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Lena Headey is famous for portraying one of the most complex and conniving villains to ever grace our television screens: Cersei Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Although Headey has been part of other commercially successful projects, she has received the most attention and praise for her portrayal of Cersei.

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GoT wasn’t Headey’s first job like it was for some of her castmates. In fact, she worked in the industry for nearly 20 years before the opportunity fell into her lap. Keep reading to find out 10 crazy details you never knew about Lena Headey’s career, both on and off Game of Thrones.

She Was Discovered At The Age Of 17

Some of the younger stars on Game of Thrones gained global fame very early on in their careers, as the show was one of the first professional projects that they ever signed on for. But Lena Headey steadily worked her way up over the years, only achieving that incredible mainstream success after establishing herself as a serious and talented actress with a string of acting credits to her name.

She was first discovered at the age of 17 when a casting agent spotted her performing in a small-scale one-off show. After being invited to audition, Headey won a small role in the drama film Waterland, which was released in 1992.

She’s Had Her Share Of Bad Reviews

Part of being an actor is dealing with negative reviews. Even the most talented and accomplished actors get torn apart by the critics at one point or another. Headey is no stranger to getting bad reviews and received a few over the years.

According to Factinate, one the most notable came from View London that said she was “the only disappointment” in the 2001 comedy The Parole Officer because she smirked “her way through the entire film.” Luckily, she didn’t let the opinions of others stop her from pursuing her acting career to the fullest.

Her Big Break Came Through Another Fantasy Project

After playing the role of Cersei Lannister for eight seasons, Lena Headey is now the most well-known for Game of Thrones. Most fans don’t know that this isn’t the only fantasy project she’s worked on, though. In fact, her big break came through another fantasy film: The Brothers Grimm, which was released in 2005.

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In the movie, Headey plays the character of Angelika, the daughter of a woodsman who is transformed into a werewolf by the Evil Queen. The film earned mix reviews but it did expose Headey to a much wider audience than she’d previously known.

Most People Missed Her Role In The Jungle Book

When Lena Headey took the role of Katherine Kitty Brydon in the 1994 live-action Disney adaptation of The Jungle Book, she was still virtually an unknown actress. Many GoT fans who have seen the film might not even realize that the Cersei and Kitty were played by the same actress. She definitely looks different in the two projects!

Headey’s Kitty is the romantic interest of the protagonist Mowgli, having been his friend since childhood. The role is further testament to Headey’s wide and impressive range as an actress.

Her Co-Star Peter Dinklage First Suggested Her For The Role Of Cersei

The role of Cersei Lannister was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Headey. Although Headey won the role with her own talent, she also has co-star Peter Dinklage to thank, since he was the one who first suggested her to the casting producers.

On the show, Headey and Dinklage’s characters play siblings who couldn’t hate each other more if they tried. While in the early seasons they are still amicable with each other, that all changes after Cersei believes that her brother Tyrion poisoned her son. But in real life, the actors are very good friends.

She Still Doubts Her Abilities As An Actress

This sounds crazy to fans of the show, who have seen Headey carry the character of Cersei for eight seasons and do an outstanding job with her. There is no doubt in our minds that Headey is a fantastic actress. But according to an interview she did with The Guardian, Headey still sometimes doubts herself as an actress.

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“You have to push away the voice that goes, ‘You’re f****** s***, mate,’” she said, admitting that it was really hard to do somedays. This just proves that even the most talented and capable people still doubt themselves sometimes!

She’s Noticed Sexism In The Entertainment Industry

In Westeros, Cersei Lannister is in control of many of the men around her. But Unfortunately, like many of her fellow actresses in the real world, Headey has noticed discrimination in the industry based on gender. The Observer reports that the actress sometimes feels like she’s not taken as seriously as her male counterparts, even though she is just as (if not more) capable.

“Male counterparts can say the same thing [I just did] and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea,’ and I’m like, ‘I just said that 19 times but you chose not to listen or take it on board.’”

She Had To Work With Her Ex

Nobody likes having to see their ex. It’s even worse when you have to work with them, and Lena Headey knows all about that. According to The Guardian, it is widely believed that she was once romantically involved with Jerome Flynn, who portrayed Bronn on GoT. For whatever reason, the two didn’t leave it on good terms, which caused a few awkward moments when they both starred on the show.

It is said that the two actors had to be kept apart on set, and only ever filmed one scene together in which their characters do not interact.

Her Kids Stop Her From Getting Too Emotional Over Her Work

Being involved in a show as great as Game of Thrones would definitely leave the emotions running high for all of the actors, particularly when it’s time to leave the set for the very last time. But Headey maintained that being a mom stopped her from becoming too consumed in all the emotion.

“When I was much younger I would weep every time I ended a job,” she told The Guardian. “I think the guys who grew up on that show, they probably formed really deep friendships that will carry them through. But most of us have our own kids. If kids don’t balance you, then nothing does.”

She Wasn’t Happy With Her Character’s Death On GoT

Following the Game of Thrones finale, a lot of fans were left disappointed with the way things ended. And as it turns out, so were some of the actors. In particular, Headey wasn’t totally impressed with the way her character Cersei finally meets her end—getting crushed under falling bricks.

She told The Guardian that she was “kind of gutted” with the way it all went down because Cersei could have died in so many other ways. But at the same time, she understands that the show’s writers were never going to please everyone with their script.

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