Lena Headey says ‘Walk of Atonement’ body double backlash baffled her
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More than 10 years after one of television’s most talked-about scenes, Lena Headey has set the record straight about a decision that sparked backlash far beyond Westeros.
Headey pulled back the curtain on the backlash that erupted after Cersei Lannister’s infamous “March of Atonement” on “Game of Thrones,” revealing that she still finds the outrage confusing.
“I was truly shocked by the anger and the idea that I was deceiving the audience,” Headey said. Telegram. “But at that point everyone knew [the cast]”It was crazy to go anywhere and I was with 3,000 extras.”
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Lena Headey opened up about the backlash she received after using a body double for Cersei Lannister’s infamous “Walk of Redemption” scene in “Game of Thrones.” (C Flanigan/Getty Images)
She explained that while acting was “a joy”, the scale of filming the scene would have made it impossible for her to fully experience the emotional performance if she had been worried about getting naked in front of thousands of people.
“I couldn’t do the emotional part of it,” she told the outlet. “I would be in full defense mode.”
Looking back, Headey said she was in a very different position than many young actresses entering the industry. Her experience on set gave her the confidence to set boundaries that not everyone is comfortable asserting.
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Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in a scene from season 7 of “Game of Thrones.” The duo played Cersei and Jaime Lannister in the series. (Hbo/Kobal / Shutterstock)
“At this point, I was over the hump,” the actress said. “I could stand up for myself. I’m not saying those actresses couldn’t do that, but they were a lot younger and more vulnerable and had a lot less experience with being in front of people, in front of the camera, and performing. Whereas I was at an age where I was going to titillate and throw around anyone who was offended by stupidity.”
Headey said at the time: Entertainment Weekly some viewers believed she was “less of an actress” because she did not perform the nudity herself.
“I did nudity. I’m not against it,” she explained in 2016. “I don’t think Cersei would be angry, I did what I thought she would do emotionally.”
Lena Headey said shooting Cersei Lannister’s iconic “Game of Thrones” scene with thousands of extras was the right choice for her performance. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Headey acknowledged that appearing naked on camera was no easy task, praising body double Rebecca Van Cleave for taking on the physically demanding role. She also said that being a mother and a well-known public figure, filming the nude parts felt like more than she was willing to take on.
“I didn’t phone it in,” he said of his performance. “I was actually there with Rebecca for three days.”
Lena Headey played the ruthless and power-hungry Queen Cersei Lannister in HBO’s hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, earning multiple Emmy nominations for the role. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
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According to Headey, this controversy also reflected a much larger problem that she believes many actresses face early in their careers.
“There was a rite of passage that all young female actors had to go through, which usually involved kissing, falling in love, having sex and showing your breasts,” she told The Telegraph. “They called them pure parts to make it look nicer.”
The “300” actor admitted that he rarely questioned those expectations when he started out because he was grateful to be working.
“But I just started,” he explained. “I didn’t go to drama school, so I’d come on set and be like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got a job.’ And when it came to those moments, I don’t even think I questioned the need to be safe. Instead, I’d go home and cry or think, ‘Oh, that felt weird and so familiar.’ Now, when I look back, I think, ‘Hmm, that was so hard.'”
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Lena Headey said her early experiences in Hollywood shaped the boundaries she later set as an established actress and reflected changing attitudes towards women in the entertainment industry. (Getty Images)
These experiences ultimately changed Headey’s perspective on power dynamics in the entertainment industry.
“The strange protection we offer to predatory men in business because of the disproportionate power they wield, counteracts the need for vulnerable actresses to put food on the table to get the job, which makes me very angry. Allowing one person to get away with it for one reason or another can lead to a complete collapse of a business.”
She said the #MeToo movement has revealed how common these experiences are, and she believes today’s young actresses are much more willing to reject situations that make them uncomfortable.
“The attitude today is ‘I’m not doing that,'” he emphasized.
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