Casting/News/Sightings/Speculation

Cersei’s Shame Double Returns in Season 8 & Game of Thrones Cast Gathers in Belfast!

Posted on by Luka Nieto

Cersei Lannister Walk of Shame on Game of Thrones

Today’s surprising Game of Thrones news will probably lead to some lively speculation. Rebecca Van Cleave returns for the eighth and final season! You may not remember her name, but she certainly made an impression back in the finale for the fifth season, “Mother’s Mercy”, as Lena Headey’s double for Cersei’s naked walk of atonement!

And there’s more! At a Belfast pub, the showrunners were sighted together with some of the main cast, including but not limited to a certain new (on-screen) incestuous couple.

Industry Casting, an agency “supplying professional Background Artists, Walk-On Artists and Actors”, announced on Twitter that Rebecca Van Cleave “has been in a very snowy Belfast this week shooting her repeat role for Game of Thrones.” Let’s take a look:


Extras and stunt doubles returning wouldn’t normally constitute big news, but in her first appearance Van Cleave performed a very specific role — that of Lena Headey’s nude body double during the so-called “walk of shame” sequence in “Mother’s Mercy.”

Admittedly, she could be back in another role entirely, one in which her face wouldn’t be supplanted with Headey’s in post-production, but this is not described as a mere return to the show but as a “repeat role.” If Headey needs a body double again, that probably means Cersei will have one or more scenes of an intimate nature in this final season.

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Will she really go all the way with Euron? Or, if Van Cleave’s scene isn’t sexual, could this have to do with Cersei’s probably doomed pregnancy? There are many options here!

Yesterday, along with showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, cast members Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage and Jacob Anderson were sighted together at Kelly’s Cellars, in Belfast. How would we all have loved to be a fly on the wall there!


You may notice there are two others in the group, apparently hiding from the camera. Was it just a coincidence? Were they hiding because they just didn’t want to be photographed at that particular moment? Of course, that would be more than fair enough! There is a more interesting possibility, however, even though it may not be as likely: were they perhaps hiding because the mere presence of these actors in season eight would constitute a spoiler? Now, that would be interesting. I leave you guys to speculate about this, as well as about what role Van Cleave will perform exactly.
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Luka Nieto

37 Comments

  2. I don’t think they’re hiding, looks like they’re simply having a conversation and didn’t feel the need to pose for the snap. Looks like Lena or Carice with Nathalie behind

  4. Rebecca was in season 7 too when Cersei wakes up naked in the morning in episode 3.

    I don’t think the nudity is for sex with Euron because Pilou has not been in Belfast, and I don’t think she’ll miscarry naked.

  5. I love this photo, with the reflective eyes it looks like a photo from the 90s one of the women next to Peter could be his wife, he has a apartment in Belfast apparently and since he had a new child recently he may not want to be parted from his family so they are staying in Belfast with him while he films

  7. Andy:
    Rebecca was in season 7 too when Cersei wakes up naked in the morning in episode 3.

    I don’t think the nudity is for sex with Euron because Pilou has not been in Belfast, and I don’t think she’ll miscarry naked.

    Tin foil time: what if R .V .C. ends up on the prow / bow of the silence.

  8. I doubt she would be naked for a sex scene with Euron. She was never naked for a scene with Jaime either.

  9. Andy,

    Wasn’t that Lena Headey herself? She’s done nude before, but she didn’t want to do it in public.

    Rebecca Van Cleave is a beautiful woman, I would rather think she’s playing an extra. I can’t imagine why Cersei would go nude again in public. To give birth she can use prosthetics like Carice (Melisandre) did when she gave birth to the shadow baby.

  10. Chilli,

    For continuity’s sake they went with Rebecca again (or at least someone similarly-proportioned because she wasn’t credited in ep. 703). Lena and Rebecca have very different bodies though; there’s really no confusing them. Also it being called a “repeat role” proves they’re not coming up with something else for her to do.

  11. Ten Bears:
    WightCersei/WWCersei

    i swear to the Old Gods and the New ..this to happen..I will be so happy seeing Cercei a Walking dead body

  17. Dark Sister,

    Yeah, not sure how that’ll work but I guess they already used Dubrovnik for TLJ.

    I’m SO gonna take a tour of those sets (although not sure how long plastered plywood will last in the Belfast weather)! 😊

  18. Rebecca van Cleeve replaced Lena Headey in “Mother’s Mercy” because Lena was visibly pregnant when the walk of shame was shot. about Lena not being in the nude scene with Jamie… i’m not sure about this. and i will surely not watch some sort of sexist “best of Cersei naked” on youtube in order to get the differences between the actresses’s bodies. so, any certain proof it was not Lena in the wake-up scene with Jamie?

    if it was not Lena, alrighty: she doesn’t like to do nude scenes. i feel with her in a way.

    but if it was Lena, it means one of both actresses is pregnant. and this could mean that the time around giving birth to a child or losing it could be a time Cersei goes through some sort of hell at the hands of sadist piece of shit which i don’t want to call Euron now, how could i even?
    this, or she’s become batshit insane and goes everywhere in the emperor’s new clothes.

    i have to add that i’m not sure if i’m really comfortable with this part of my comment. i mean, i just commented two female bodies and what their shape could mean for a plot of a tv-series. if you detect the bit of sexism in it i missed, i beg you to throw it at me.

    about the pub photo: i say Rose Leslie and Peter Dinklage’s wife (whose name i should really remember one day, because i love to be polite!). they aren’t hiding from the camera. they just happened to be so comfortable in their sitting positions they didn’t bother to move half a bone for the xhundredth photographer…

    that painting on the door to the women’s toilet then… i effing love it. this has style!

  19. Apollo:
    Dark Sister,

    Yeah, not sure how that’ll work but I guess they already used Dubrovnik for TLJ.

    I’m SO gonna take a tour of those sets (although not sure how long plastered plywood will last in the Belfast weather)! 😊

    I’d take that “report” with a huge grain of salt. That set is scaffolding faced with plastered plywood.

    1) the plywood and its plaster facing will survive the northern Irish weather for about… I dunno… 6 months, 12 at most, before decaying and disintegrating to unslightly and unsafe levels.

    2) The set is mostly scaffolding. Considering the UK’s health & safety regulations, only professional people who know what they’re doing would be allowed on such structures. They would have to be made a lot safer for the general hapless tourist.

    OK, it’s not impossible, I just think it very unlikely. Also because (spoiler from previous WOTW production news )

    It seems likely there’s going to be major fire action at this set. I mean, if they burn it, how is the charred, unsafe remains of this set supposed to be a viable tourist attraction?

  21. Chicken Generated Image:
    Rebecca van Cleeve replaced Lena Headey in “Mother’s Mercy” because Lena was visibly pregnant when the walk of shame was shot.

    No, she wasn’t. At the time that was filmed, Lena wasn’t pregnant yet, or at most a couple of weeks.

    Peter’s wife is Erica Schmidt – isn’t it funny how identifiable someone’s hair can be? 😄

  23. Pigeon: No, she wasn’t. At the time that was filmed, Lena wasn’t pregnant yet, or at most a couple of weeks.

    Peter’s wife is Erica Schmidt – isn’t it funny how identifiable someone’s hair can be? 😄

    i thought i had this pregnancy double thing from some sort of reliable source. if i could only remember…

    guessing Erica Schmidt (thank you for the reminder!) was really just me guessing, supported by someone here mentioning their family welcoming a new member.

  24. As to the pub photo. The way the tatty-jeans-clad legs fold and the thin hand with sticking fingers… It immediately made me think of Lena Heady. She’s not haughty and stiff like Cersei at all, and I remember some interview a couple years back, in the photo she was all sticky-out knees hunched up on a train seat.

    Maybe it’s not her, she was just my first thought when I saw those knees.

    As to the second “unidentified” person sort of hiding. The dark hair and impression of slenderness make me think of Carice van Houten (Melisandre), but it could be anyone.

    I don’t really even care who’s in the picture, it’s enough to know they’re filming S8 and we will have it on our screens next year.

  25. talvikorppi,

    That’s what I said: plastered plywood won’t last long…the Winterfell set deteriorated extensively between seasons. Perhaps they’ll upgrade the facades..This set is much sturdier in terms of structure: it’s constructed using steel girders instead of scaffolding.

    And flames don’t necessarily mean permanent destruction: Moneyglass is still standing weeks after that inferno was leaked.

  27. …:
    Apollo,

    ehhh when everyone’s putting in effort to pose for the camera it’s a bit weird that two people aren’t .

    Possibly, but not necessarily.

    They don’t seem to be putting in a whole lot of effort to pose. They could’ve been just sitting at a table when someone came along and snapped a picture. If a couple of people are laying back then there’s no real reason why they would feel compelled to change their position to make sure their face is in the picture. Especially when they probably get inundated with requests for picture all the time.

  28. Chicken Generated Image: i thought i had this pregnancy double thing from some sort of reliable source. if i could only remember…

    I’m not being snide when I say that source wasn’t reliable if you saw one, just that it’s inaccurate. We had lengthy conversations here about this topic. If I recall correctly we had photos for that scene and it was filmed the first week of October. *searches* Here’s one thread (Oct. 9, 2014): http://watchersonthewall.com/littlefinger-returns-kings-landing/ Lena announced the birth of her daughter on July 10th, 2015. That’s nine months so she may not have even known she was pregnant at the time of filming that scene.

  29. talvikorppi,

    Also, the article only states that it will be used as a tourist attraction and it will be used for future projects so, I’m assuming the maintenance and upkeep is a given, and since it will be used again in the future, chances are visitors won’t be allowed on it. I just assumed it could be potentially be maintained for a walking tour and visitors can goggle and take photos from around it.

  31. Exactly my take on it. Whoever is sitting on that bench is clearly chatting away merrily, and had no interest in being in the photo for precisely that reason.

    Mr Derp: Possibly, but not necessarily.

    They don’t seem to be putting in a whole lot of effort to pose.They could’ve been just sitting at a table when someone came along and snapped a picture.If a couple of people are laying back then there’s no real reason why they would feel compelled to change their position to make sure their face is in the picture.Especially when they probably get inundated with requests for picture all the time.

  32. Dark Sister,

    Yes, you’re quite right.

    I sailed very near Ballintoy Harbour (Iron Islands) last summer but we couldn’t go there because it’s too shallow at low tide, our yach needs at least 180 cm (6′) around the clock. So we just waved bye bye and sailed on… got buffeted by some contrtrary winds and weather, were tired and ragged when we finally got to the next port where we got suitably “fed and watered”.

  33. Mr Derp,

    They’re not going to let any photo come out that’s just “randomly” snapped. The fact that this appeared on the twitter of this place means that they allowed this pic to be taken and placed and for now we only see people who are already together when we left off s7. The rules are pretty strict this year, apparently they’re not even allowed to take pics with random fans or put too much on social media(obviously NCW and LH don’t really care about that too much but they haven’t really cared for seasons now)

  34. Chilli,

    Chicken Generated Image,

    Lena won’t do any nude scenes in GOT not because she refuses to do them but because Lena has a lot of tattoo’s all over her body and it’s hard to cover them up so it’s just easier if a double is used, I remember reading this is in a interview after the walk of shame scene

  36. Mr Derp,

    I hate getting my picture taken, so I commeserate with them if they are just avoiding one more. Good thing Im not a star or anything…

  37. This is the sort of “spoiler” I quite like during filming one that gives us a tease but leaves a lot of room for speculation and guess work.

    I can only assume we are going to see a burned and nude Cersei or we are getting a sex scene. Given where we left off with Jamie in S7 we have to assume the latter is pretty unlikely. So I’m guessing Cersei will be naked when things get blown up with wildfire or dragon fire.

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