‘Hey, they were in Game of Thrones’—Where else have you seen these 50 GoT cast members?
6) LENA HEADEY
Cersei Lannister is everybody’s favorite Dark Queen, and Lena Headey has played her with evil aplomb from the very first episode of Game of Thrones. Born in Bermuda and raised in Yorkshire, England, Headey has been cast in a number of big and small-screen projects, including Kate in The Red Baron (2008), Angelika in The Brothers Grimm (2005), Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (TV), Jocelyn in Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), and Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016).
Headey has had a long and impressive career, and has starred alongside such acting notables as Vanessa Redgrave (Mrs. Dalloway, 1997) and Ralph Fiennes (Onegin, 1999). She even had a tiny part in Remains of the Day (1993), which garnered eight Academy Awards nominations. Like Sean Bean, she also provides voiceover for video games, such as Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and Dishonored.
American audiences probably best recognize Heady from her role as the Spartan Queen Gorgo in the 300 movies. Her ability to bring both defiant strength and vulnerability keeps casting directors knocking on her door. Knowing her talents, it was her friend Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) who went to the Game of Thrones producers and recommended her for Cersei.
One big difference between Game of Thrones and the 300 series is that Game of Thrones sets are largely “built,” as opposed to all the CGI on 300. Headey talked about how that affected her as an actor during an interview with Crave in 2014:
"It’s (Game of Thrones) easier because in something like 300 you just have the other actors to… Your emotional place is the anchor of it because you’re not seeing something real. Plus, green screen makes me want to puke. In “Thrones” everything is built. There’s things on every table. There are things that you believe you would have had when you were five, and you can give stories to everything. So it’s immersive in that way, which is a real treasure as an actor."
Back in the early days of her career, Headey appeared on the British TV series Soldier, Soldier (1991-1997). The show followed the lives of the men of B Company and their struggles adapting to a new era of military life after the Cold War. Headey’s character, Shenna Bowles, appeared in only three episodes in 1993, but it was one of the launching points of her career. Soldier, Soldier is credited with catapulting several other Game of Thrones actors into the limelight, too, including Jerome Flynn (Bronn) and Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt).
What’s coming up for Headey (outside of Game of Thrones, of course)? Look for her in the role of Ellen in the movie Thumper, a drama slated for 2017.
