Gillian Anderson says role in The Fall made her ‘feel more confident sexually’

Actor starred as detective Stella Gibson in the BBC crime series

Gillian Anderson has revealed that acting in The Fall was the first time she felt sexually confident, as she promoted her new book, Want, on the intimate sexual fantasies of women.

Anderson, 56, played Stella Gibson, a detective who investigates a spate of murders in the popular BBC series. The role was celebrated as a positive portrayal of women and bisexuality, with Gibson praised for her confidence, skill, and sense of style.

Speaking at the Southbank Centre on Sunday (1 September), the X Files actor admitted that the role had a personal influence on her.

“One of the first times I started to feel more confident sensually and sexually was when I was playing Stella Gibson,” she said.

“[She’s] very self-confident, very comfortable in her own skin and comfortable in her clothes for her own sake not necessarily for the male or female gaze. She was very open about her sexuality and her bisexuality and sexually confident.”

She continued, “Stepping into her and walking around in her shoes and her clothes definitely had an impact on my own sense of self and my own sexuality.”

The Crown star admitted she still struggles with her confidence despite her long career in the entertainment industry.

Anderson recently played BBC journalist Emily Maitlis in Scoop, a movie based on Prince Andrew’s car-crash interview on Newsnight in 2019. She previously admitted she found the prospect of playing Maitlis so “scary” she initially turned it down.

Anderson said the role made her feel sexually confident for the first time (Getty/BBC)

“There have been so many times in my career where I have been terrified to step into the shoes [of a character], because of the pressure,” she continued.

“Terrified to say lines and speak dialogue where I have the power and the control, and be the boss of other people.”

The actor’s new book Want, is inspired by Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden, with thousands of sexual fantasies submitted by women from across the world to shed a light on their intimate desires.

DSI Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) in The Fall (BBC)

The entries include a spectrum of experiences from the relatively innocuous fantasy of sex with a stranger, to armpit fetishes, the breastfeeding of a male checkout clerk, sex with a brother-in-law, and an orgasm on the table of a medical class while being probed. The actor has also included one of her own sexual fantasies in the book, but has kept the submission anonymous.

“What I do as an actor is act as if I am that person, so it’s really started to occur to me the degree to which we all have the power,” she said about the power of imagination in enacting change.

“If I can still have panic attacks and anxiety around it, and every time I start a new job I think I’m going to get fired – why can’t we all get into that role of acting as if we are that powerful, that capable, that sexy. It opens up a whole conversation.”