Lena Headey is popular for playing very bold roles in iconic epic dramas like Game of Thrones and 300.
Be it her portrayal of Cersei Lannister in King’s Landing or Queen Gorgo in ancient Greece, her characters rarely back down, even in men-dominated spaces. Another thing common in two of her most popular characters is their decision to sleep with treacherous men to get the desired results.
In Game of Thrones, Cersei is convinced to give what Euron Greyjoy wants in exchange for the Golden Company, an army of mercenaries, in her fight to keep hold of King’s Landing. A similar thing happened in 300, but things were much more comfortable behind the scenes this while.
Why Lena Headey Shared an Instant Chemistry With 300 Actor
Zack Snyder-directed 300 follows the battle of King Leonidas of Sparta and his force of 300 men against Xerxes and his massive Persian army in 480 B.C. The movie was a financial success with a global box office collection of $456 million, and Gerard Butler, who played King Leonidas, received a lot of critical acclaim for his performance.
Lena Headey also got plenty of praise for her strong portrayal of Queen Gorgo. In one of the highlights of the movie, Gorgo is compelled to have s*x with Theron (Dominic West) in her attempts to convince the Spartan council to send reinforcements to Leonidas.
However, the corrupt Spartan politician betrays her in front of the Council. This leads to Gorgo killing him.
This was a penultimate moment in the movie, as when Theron falls, a bag of Xerxes’ gold falls from his robe, underlining his corrupt nature and uniting the Council against Persia. When asked about her intense chemistry with West, Heady quipped (via IMDb), “He’s insane, so that helps.”
Interestingly, the British actress was already friends with West, who’s known for his brilliant work in iconic crime series The Wire. The shared familiarity must’ve also played a part in enhancing their on-screen chemistry.
Lena Headey Had to Replicate the Bravery of Her Strong Characters Behind the Scenes
The 49-year-old isn’t just known for showing boldness in front of the camera. Headey has also fought personal battles behind the scenes, including two encounters with former powerful film producer and convicted s*x offender, Harvey Weinstein.
Through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) in 2017, Headey recounted two instances where Weinstein attempted to s*xually harass her.
She revealed that the first encounter took place in Venice during the promotion of The Brothers Grimm (2005), which was being distributed by his company, Miramax. The second happened during a breakfast meeting in an LA hotel. Headey bravely shut down both approaches from Weinstein.
