“When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win or die,” said Lena Headey’s character of Cersei Lannister to Sean Bean’s Ned Stark. The rest, as we know, is history.
Headey’s portrayal as the villainous, nay, monstrous Cersei Lannister was one of the most phenomenal performances that the world had ever seen. Despite an extensive filmography, Headey will forever be remembered as her Game of Thrones character. However, the actress revealed that her career became tougher after Thrones!
Lena Headey’s Career Became Harder After Game of Thrones
Being a lover to Jamie Lannister and the mother of Joffrey, Tommen, and, Myrcella Lannister, the character of Cersei Lannister is simply beyond words. The world literally hated her character and that is one of the biggest compliments an actor can get.
The infamous Walk of Shame scene made us feel sorry for Cersei Lannister, while her revenge on Septa Unella made people furious. Her treatment of Jamie Lannister was one of the worst things about her character, but the viewers still loved the actress nonetheless.
In an interview with the People, the actress revealed that the fame that accompanied her was not a good thing, at times. Stating that she would like to keep her personal and professional life separate, Headey revealed that she had to shush her kid once.
If someone says, ‘Oh, you’re in “Game of Thrones,”‘ my youngest [child] now says things like, ‘What is “Game of Thrones”?’ In fact, the other day she went, ‘My mommy is in…’ And I was like, ‘You don’t tell people!’
The actress also revealed that her career became a bit more difficult since she didn’t know what to do after Thrones ended.
Thrones was such a surprise. But there was no part of me that went, ‘Oh, it’s done now. Life’s going to be easy.’ It opened doors, it made certain things easier. It also made things feel harder because you think, ‘What do I do?’
Despite playing a stellar character, fans were often unable to differentiate fiction from reality since Lena Headey was indeed treated quite harshly when she portrayed the role of Cersei Lannister.
Although a few remarks here and there didn’t hurt the actress much, Headey went through much more than that as fans had some really intense emotions to show about the Lannister queen.
Fans Hated Lena Headey!
During the initial days, Cersei Lannister was a different level of menace. From killing his own husband to burning down the Sept of Baelor, Cersei did plenty of crimes during her reign.
Although this was all a part of the show, fans had such hatred for the character that they wouldn’t even treat Lena Headey with respect as an actress. In an interview with Conan O’Brien, the actress revealed her struggles.
I mean I guess it’s a compliment. When you’re bying a table and someone’s like ‘Yeah, what up b*tch’. Old people say ‘I love her’ and I kind of worry for all of them.
Well, the actress did make a show out of Game of Thrones as she was one of the main characters that stayed from the start till the end. In the end, Cersei Lannister died in the arms of her lover Jamie Lannister when the Red Keep was crumbling.
With 8 seasons to its name, Game of Thrones received a rating of 9.2/10 on IMDB, and a whopping 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The iconic HBO show is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
