Lena Headey reveals why Cersei Lannister is the perfect role for her

Even on Game of Thrones, a show that’s overflowing with excellent actors, Lena Headey has distinguished herself. Cersei Lannister is not an easy person to like, but Headey has managed to showcase the vulnerability and insecurity that underlie so much of her loathsome behavior, making her a little more relatable even as she does horrible things. Headey, looking alarmingly brunette, recently sat down with MORE magazine for an interview and shed some light on why the role is a good fit for her.

Speaking like someone who’s appeared in The Purge and Dredd, Headey admitted to a fondness for “dark, weird stuff, things other people would say, ‘Eww, I’d never do that.’ I don’t do what I do because I want to be pretty and drink Champagne.” I’d wager that Cersei would probably enjoy the odd glass of champagne, but otherwise the role is in line with Headey’s predilection for the dark and weird.

Headey also revealed how she first learned about the part. She was filming an indie comedy called Pete Smalls Is Dead that also happened to star one Peter Dinklage. Dinklage, being an obvious choice for the role of Tyrion, was reading the script for the Game of Thrones pilot on set. “He said, ‘It’s this fucking great pilot—it’s insane!’” Headey remembered. “‘Right now I’m reading a scene where I get a blow job. And there’s incest, and you’d be my sister.’” How’s a girl to say no to that?

The interview also covers some more personal topics, including Headey’s divorce from musician Peter Loughran, her love of getting tattoos, and her pregnancy. It’s good to learn that the woman who plays Cersei has an edgy side to her, since that’s pretty much a prerequisite for the role. It should also serve her well during the coming season, which should be a banner year for Cersei Lannister if it covers the applicable material from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons.

• Published on 03/25/2015 at 2:30 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:05 PM CDT