A Viral Video Called Out The Apparent Use Of Skin Softening In Hannah Waddingham’s New Show
A Viral Video Called Out The Apparent Use Of Skin Softening In Hannah Waddingham’s New Show
Leyla MohammedSun, July 26, 2026 at 3:30 PM UTC
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Variety / Getty ImagesHannah Waddingham’s new series Ride or Die premiered on Prime Video earlier this month.And as ravereviews for the action show pour in, some viewers have found themselves discussing its apparent use of filters to smooth skin texture.
Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video
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For context, it’s long been common for TV shows and movies to edit actors’ skin digitally in post-production. Visual effects artist Rod Maxwell told Allure in 2021, “For our modern day audiences, films and television are akin to covers of magazines where women and men go, ‘That's not fair. I can't look like that.’ And then you talk to the real actors or actresses or models and they go, ‘I don't even look like that!’”
While some tweaks are made to avoid needlessly distracting audiences, such as removing unexpected pimples, other edits can aim to help actors look “less tired” — or to de-age them entirely for a role.
And this weekend, self-proclaimed Photoshop expert Caroline Ross, who makes informative content about “digital media literacy,” highlighted the apparent use of editing in Ride or Die.
Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video“I was watching Ride or Die, and I couldn’t believe how much skin softening has been applied,” she began in an Instagram video.
Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video
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“They’ve been very selective with this application. You’ll notice in the show that most of her forehead lines, as well as lines around her face and her neck, are all there. However, the area underneath her eye has been completely smoothed out,” she said as she showed pictures of Hannah, who plays protagonist Judith Burton in the show.
Amazon MGM Studios / Prime VideoCaroline then compared an unretouched photo of Hannah, who is 51, from Getty Images with a still from the show:
Alain Jocard / Getty Images / Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video
“Once you see it, you can’t unsee it,” she said.
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Reacting to Caroline’s video, one Instagram user said, “All the beauty filters in movies and TV need to stop! We are beautiful at every age. Lines are beautiful young girls get to be young and look young when every age get to be themselves.”
@vancitycaroline / Viainstagram.com
“I noticed that and it really bothered me. She is beautiful. I don’t know why Hollywood is doing this to women,” another person said.
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“She’s so beautiful! Why do they do this to us?!” someone questioned, while another person said, “It explains why I wondered how she managed to age backwards.”
@caroline_in_thecity / Viatiktok.com
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“I found it really distracting,” someone admitted. Another user agreed, “It was so distracting, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong! It was unsettling and it felt like her acting wasn't matching what I was seeing.”
@caroline_in_thecity / Viatiktok.com
“I mean I never noticed. But now that you point it out, it’s really noticeable,” someone said.
“They didn't do this to her in Ted Lasso and I was so happy to see a woman allowed to be beautiful and natural. My first thought watching this show was that they did something filtery,” one more comment read.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
