Lena Headey doesn’t want a redemption for Cersei Lannister

Game of Thrones has featured villains-turned-heroes (or at least turned anti-heroes) before. Both Jaime Lannister and the Hound followed that path. Cersei Lannister is one of the most prominent villains the show has right now. But actor Lena Headey, who’s been nominated for a Golden Globe for her work as Cersei in Game of Thrones Season 6, says she’s not hoping the character will ultimately find redemption. “I think that would ruin it,” she told Mashable.

It’s not uncommon for Hollywood to give villains some kind of redemption before their deaths (see Darth Vader), so it’s refreshing to see Headey doesn’t want that. The problem might be that the term “villain” is too simple for someone like Cersei. In any case, that’s not the way Headey thinks of her.

"I don’t play her as a villain. I don’t set out to do that consciously, I just play a woman who is a survivor and will do exactly what a man would do — which is, you know, murder somebody when you’re in a war. Maybe just not directly."

Whether Cersei is redeemed, Headey is making up for her character’s sins in the real world, working with the International Rescue Committe (IRC) and becoming an advocate for Syrian refugees. Headey produced a photography series titled “It Could Be Us” along with photographer Tara Todras Whitehill that focused on the plight of the refugees. The idea for the series came about after Headey visited refugee camps in Greece alongside Game of Thrones castmates Maisie Williams (Arya) and Liam Cunningham (Davos). She’s remained passionate about the subject since.

"People want a voice, and they don’t want to be forgotten. We had talked about revisiting and letting people just tell us what their dreams were and the hopes that they had still after all they’ve been through."

Headey hopes that her celebrity will raise awareness about the struggle of the refugees, and that the images will give the Syrian refugee crisis a face to people around the world.

"I think everybody that night came away asking ‘What can I do?’ that maybe they hadn’t asked before. I just think if you look into any of those eyes… which was the whole point of Tara kind of making them that size; it’s unavoidable… you know, you can’t avoid a gaze. And you wouldn’t even need to read half the stories because it’s in their eyes, isn’t it? When you look at those images you just think, that person has something to tell me…"

Those interested in getting involved can visit the IRC’s the IRC’s website.

h/t Medium