Game of Thrones star clarifies “waterboarding” comments: “I would 100% do it again”

The other month, Game of Thrones veteran Hannah Waddingham — who played Septa Unella, aka the nun who marched Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) through the streets of King’s Landing yelling “Shame” — made headlines when she described her experience in the season 6 finale, “The Winds of Winter,” where Cersei tortured Unella by tying her down and pouring wine in her face.

“And there I was strapped to a wooden table with proper big straps for 10 hours,” Waddingham said. “And definitely, other than childbirth, it was the worst day of my life. Because Lena [Headey] was uncomfortable pouring liquid in my face for that long, and I was beside myself. But in those moments you have to think, do you serve the piece and get on with it or do you chicken out and go, ‘No, this isn’t what I signed up for, blah, blah, blah?’”

"I just thought, ‘Do you know what?’ The one thing I kept thinking to myself, ‘The production company aren’t going to let you die, so get on with it, be uncomfortable.’ Like you were saying in your question, I would say, get on with it. As long as you feel like there’s not any genuine threat of something happening, push yourself, be uncomfortable."

Now, Waddingham has gone on The Talk and followed up on her comments.

Hannah Waddingham doesn’t regret difficult Game of Thrones scene

“What I said at the end of it that wasn’t picked up on, was I would 100% do it again,” she said. “Because being given the chance to be on something like Game Of Thrones, you have to go there.”

"That’s why the show is so magnificent, because it brings everybody out, it takes everyone to the nth degree of their emotions. And that’s why it was so successful because you believe it, you believe the gore and you believe the tragedy and the drama."

Since Game of Thrones, Hannah Waddingham has gone on to earn an Emmy nomination for her work on the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, which has become a critical darling. We’ll be pulling for her when the Emmys air on September 19 on CBS.

In the meantime, HBO is readying a new show set in Westeros, a prequel to Game of Thrones that will tell the tale of a Targaryen civil war:

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels

h/t Just Jared