Lena Headey may be playing one of the most sinister and twisted characters in Game of Thrones, but the 42-year-old English actress is the complete opposite in real life.
Headey sat down with EW and the site claims that the actress appeared quite dressed down and responded candidly in the interview. One of the highlight s of the dialogue is the actress' response to the negative criticism following the season 5 episode showing Cersei Lannister's memorable Walk of Shame.
For the nude scene, the series' producers had to use a body double to make it appear Headey was nude. This didn't sit well with some people, who thought she was "less of an actress" because she didn't get her "t-ts out."
Asked what the reactions had been like, Headey answered:
[They're] really great ones. But some people thought I was less of an actress because I didn't get my t-ts out.
You know what? It was really a bit shocking. I've done nudity. I'm not adverse to it. But I know I'm a very emotional actor and I get really driven by that. In order to do my job, I allow myself to be really vulnerable. I don't know any other way to do my job. Things really affect me. And the thought of being naked for three days and trying to contain her in the way she would be I think I would feel very angry.
I didn't want to be angry. I don't think Cersei would be angry. I did what I thought she would do, emotionally. And wonderful Rebecca [Van Cleave, Headey's stand-in] was able to contain herself and be naked. She found it very difficult, obviously. It's not a natural thing to do.
I film every year and I have kids and they know me now and [being naked in the scene] was just too much on top of that. So yeah, people that get it thought it was great. I didn't phone it in; I was actually there for three days with Rebecca.
She also cleared up rumors that she picked a double with "a hot body:"
It's a tough f–king job and she's very smart. Another thing I want to say: People [assume] I picked Rebecca. Like I was in the casting and picked a hot body. Like I demanded to have a hot body.
In reality, I said, "If somebody will do this, I'll have no choice about it. Whatever you decide." I had no judgment in that or desire to be involved. I just want to clear that up. Because as a woman, that drives me mad; the thought I'm like, "Nope! Nope!" [and dismissing nude women] in a room. I genuinely wouldn't. Because none of it is about vanity for me —noneof it — otherwise I couldn't do it. It would be a hindrance.
The actress' recent projects include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the upcoming feature-length CGI film Final Fantasy XV, where she will provide the voice of one of the characters.
Asked what season 6 will be like and how Cersei will be in the highly anticipated season, the actress teased:
She's also super emotionally vulnerable in a way she's never been before. It's an interesting moment [in the season premiere] when she realized Jaime's comes back with a dead daughter. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] write about Cersei showing nothing – no screaming – and then later there's a moment with Jaime where she's broken and it's so genuine. It's purely a mother lamenting the purity of her child. I never thought Cersei would say out loud what's said in this scene; it was quite a beautiful moment. And then it gets all f–ked up.
[The Walk of Shame]worsened things. I don't think she's found any humility. She's even more self-preservatory. She can't believe that happened to her, of all people. It's fueled her desire for power and her desperation to prove that she's somebody worth considering.
She also had these very exciting words to keep fans excited for the new season:
It just keep getting better. It's so juicy, and it's so f–king dark, and so emotionally clever, in this landscape. It sounds so cheesy, but I'm really grateful to be part of something so cherished.
Cersei's Walk of Shame had been one of the most shocking and emotional sequences in the entire series and I don't think her wanting a body double made her less of an actress. In fact, using one is common in the industry that it doesn't really matter had she used a body double or not. Her performance, as well as actress Rebecca Van Cleave's, had been spectacular. The Walk of Shame wouldn't have been as great as it was without the expertise of both actresses.
You can read EW's full interview with Headey here.
Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its sixth season on April 24.
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