Lena Headey cast as Cersei

As exclusively revealed by Chicago Tribune televison critic Maureen Ryan, British actress Lena Headey has been cast as Cersei Lannister in the pilot of Game of Thrones. Headey is best known for her appearance in 300 and more recently as the star of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Ryan, a critic who has been very vocal in her support for Thrones, also has a great write-up about the series in general.

All the major roles for HBO’s “Game of Thones” pilot have been filled in recent weeks — except one.
I can exclusively reveal that Lena Headey, most recently seen as Sarah Connor in Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” will play Cersei Lannister, a woman of royal blood who is every bit as smart, cunning and devious as the powerful men around her.

Winter Is Coming: Awesome news. Headey is the big name that can carry this series. She has enormous amounts of geek cred thanks to her appearances in 300 and Sarah Connor Chronicles. She is undoubtedly beautiful. The only hesitation one might have would be in her coloring. It is on the darker side, so we’ll have to see how she looks as a blonde. I don’t think that will be too big of a problem though. I know a lot of people wanted Tricia Helfer as Cersei, but what we got might be even better.

• Published on 09/01/2009 at 7:37 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/20/2016 at 4:55 PM CDT