Laura Dern Says She's Been Rejected for Roles '150 Times' Because of Her 'Radically Tall Torso' and Height
- - Laura Dern Says She's Been Rejected for Roles '150 Times' Because of Her 'Radically Tall Torso' and Height
Michelle LeeFebruary 7, 2026 at 8:30 PM
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Laura Dern at the AFI Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2026
Michael Kovac/Getty
Laura Dern is speaking about the limitations she's lived with because of her height
The actress, who is nearly 6 feet tall, took part in an interview for The Independent alongside her costar Andra Day and talked about how her height has affected her career
Dern is one of the many female celebrities who've opened up about their height
Laura Dern is offering insight on how it is up there — up there being the view at 5'11."
The actress, 58, spoke to The Independent about her latest film and during the conversation opened up about how her height — plus having a "radically tall torso" — has impacted her acting career.
"I was 5'11" at 12 years old and acting already, so I was losing parts constantly!" the star said in an interview published on Jan. 31, joking that she's been rejected for roles about "150 times."
Laura Dern attending a screening in London for 'Is This Thing On?' on Jan, 19, 2026
Karwai Tang/WireImage
That's why filming opposite Will Arnett in Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On? was so great (Arnett is an impressive 6′2″).
“It means that when Will and I are sitting side by side, we’re the same height. And it’s crazy to be in a scene with a male actor, and we’re actually looking straight into each other’s eyes, you know?"
Dern's statuesque figure did make her look like a natural at Paris Fashion Week, especially when she made her runway debut in the Gabriela Hearst show this past October. In fact, the Big Little Lies star commanded the catwalk in her look — a romantic floral appliqué dress and sandals.
Laura Dern making her runway debut in the Gabriela Heart show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 1, 2025
Kristy Sparow/Getty
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She's also not the first celebrity to speak out about how Hollywood treats tall people. Her friend Nicole Kidman, who stands at Dern's height, said she once lied about her measurements in the hopes of securing a role in Annie.
“I had to talk my way through the door because they were measuring you before you went in. I was mortified," she said on the Radio Times Podcast in January 2024. So, she told them she was "5 ft. 10½ in."
In the same interview, the Oscar winner relayed her grievances over wearing heels for public events. "Whenever you go on the red carpet, they send the shoes, and the shoes are always so high. And I’m like, ‘Do they have a kitten heel? I’m just gonna be the tallest person — the giraffe!'"
Game of Thrones and Wednesday star Gwendoline Christine, who is over 6 feet tall, was also once "concerned" about being "cast-able" because of her appearance. Although she believed if she molded herself to societal standards that things might work out, she realized: "No, I'm not going to make any effort to fit in."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
