Diana Rigg Promises “Lady Olenna vs Cersei” for Season 6
By Ani Bundel
Though some of her co-stars have far larger outside projects to promote, don’t count out Dame Diana Rigg. Her Science Fiction comedy You, Me and the Apocalypse is currently running on Sky1 and will be debuting on NBC mid season (albeit billed as a “Rob Lowe vehicle”). Still, the project has her out and about and giving some of the best soundbites in interviews to be had (such as stumping for a lesbian James Bond once Daniel Craig hands in his Aston Martin keys.)
She’s no slouch when talking about Game of Thrones, either. According to her interview with Digital Spy, we can look forward to another round of the match-up we saw last season: Lady Olenna vs Cersei Lannister. Though I think the battle might not be quite so one-sided as it was last time.
Olenna Tyrell will face off with Lena Headey’s formidable fallen Queen. “I’ve got a head-on with Cersei coming up and it’s really good,” she hinted.
Considering that as of this writing, Margaery continues to remain imprisoned, while Cersei has been arrested (thanks to Olenna’s scheming) only to get out again. That must stick in the Queen of Thron’s craw something awful. Also, after her walk, Cersei is no longer as in charge as she was last time she and Lady Olenna sat down, so I think that Cersei attempting to channel “Tywin Cool” against Olenna’s goading probably will not work as well as it did the last time we saw them spar in Season 5.
Pictured: Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell.
Photographer: Macall B. Polay/HBO
As for her new role in You, Me and the Apocalypse, she describes her character as “the mum from hell.” Not all that far off from what we might have imagined Lady Olenna to have been like when she was raising dunderheaded son Mace.
It’s wonderful – she’s indomitable. Nothing would stop her, utterly selfish. The opportunity to be bizarre – I am bizarre, aren’t I? – is just so wonderful, isn’t it? I didn’t know whether I had to be glamorous, but they decided to make me glamorous. That’s wonderful, because I so rarely get the chance! I’m an old bag for the most part on Game Of Thrones, so it’s so lovely to be glamorous – as glamorous as you can be at my age!