Game of Thrones fans know that Cersei Lannister's nude walk of shame was one of the most poignant moments of season five—possibly the whole series—thanks to Lena Headey's gut-wrenching performance. So we're shocked to hear that Headey received some backlash because she chose to use her body double, Rebecca Van Cleave, rather than get naked herself.
Wait, what? Yep. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Heady explained that "some people thought I was less of an actress because I didn’t get my tits out."
But Headey's reasons for using a double had nothing to do with modesty or being against nudity. They were actually quite logical: She knew that filming naked for three days would affect her performance. "It was really a bit shocking," she said of the criticism. "I've done nudity. I'm not averse to it. But I know I'm a very emotional actor and I get really driven by that. In order to do my job, I allow myself to be really vulnerable. I don't know any other way to do my job. Things really affect me. And the thought of being naked for three days and trying to contain her in the way she would be I think I would feel very angry. I didn't want to be angry. I don't think Cersei would be angry. I did what I thought she would do, emotionally. And wonderful Rebecca was able to contain herself and be naked. She found it very difficult, obviously. It's not a natural thing to do. I film every year and I have kids and they know me now and [being naked in the scene] was just too much on top of that. So yeah, people that get it thought it was great. I didn't phone it in; I was actually there for three days with Rebecca."
But apparently there was another reason fans weren't happy: Some felt Van Cleave's body was too hot for the role. In the books, the character of Cersei is described as having a sagging body and stretch marks. Headey responded to those complaints too, saying: "People [assume] I picked Rebecca. Like I was in the casting and picked a hot body. Like I demanded to have a hot body. In reality, I said, 'If somebody will do this, I'll have no choice about it. Whatever you decide.' I had no judgment in that or desire to be involved. I just want to clear that up. Because as a woman, that drives me mad; the thought I'm like, 'Nope! Nope!' [and dismissing nude women] in a room. I genuinely wouldn't. Because none of it is about vanity for me—none of it—otherwise, I couldn't do it. It would be a hindrance."
So, women get shamed for showing their naked bodies on TV and they also get reprimanded when they opt not to? Serious question: Would it have even made news if a male actor used a body double? Instead, we should be allowing women to make the best decisions for ourselves, especially when it comes to our bodies, our family, and our career.
PS: For more about the strong women on Game of Thrones, read our cover interview with Emilia Clarke.
