The double is wearing that dress…
Madame Tussauds London has unveiled the first-ever wax figure of Gillian Anderson OBE, immortalising the award-winning actor in one of the most talked-about red-carpet moments of recent years: the infamous “Vulva dress”.
Behind-the-scenes photographs released today shows Anderson encountering her wax double for the first time, complete with the embroidered Gabriela Hearst gown she wore to the 2024 Golden Globes — a look that dominated social media, inspired think-pieces, and became a quietly radical moment in red-carpet history.
Hearst has donated the dress itself to the exhibition, where it now adorns Anderson’s meticulously sculpted likeness. The figure is finished with diamanté jewellery, metallic Aquazzura platforms and a matching clutch: the whole unapologetic, body-positive statement preserved in wax and satin.
“When Madame Tussauds first approached me, I wondered why anyone would want to see me ‘as me’, rather than one of my characters,” Anderson says.
“Then I thought about this dress. It grew into a much bigger conversation than I ever expected. It represents empowerment, bodily autonomy and freedom from shame. I wanted people to be able to stand next to it and revel in the audacity of it.”
It is, in many ways, a fitting choice. Few performers have straddled pop-cultural eras as seamlessly as Anderson, whose career stretches from The X-Files’ straight-faced sci-fi scepticism to Sex Education’s droll, sex-positive counselling sessions.
Her figure arrives just as she prepares for a fresh run of high-profile screen roles, including the upcoming Channel 4 drama Trespasses and Netflix’s frontier series The Abandons, released 4 December.
Creating a Madame Tussauds figure takes more than a year, involving hundreds of measurements, extensive photography and collaboration on pose, styling and expression. Anderson worked closely with the museum’s artists throughout the process to ensure accuracy — and, crucially, to capture the spirit of the Golden Globes moment rather than simply the look.
Steve Blackburn, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, calls Anderson “the perfect modern-day icon — a sci-fi legend and a red-carpet trailblazer.”
He adds: “The team have poured extraordinary skill into recreating every detail. We can’t wait for guests to come face-to-face with this conversation-starting dress that Gabriela Hearst so generously donated.”
The figure joins the attraction’s “Awards Party” zone from today (26 November), taking its place among a starry cohort featuring Bella Ramsey, Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles, Zendaya, Dwayne Johnson, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lil Nas X — and new for 2025, Lady Gaga.
