Lena Headey Says the Walk of Shame Hasn’t Humbled Cersei

Lena Headey is blunt when she warns of how things are going for Cersei Lannister. When we last saw her character, she had just collapsed after completing a naked “Walk of Shame” from the Sept of Baelor through the streets of King’s Landing to the Red Keep in the Game of Thrones Season 5 finale. Will this incredibly mortifying experience change her perspective on things? Not at all. “No, it’s worsened things!” she tells Entertainment Weekly.

"I don’t think she’s found any humility. She’s even more self-preservatory. She can’t believe that happened to her, of all people. It’s fueled her desire for power and her desperation to prove that she’s somebody worth considering."

Remember, all Cersei ever wanted was for the men around her to take her and her power seriously. She believed in her bones that she was her father’s true heir, that Jaime was weak and Tyrion malformed, and that her father should have entrusted her with the Lannister family legacy, which he never did. She believed he only refused because she was a woman, and she’s partly right. However, as we know, she’s also an absolute disaster when it comes to leading—she made a deal with the High Sparrow that effectively gave away the power she had to his religious cult, among other stupid and short-sighted movies.

The Walk of Shame not taking Cersei down a notch isn’t the only thing that will surprise us this season. Many assumed that when Jaime returned home with Myrcella’s body, Cersei would go absolutely buck wild, imagining screaming fits and attacking her brother for failing her. Headey did too. That’s why Cersei’s reaction on the page—and in the scene that show released prior to the season—was so stunning to her.

"It’s an interesting moment [in the season premiere] when she realized Jaime’s comes back with a dead daughter. [Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] write about Cersei showing nothing – no screaming – and then later there’s a moment with Jaime where she’s broken and it’s so genuine. It’s purely a mother lamenting the purity of her child. I never thought Cersei would say out loud what’s said in this scene; it was quite a beautiful moment. And then it gets all f–ked up."

As for Cersei’s real feelings, Headey admits that even she isn’t sure sometimes. “There are moments I wasn’t sure if she’s really doing what she’s presenting. Everything in this has 75 layers.”

Speaking about the High Sparrow, Jonathan Pryce is promising that we’ll get to know more about the enigmatic character who has quietly taken over ruling the capital city from deep in the Sept of Baelor. Last year, we got flashbacks to Cersei’s childhood, and the fears that drive her. According to The Guardian, Pryce said in this month’s print issue of the Radio Times that Season 6 will give us that same insight to the Lannister’s main enemy.

"It was all with good intentions; he had lived a very debauched life, he was very rich, and he woke up one morning and said, ‘This is wrong’ and walked out with bare feet. He’s stayed barefooted ever since."

Meanwhile, those in the UK have doubtlessly heard the comparisons of the High Sparrow to Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader in Parliament. Pryce agrees that the comparisons are somewhat apt. After all, “we both dress badly!”

"It’s funny, or perhaps ironic, but if you look on the internet there are images of me and Jeremy Corbyn as a looky-likey. That could be interesting. A faith militant!"

For the royal family’s sake, let’s hope not.