Lena Headey says nude-scene backlash and Hollywood power still haunt her

Lena Headey says she was taken aback when some Game of Thrones viewers treated her refusal to appear nude in a major Season 5 scene as a betrayal.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the Emmy-nominated actor revisited the fallout from Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame, which used a body double and CGI for the nude portions. Headey said she was “really shocked by the anger” from people who felt the audience had been misled.

Headey told The Telegraph that the scene involved 3,000 extras and came at a time when the cast had become instantly recognizable in public. She said doing the nude portion herself would have pushed her into a defensive state and made it harder to deliver the emotional performance the scene required.

The actor made a similar point to Entertainment Weekly in 2016, saying some people seemed to judge her acting because she did not appear nude. Headey said then that she had done nudity before and was not opposed to it, but believed the character’s emotional state mattered more for that sequence.

Headey criticizes industry power dynamics

Headey also spoke to The Telegraph about what she described as the entertainment industry’s protection of predatory men. She said the imbalance between powerful men and actresses who need work made her angry, adding that one person could poison an entire job if they were allowed to behave badly.

According to Variety, Headey accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in 2017. She alleged that he made suggestive comments to her at the Venice Film Festival while they were promoting The Brothers Grimm. She also alleged that, years later, Weinstein invited her to his hotel to show her a script.

Headey has previously said that during the hotel encounter she felt the atmosphere change near an elevator and told Weinstein she was interested only in work, according to Variety’s account of her earlier remarks. Variety did not report a response from Weinstein to Headey’s claims in its latest report.

In the Telegraph interview, Headey said the #MeToo movement made clear how widespread such experiences were. She also said younger women she speaks with in the business now seem more prepared to reject situations that make them uncomfortable.

Early roles came with pressure

Headey said that when she began acting, young female performers were often expected to take roles involving kissing, sex scenes and nudity. She told The Telegraph those parts were frequently dressed up with the label “ingenue.”

Because she had not trained at drama school, Headey said she arrived on sets grateful to be working and did not always question whether she felt safe. Looking back, she described some experiences as difficult.

By the time Game of Thrones came along, Headey said she had more experience and could speak up for herself. She contrasted that with younger performers on the HBO series, saying they had less time in front of cameras and were more vulnerable.

The show’s sex scenes and nudity drew criticism during its run. Variety noted that cast member Gemma Whelan has described those scenes as chaotic to film, while Emilia Clarke has said she cried after shooting certain sex scenes. The series was made before intimacy coordinators became a standard presence on many productions.

This story draws on original reporting from Variety.