hogwarts from day one. The character became one of the franchise's most hated villains.

Staunton drew inspiration from an unlikely but fitting source: former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The controversial political figure's authoritarian tendencies and divisive policies made her a perfect template for the Ministry of Magic's high inquisitor.

Political Inspiration for Fictional Terror

Speaking with Out Magazine, Staunton revealed her discussions with director David Yates about the character's dangerous nature. "We had very good conversations, him and I, about the seriousness of this woman and about how dangerous she is to be in charge of children," she explained. "It was the ultimate nightmare of having someone like that who is really, really interested in ethnic cleansing, which is what she's interested in. Pure blood. It's horrible."

The actress continued, "We were thinking of having to compare with terrible atrocities and Margaret Thatcher. These people who absolutely believe they are doing the right thing. So it's not like, 'I am evil, and I'm going to do…', and that's so much more frightening."

Embracing the Madness

This approach clearly worked. Few fictional villains have generated as much genuine hatred as Umbridge. Staunton's performance was so effective because she understood the character's twisted motivations, even while personally despising them.

In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Staunton didn't hold back her feelings about the character. "I think she's a bloody monster and to be played as such," she said bluntly. "I don't need to understand what she does, but from a character point of view, she believes she's doing the absolute best for that school. Yet again, I have embraced a completely and utterly deluded woman."

She emphasized the political undertones that made Umbridge so terrifying: "I'm not just a lady in a very nice array of pink outfits. This is madness and cruelty dressed up."