‘Game of Thrones’: Cersei Actress Lena Headey On How Tommen’s Death Changes Her

Season 6 of Game of Thrones ended with a very Cersei look. You know what I mean. That look she gave her incestuous lover, Jaime. On the surface, it’s full of anger and vengeance. It’s Cersei Lannister on the Iron Throne saying, “They messed with the wrong woman.” But simmering beneath the anger is hurt. That look is everything we’ve come to love about one of many women in the Game of Thrones cast. Cersei is evil, with a big soft spot for her children — all of whom she has lost now. She’s complex and fascinating, just like Game of Thrones in general. It’s what keeps us coming back. In that look and Jaime’s return look, there was a silent conversation between the two. What was that conversation? And what will the future look like for this Game of Thrones character?

When Lena Headey spoke to The Wrap recently, they talked about this and more. Like so many Game of Thrones characters, so much happened to Cersei last season. Certainly the biggest thing that happened to her personally was the death of her son Tommen. Her last living child. Here’s the scene where she learns of his death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrCgvT4qv4o

The prophecy that all of her children would die came to pass in Season 6 of Game of Thrones. She is stoic but deeply hurt all at once. How does Headey think this will affect Cersei going forward?

“The thing that gave her humanity was her kids. They’re gone now. Her father is gone. [Her brother] Tyrion is gone. There’s no one to tell her she can’t, she’s stupid, she’s just a woman… She’s so tired at this point. So tired of losing, of her heart aching, that she’s just going through the motions. The point with Cersei is her utter will to survive, to achieve validation that she is something.”

https://www.facebook.com/time/posts/10153914387751491

To say that Game of Thrones has inflicted a lot of loss and heartache on Cersei is putting it lightly. All three of her children died. She fought the Faith Militant, a battle she initially lost when she was forced to take The Walk of Shame. Throughout Game of Thrones, Cersei has fought fiercely for her family, and in Season 6 she literally burned to the ground half of King’s Landing in order to save what was left of her family’s rule. Yes, she has been through it. With the humanity that she had because of her children, this Game of Thrones character was relentless. With them gone, with the one soft spot in her armor gone, she will indeed be a force to be reckoned with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt1ltM-z2qs

And what of that final scene in Season 6 of Game of Thrones? The looks exchanged by Cersei and Jaime as Cersei sits on the throne. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss explained it to Deadlinefrom Jaime’s end.

“… it’s definitely a moment where Jaime has to start coming to terms with how drastically and irrevocably everything in his world has changed—political arrangements, his personal life, everything. He knew his sister was capable of big plays, but this is another level. And Cersei’s look back to him… well, he’s probably always known that she was in charge in their relationship. Now he really knows it.”

Talking about the same Game of Thrones scene, Headey described it this way.

” I think when Jaime looks anything other than happy, she has a ‘f*** you’ moment. This will be such an interesting season for them. Where do they go? It’s so toxic now.”

Game of Thrones knows how to keep fans going. Cersei Lannister and all the other complex but irresistible characters keep us intrigued and wondering what’s going to happen next. Lena Headey is among several in the Game of Thrones cast and crew whose outstanding work is being acknowledged through Emmy nominations this year. This year marks the third in which Headey’s performance in Game of Thrones has earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

[Photo via HBO]