The ‘Game of Thrones’ scene Lena Heady was unhappy with
When Lena Heady played Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, she was universally praised for her coldness. The cruelty she brought to one of the most hated characters ever to grace our screens had the strange side-effect of leaving fans actively excited for her death. But then it came, and the sense of hatred shifted. For once, it wasn’t directed at the incest-enjoying murderer Heady played, but the writers. In all fairness, the feeling was pretty unanimous after the final season, but there was something about Cersei’s death that frustrated audiences and Heady herself more than anything.
David Benioff and Dan Weiss were the showrunners who adapted George R.R. Martin’s books and created a series that became loved and hated in equal measure. By the finale, the latter was the dominant mood. When discussing Cersei’s send, Heady was always diplomatic but frank about her disappointment.
When asked by The Guardian what she’d say to Benioff and Weiss, she said: “I will say I wanted a better death.”
After poisoning people, beheading them, and once burning a whole lot of them in the Great Sept of Baelor, it was assumed her death would be a brutal exit and a moment of genuine vindication for the audience. Fans weren’t wrong to expect that given the treatment Cersei got at the end of the fifth season, which saw her punished for her adultery with her twin brother Jamie.
Her hair was cut, and she was forced to strip naked and walk through King’s Landing in an exercise of public shaming intended to break her spirit. Her death similarly involved Jamie, but with none of the drama fans anticipated. It was passive; there was no war, final battle, or even ill-fated scheme, just rubble raining down on the two and crushing them. It was partly poetic but ultimately a disappointment for Heady.
“Obviously, you dream of your death,” she said. The possibilities did seem endless, and when it came to such a villainous character, you’d think the plans would be even grander. “You could go in any way on that show. So I was kind of gutted. But I just think they couldn’t have pleased everyone. No matter what they did, I think there was going to be some big comedown from the climb.”
As far as restoring some cosmic sense of justice, Cersei’s death left much to be desired. But beyond the initial reaction, it was clear that Heady appreciated her dying alongside Jamie, telling EW it was a “perfect end” for her character. However, she did mention one big last fight scene would have been fitting, too. “Cersei realises just how she loves him and just how much he loves her. It’s the most authentic connection she’s ever had. Ultimately, they belong together.”
