Lindsay Duncan has recalled the sexism she experienced at the beginning of her acting career, saying she was asked to show her legs during an audition for her first television role in the 1970s.
The actor, now 75, discussed her early experiences in the entertainment industry as she reflected on her career and her latest role in ITV's adaptation of Elizabeth Day's novel The Party. Duncan said her first television appearance came at a time when sexism was deeply embedded in the industry and described feeling too young and uncertain to challenge the treatment she received.
Her comments describe the working environment she encountered before establishing herself as one of Britain's leading stage and screen actors.
Duncan Was Asked To Show Her Legs
Duncan's first television appearance came in 1975, when she appeared in Further Up Pompeii!, a television special based on Frankie Howerd's BBC comedy series Up Pompeii! Speaking to The Telegraph, Duncan reflected that it was hard for a woman to survive in those times.
The actor recalled: 'I was asked to show my legs even though my character was wearing a full-length toga.' She described the experience as part of what she now regards as an intensely sexist period in television. 'These were very sexist times,' Duncan said, remembering the early stage of her career.
She also recalled being subjected to an uncomfortable photocall after securing the role. She said they asked her to lean forward while wearing a low-cut top, adding that she did not feel confident enough at the time to challenge the requests.
Duncan said she felt caught between the established attitudes of the period and the growing feminist movement.
'I Cried When I Got Home'
Looking back, Duncan said she was a shy young actor who wanted to please the people around her and did not fully understand how to respond to what was happening. She recalled returning to the flat she shared with two men after the experience and crying.
Duncan described the reaction as a delayed response to what she had experienced, saying she felt 'mildly abused' and that the power imbalance between young performers and those in senior positions was significant. She also acknowledged that she would not have responded in the same way today.
The actor has previously spoken about the same experience, explaining that she was in a 'fog of obedience' at the time. In a 2024 interview with The Guardian, she recalled being asked to show her legs during the audition even though she was wearing a full-length costume, and said she later burst into tears after returning home.
A Career That Began in Theatre
Although Duncan's early television experience was difficult, she spent much of her formative career in theatre, where she said she found a more collaborative working environment. After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she worked in repertory theatre before joining some of the most acclaimed productions of her career.
One of her breakthroughs came with Caryl Churchill's Top Girls at the Royal Court in 1982. Duncan later played the Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a role she performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later on Broadway. Her theatre career helped establish her reputation before she took on a wide range of television and film roles.
Duncan has also appeared in productions including GBH, Rome, Doctor Who, Under the Tuscan Sun and Truelove. Her work has frequently included complex female characters across theatre, television and film.
Reflecting on Sexism in the Entertainment Industry
Duncan has said that her experiences in early television were different from much of her work in theatre, where she generally felt more supported by colleagues.
In a more recent interview, she reflected on the young woman she was at the beginning of her career and said she now looks back with tenderness at her younger self. She has also acknowledged that speaking out at the time might have prevented some of the distress she experienced, but could potentially have put employment opportunities at risk.
Duncan's recollections form part of a wider discussion about the working conditions faced by women in the entertainment industry during the 1970s. Her account specifically centres on her own experiences as a young actor entering television and the difficulty she had in challenging people in positions of authority.
Lindsay Duncan Continues To Work
Duncan has continued to work across stage and screen decades after making her television debut. Her latest role is in The Party, an ITV adaptation of Elizabeth Day's novel, in which she plays Lady Katherine. The drama is scheduled to begin airing on ITV1 on 11 October 2026.
Speaking about her career, Duncan has said she has no plans to retire and remains interested in taking on roles that offer something she finds creatively compelling. Her reflections on her first television job provide a contrast between the uncertainty she experienced as a young actor in the 1970s and the established position she has since built through decades of work in British theatre, television and film.
