Unlike other A-listers in the acclaimed series, who didn’t back away from baring it all in front of the camera for the show, this wasn’t the case for Lena Headey, who played Cersei Lannister. For the walk of shame, in which Lannister had to walk down the city completely n-ked, as the city rained down fruits and garbage on her, Headey tagged team with body double Rebecca Van Cleave.
However, the 300 Star not only refused to expose herself for the scene, she further backed away from indulging in the casting process for the body double for the notorious scene.
Lena Headey Played No Part in the Casting Process for Her Body Double
Among the 1000 actresses, who applied to be Lena Headey’s body double, 7 of them were finalized, including Rebecca Van Cleave, who eventually landed the part. But Lena Headey, who decided to not go n-de for the six-minute climactic sequence, opted out from the casting process for the body double, stating that if “somebody is brave enough to do this, I applaud it”.
Per Entertainment Weekly, Headey recalled,
“I was like, ‘Listen guys, she happens to have a beautiful body, but I don’t do casting. If somebody is brave enough to do this, I applaud it.”
While Van Cleave had no prior experience performing n-de, she expressed this was the “most comfortable casting” experience she had, and despite the challenges, she was grateful for the part.
Director Commended Rebecca Van Cleave for Her Bravery
Reflecting on the part, director David Nuttern had nothing but admiration for Rebecca Van Cleave, as he explained it was the most important aspect of the season 5 finale. Considering Cleave had no prior experience of exposing herself on camera, Nuttern was amazed by her bravery, as she was successful in matching Headey’s integrity, intensity, and sensibility, physically. Nuttern explained,
“We found a tremendous actress in Rebecca; she was a godsend. The courage of this girl, who’s never done anything like this in her life, who understood what was important about this … once I had her I felt like I could accomplish anything.”
Although Headey had no say in the casting process, she did make sure Van Cleave had the perfect guidance, as the 300 Star kept on assisting her throughout the sequence while walking beside her.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max.
