This is a Curtain Call I have been expecting for quite some time. It is nevertheless an odd experience to be sitting down and writing it at last.
If you’ve read my previous pieces in The Writing on the Wall series or heard me on The Night’s Cast podcast, you may know that I love the character of Cersei Lannister and what Lena Headey brought to the role.
Lena could have easily played a stereotypical Evil Queen, cackling as she devours her enemies or what have you, but she didn’t. She looked behind the veneer of Cersei and found the broken, isolated, and insecure being underneath. Lena’s performance never excused Cersei’s abhorrent behavior but she also never allowed the audience to ignore that there was a human being underneath the sharp callousness. To consistently embody that complexity for a decade is incredibly difficult and the tapestry of television and certain women in television has been made richer for it.
That humanizing of a villain was incredibly powerful for it complicated the picture of who Cersei is – and a villain whose humanity is consistently visible is far more potent than one who’s humanity is obscured, opaque. Lena embodied and played each element of Cersei beautifully, never losing sight of who she was, even if she was becoming someone else entirely in those moments. Her performance in “No One” after Tommen (Dean Charles-Chapman) outlaws trials by combat is perhaps my favorite. You see grief, shock, terror, despair, and anger all come together to form a shield of misguided strength and resolve as Cersei infamously makes the infamous decision to blow up the Sept of Baelor.
Lena’s filmography is vast, with more than eighty credits to her name. Her first breakout role arguably was her performance as Queen Guinevere in the 1982 NBC miniseries Merlin. She became known to a wider audience as Queen Gorgo in the war fest 300 and its sequel. She gained further notoriety as Sarah Connor in the excellent The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
You can catch Lena in the upcoming Gunpowder Milkshake alongside Karen Gillian, Michelle Yeoh, and Paul Giamatti. You can also see her teaming up in the television drama The Flood with her Thrones co-star Iain Glen and Mandip Gill of Doctor Who fame. And if you don’t follow her lovely Instagram, you’re missing out! Follow her on @iamlenaheadey.
Thank you for your luminous performance, Lena! We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next.
I love you Lena!
Hodor!
And thank you to the incredibly talented Ms. Heady for the villain I most loved to hate. I never tired of trying to figure out what she was going to get up to next.
Another spot on casting, and of course Lena is one the best known actors to work in the show with a huge filmography as mentioned so the chances of her disappointing in the role were pretty near zero.
After 8 seasons Lena is one of the cast who will forever be the character when I read the books; and I loved the way she transitioned from unhappy, subjugated wife and protective parent to a lonely power player. Even so, while Cersei was made a little more sympathetic and effective at times than in the books, still capturing the essence of a queen who was never as long-sighted or smart as she thought she was – and paying the price as a result. Never for once slipping into pantomime villain mode.
Even in scenes such as the Walk of Shame (well we know there was a body double) Lena managed to portray a sense of dignity and strength. With the help of NCW she made Cersei and Jaime’s incest feel very natural and you could truly feel her loss as her children one by one were taken from her. Then we have the real spark between Lena and Peter in the scenes with Cersei and Tyrion, even when she was being slightly conciliatory you could still sense the underlying malice.
The greatest acting moment for me was when she cottoned on that the High Sparrow had outsmarted her, that change from smug joy to shock was just perfect. Despite everything it was hard not to feel some sympathy as she festered in the cell under the baleful eye of Septa Unella. And she could even do so much while in the habitual pose just holding a glass of wine!
Terrific performance that contributed so much to making GoT so compelling and she has deserved every award and plaudit she has been given during its run.
Cersei Lannister should have died sitting on the Iron Throne, the ruthless badass queen who gave up/lost everything for the pursuit of power. That would have been the perfect tribute to Lena’s amazingness for eight seasons. You deserved a better exit, and thank you for making Cersei even better in the show than in the books.
And Lena was terrific as Sarah Connor too, Fox cancelled that “Terminator” show just when it was getting interesting.
The One True Queen (of acting). Some of the most memorable scenes from the entire series will always be scenes dominated by just her face. Smugly taking a sip of wine as the Sept of Baelor collapses to the ground. The joy turned to horror as she realizes Jaime is rowing ashore with Myrcella in a coffin. There is no better scene in any battle than her telling Tommen the story of the lion in the forest as she gets ready to murder/suicide him before Stannis can burn them.
What can I say about this actress, and about the cast in general. I’v been thinking with all these curtain calls, that we’ve been blessed with this amazing cast, that made the series stand out.
Lena was an incredible Cercei, and only a truly great actress would have been able to portray one of the most hated-loved human/fragile, twisted/ evil being in the show like she did.
I have no words, only to thank her for giving such an amazing perfomance!
And though I won’t miss Cercei, I will definitely miss Lena! I hope she gets she gets to play equally and more difficult characters in the future, so that her amazing talent will always shine!
Her appearane in Season 8 wasn’t really satisfying. She only had a few minutes onscreen time, right? And a lot of it was just starring. The few moments we got was outstanding.
She will reign forever in my mind
They did her dirty in the end.
She deserved an ending with as high dramatics as her epic takeover of kings landing.
That you could hate Cersei one moment to the fullest and the next you could feel sad what she’s going through (for instance her walk of shame, death of Myrcella) is all because of the outstanding acting abilty of Lena Headey. One moment you despise her the other you cried with her.
Even in the latest episode I wanted to see her going down in the first half and the second half I cried when she died and screaming to survive for the sake of her unborn child. Beautiful portrayal of an amazing actress.
And even outside the moments she was on screen, Lena Headey is one of a kind. Her interviews are always a delight, and with lots of laughter. We going to miss you Lena, I hope you will be seen soon in the next big adventure on television. Not a movie because I want to watch you portray another character for the duration of years to come.
Long may she act!
Akash: this is a lovely tribute to a great actress and an unforgettable character.
Lena’s Cersei was a complex individual. I despised her at times and felt sympathy for her at other times. I never stopped enjoying her when she was onscreen. Her portrayal should be one that is remembered among the best of all time.
These curtain calls are getting tough.
They did all the cast members/characters dirty. That’s what bugs me about how this series is ending.
Flora Linden,
That’s just your personal opinion, please don’t try to claim it as a fact just because you’re still upset that things didn’t go your way, you may not like it, you may disagree with it, but don’t start with stuff like they did the cast members dirty or things like that, it’s just childish and you’re no less ridiculous than the people who made that stupid petition ! On topic though, Lena has always been one of the strongest performers from the start of the show and her Cersei wasn’t a caricature like she was in the books at least imo, i wish her well in her future projects !
Jack Nabble,
Nice try. Take the attitude somewhere else. Just my opinion.
Flora Linden,
Oh so you’re not willing to take criticism but you’re willing to dish it, typical ! Not that your criticism was anything constructive though just the same rehashed stuff, all you were missing were a couple of character asassination, ruined and a couple of other key words and you would have filled out the weekly quota!
I didn’t like Cersei in the books at all and simply laughed as she became more unglued towards the end of the last on. Didn’t even have all that much sympathy during her walk of shame but Lena brought something very different to the table – a villianous character to be sure, but able to bring out so many sides to her that I finally had moments of pity, horror and empathy for the character. She seem like she was out for revenge for her gender and the ways she’d been treated (perhaps she always had a list as well?)Every scene she was in was spot on perfect. I will miss her smirks and her many changing expressions. RIP Cersei, and thank you Lena for your amazing performance!
HelloThere,
What would you have done for her ending. I liked the fact that Jamie and cersei died in each other’s arms with everything crashing down upon them.
I can’t think of anyone else play Cersei. She’s been consistently amazing and frightful to watch. Not just her incensed decisions but the foreboding doom it always projected.
Really, is there anyone who wasn’t expertly cast in this series? I have loved every character in their roles. Can’t think of anyone who felt wrong in their role. And they are seeing us through this season of script holes with valor and determination!
Jack Nabble,
Aw, did I hurt your fweelings? Nice try again, though. It’s fun reading your meltdowns.
Just to add, Lena’s scenes with Peter and Charles Dance are some of the best stuff I’ve seen on TV. Her telling Tyrion the KL citizens were like weeds, or half-begging Tywin to not make her marry again, just amazing. I so wanted one final scene between Cersei and Tyrion.
Cersei didn’t have that much screen time in the last season, but neither did Ramsay after Roose’s death. It’s better to keep characters off screen than to make them appear for no reason.
And we are here to celebrate what Lena did since S1, not only in last season.
She was great since her first scene with Jaime until her last scene. With Jaime again.
She wanted power so much, but at the end she died powerless and defeated, with the Red Keep (the symbol of her ambition) crushing over her.
Than you Lena. You made this show better. I think she played the best fantasy villain of all time. At least in mainstream fantasy.
Thanks for this curtain call, Akash! I love Lena and I love that she seems to be drawn to strong, multi-demensional characters! She’s so fun to follow on IG. Thank you Lena, you were amazing from start to finish! #HearMeRoar
People complain about the way she died (they wanted a more “spectacular” death). I think it was perfect, as you so aptly described it.
Lena you were amazing all the way through!
And now her watch is ended.
Flora Linden,
Nope. He/she is correct. An opinion is not a fact. Saying “they did everyone wrong” is not a fact, it is you trying to validate your opinion as true.
One of the very best castings in a show where casting was arguably one of its greatest strengths. I will never not see Lena’s face when I think of Cersei Lannister.
What more can you say?
One thing. It is a goddamn disgrace that she did not win an Emmy for her performance in either Season 5 or 6. Unforgivable!
“Power is power!”
“You win or you die!”.
HelloThere,
Flora Linden,
You know Lena liked her ending very much, just like NCW. So no they didn’t do her dirty, else she wouldn’t have liked it. Please don’t talk for the actors they can do that themselves.
An iconic performance by Lena Headey! She brought depth and humanity to Cersei that really made her the interesting character that she is. Without a doubt one of the standout actors of the show’s entire run!
kevin1989,
I think it’s pretty clear that this is their personal opinion and they are not trying to speak for anyone other than themselves.
Of course, that’s just my opinion 😉
Not to appoint myself moderator here, but come on. These are supposed to be tributes to the actors, not another opportunity to squabble about the writing.
Anyway, Lena’s performance made Cersei so much more interesting even than the books. I’ll particularly miss the great chemistry she had with Peter Dinklage. Their interactions were hands down the best part of season 2.
I hope to see her playing a villain again, because she’s damn good at it.
Brilliant Lena! Robbed of her Emmy for s6 – I hope they give it to her now to make up for that travesty. Incredible acting incredible character bravo
Jack Nabble,
Jack, I think Flora just wrote her opinion, I didn’t think she claimed that was the universal truth. My opinion is that both haters and aggressive fans are equally annoying.
So let us cool it, man.
On topic, Cersei was a terrific character, especially in the first six seasons. Gradually over the 7th season she started loosing complexity and depth, and towards the end (episode 5 happily excluded) she was more or less limited to smugness. But in that last episode, we once again saw the woman behind the mask, and I loved it!
And of course, Ms Headey was wonderful – she actually made us feel sorry for a character who was pretty awful, objectively speaking.
I have not read the books so I cannot judge, but given Ms Headey’s talent I can easily believe those who claim that show! Cersei was better than book!Cersei.
Agreed
She did such a fabulous job of portraying a character who was not all good nor all bad. She made us hate her and still feel sympathetic toward her. Is there a smart woman alive who hasn’t experienced the sting of being overlooked due to her sex? Lena Headey really caught the nuances of one way to respond to that sting! The contempt the character felt for others, her underlying rage, were all there, yet she made us still see her pain and grief.
Brilliant actress, brilliant casting, terrible last season. This was supposed to be Lena’s year. Or perhaps Season 7 should have been Lena’s year. She should have had big scenes, great dialogues, she should have demonstrated her talent in all its glory so she could be undeniable winner of all those trophies (I know most people don’t care, but I do believe when someone had such a great run deserve a due recognition).
But, they failed Lena. They failed to provide this amazing actress an opportunity to conclude her character with a bang. At the end of Season 6, Lena said “She has to go now”. And in retrospect, she was right. Cersei, as a threat, should have been dealt with in Season 7 while she had something to do. We had all the pieces ready for such amazing, tragic finale of one of the greats and then it all got watered down in Season 8. It was too fast, too little.
QueenofThrones,
She is again in risk of splitting votes between her, Maisie and Sophie (Emilia is in Lead Category now). And she was far more deserving winner back then.
Lena was masterful as Cersei: strong, vulnerable, sad, vibrant, rational and unhinged all at the same time. A wonderful portrayal of a wonderful character.
And I got to add: no matter what internet bandwagon may say, they gave her a fitting and emotional end. In the game of thrones you win or you die. She died with everything crashing down around her, a symbolic death if I ever saw one. Perfect.
Can’t wait to see what’s next for you, Lena.
Lena turned in consistently great performances year after year. Unlike some cast members who visibly improved over the show’s run, she has been doing a stellar job since day one. Definitely one of the strongest performances among a great cast. She also sounds very much dedicated to understanding her character in all of her interviews and it’s clear she’s been building up the role of Cersei with a lot of commitment. Also, the woman is darn hilarious offscreen.
Even though she got a lot of hate for playing a villain, especially in the beginning, Cersei will still go down as one of the most iconic, show-defining characters to be on GoT. Cersei may not have turned out to be a (very) mad queen, but I got mad respect for Lena Headey. May she get lots of awesome parts to play in the future!
Only a woman like Cersei could have gained the Iron Throne. Not even Lady Olenna was able to subvert the patriarchal game, and she was an expert player. Nuff respect to Lena Heady for her outstanding work, and I hope she continues to find roles that are worthy of her.
Mladen,
Enough already. This is not topic for that.
mau,
This is not topic for praising this incredible individual who has been one of the most shining examples of acting among the main cast? This is not a topic to say that she deserves a recognition for playing this character over the past 10 years in such humane and convincing way? This is not a topic to hope/predict whether Lena’s past work will be enough to garner her some support among various award-giving bodies?
I do believe that this season didn’t do justice to what Lena can do. And I do hope she will get the recognition she deserves. If not for “Game of Thrones”, then for something else.
Oh man, Lena Headey was SO GOOD! Before GOT, I had only seen her in The Brothers Grimm, where she plays a somewhat detached and resentful, but still good-hearted character. I didn’t even recognize her in GOT at first. There honestly could not have been a more perfect Cersei.
Lena’s smug, satisfied, sadistic expressions, delivery, and body language were pitch-perfect, portraying Cersei’s bitterness and childish entitlement to a T. And yet… for a character who could have easily come across as a 1-dimensional villain, Lena did a fantastic job of showing Cersei’s humanity. As much as I hated her, she always felt like a real person, and at times I even felt bad for her.
Seeing Cersei gradually fall apart and lose her humanity as her children fell one by one was both satisfying and heartbreaking in equal measure. As much as I hated what she did to the Starks and how she treated Tyrion, I legitimately liked her in those rare moments of humanity, like her conversation with Robert (still one of my favourite scenes), the brief moments of connection between her and Tyrion in seasons 2 & 3, and those rare moments when she showed sympathy for Sansa.
Her rivalry with Margaery was also fun to watch. Cersei had to maintain an illusion of calm civility around her, but Lena did a great job of portraying the seething anger bubbling underneath the façade of flattery. I feel like the major difference between the two women is that Margaery stopped playing nice when it would do her no good, whereas I think Cersei would have kept up the façade to the end, even after she lost.
Then, of course, there was the walk of shame. As satisfying as it was to see Cersei get thrown in prison (of her own doing), watching that happen to her was still very hard. Lena was fantastic there, starting off composed, holding her head high, and gradually breaking down, until the very end where she was almost completely broke… until Qyburn provided her with the hope of revenge. During her fight with the Sparrows throughout season 6, I was actually kind of rooting for her. If it weren’t for the Tyrells and all the other innocents who died, I might have actually cheered her blowing up the Sept of Baelor.
During seasons 7 & 8, Cersei has lost almost all of her humanity, and Lena played that very well, while still showing occasional glimpses of humanity with her eyes and facial movements. Her final breakdown in her last moments restored some of her humanity, and Lena honestly deserves an Oscar for that performance.
Goodbye to one of the most terrifyingly human villains in all of TV and cinema, and thank you so much to Lena Headey. We couldn’t have had a better Cersei.
I can’t think of anyone else play Cersei. She’s been consistently amazing and frightful to watch. Not just her incensed decisions but the foreboding doom it always projected.
Really, is there anyone who wasn’t expertly cast in this series? I have loved every character in their roles. Can’t think of anyone who felt wrong in their role. And they are seeing us through this season of script holes with valor and determination!
Isn’t it stated Lena won’t be nominated as she appeared in too few episodes this season? Too bad her earlier work wasn’t properly recognized, but it wouldn’t be fair to fans to write the final season focused on award nods. They already had enough trouble writing sufficiently to tie the strings together and still be entertaining. While everyone is good in their respective roles, the writing isn’t strong enough to make the acting compelling enough for awards.
They also have shorted Kit this year, let’s not forget. Only Arya, or Emilia, has a potential nomination, as far as I can see. Though one more shot to see if Sansa, Kit or Tyrion make the cut.
None of characters have yet been
PS – Cersei tipping away from Cleganebowl was a moment of much needed levity in an otherwise very grim and tense scene. Was Miss Heady winking at us? 😀
Cersei Lannister was the reason I became obsessed with Game of Thrones. I was intrigued and fascinated by her with every new episode and season. By season 3 she had already become my favorite character. I can’t remember being as delighted as I was seeing her burning the sept and being crowned as Queen by season 6 end. I was rooting for her and cheered every time she won. My favorite moments where she truly shined:
Conversation with Robert, asking him if there was ever a moment for them. Her expressions and her acting were so realistic. Like after 17 years she mustered up the courage to ask him that question even though she knew that he never cared for her, but the little insecure girl in her wanted an answer as to why her husband couldn’t find it in him to love her beautiful 19 year self.
Then crying before Tyrion for the “price of our sins”
“I’M QUEEN REGENT NOT SOME BROOD MARE” to Tywin in the small council scene.
“I choose violence” love how she finds it beneath her to even try to negotiate with Lancel whom she cannot bring herself to speak nicely even. The moment he gets too cocky with her she chooses violence looking in disbelief at his guts by the way he’s speaking to her. The same way she punched him after backwater when he raised his voice with her. Love her impulse and anger.
Then ofcourse there’s the obvious sept blow up, revenge on septa Unella and Ellaria. Also her speech in the throne room to Randyll Tarly referring to Dany as the Mad Kings daughter and painting a false picture of her was really funny to me. Even though it turned out true at the end but Lena Headey as the devious cersei using truth to tell lies was always so funny for me to watch even till the end when she tells Euron with such conviction “our child shall one day rule them all” and then gives him a death stare when he’s not looking is classic Cersei.
I wanted nothing more than just one final episode with her displaying her histrionics again before dying but sadly the show runners had different ideas and I respect that. She still did so much with so little. I felt really sorry for her when she is watching Dany go mad and burning the city and then slowly tears start running down her face and she takes Qyburns hands because he’s the only one who cares for her at that point. My heart really went for her.
LENA HEADEY YOU WERE THE BACKBONE OF THIS SERIES. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE AND WILL MISS YOUR PORTRAYAL OF CERSEI. YOU WERE BY FAR THE MOST TALENTED ACTRESS ON A SHOW WITH EXCEPTIONAL ACTORS. BUT YOUR UNIQUE QUALITY IS HOW MUCH YOU PORTRAY WITH LITTLE NUANCES IN YOUR VOICE TONE, REACTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS EVEN WITH THE ABSENCE OF DIALOGUE YOU LEAVE SUCH AN EFFECTIVE IMPACT IN YOUR SCENES. YOU ARE A TRUE TREASURE.
Lena made Cersei! I appreciate all the incredible acting she gave us solo and with Twyin and Tyrion in particular. I believe the greatest disservice was the lack of female writing for her to get the awards she deserved (or should have been able to apply for had their been enough for her to do in recent seasons). Thank you, Lena!
I implore everyone to read/reread Cersei’s last pov chapter in ADwD: the “walk of shame” chapter. It’s eerie, terrifying, bleak, and jarring…and ends with a weirdly uplifting moment. For better or worse, it is that chapter to which I compare Lena’s performance throughout the series. And Lena knocked it out of the dragon pit. She displayed such an amazing range of emotions and tension with only her eyes and face…and often the position of her arms.
Near the end of ep5, I honestly thought Cersei delayed her escape from the Red Keep so that the director Sapochnik could let Lena explore a variety of emotions as she watched the destruction of KL. I detected smug denial, envy, resistance, isolation, defeat, and fear, then surprise/weakness/acceptance as Jaime appears. Minimal words, just expressions.
Thanks for those many subtle expressions throughout the series, Lena, many of which hardly needed any accompanying conversation.
Lena Headey was luminous as in “Imagine Me and You” (2005) with Piper Perabo
Here are a few scenes for anyone who’s interested
grocery store
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–Qgkx2xveU
dancing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHx3Q05kL90
the lily
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld0QaPsTxCc
end?
Girl, bye.
Lena was just so good as Cersei, a character I loved to hate. I was frustrated with her “stare out a window and smirk” role most recently, thankfully we got some emotion out of her in Episode 5. While I still feel that her death was too ‘good’ for her, she was a multi-dimensional character that didn’t have only one setting.
As soon as Cersei ordered Lady’s death, I hated her. That’s par for the course given my love of animals. 🙂 But there was the sadness behind the character as well, especially her loveless marriage to a man she had once admired but never cared for her in return. To this day, my favourite Cersei scene is when she and Robert discuss their marriage, first laughing at the irony of it keeping the place together, then the more somber “Was there ever a chance for us?” “No.”
I never quite bought the “love for her children” as being a huge redeeming quality in her character, particularly as I hold her to blame for Tommen’s death and her use of his scalp as a hat for 2 seasons. The late-in-the-game supposed pregnancy just seemed a power play that worked to manipulate others.
Lena is so very good (I first saw her in “300”), and she will continue to be great. 😊
There is nothing I can say that others haven’t already said better than I could muster at the end of a long, tough week.
Brilliant acting from beginning to end, and a standout in a show chock-full of incredible actors. The scene where she excitedly runs to meet Myrcella and the camera follows her running down the stairs like a giddy child, onto the beach with an anticipatory look on her face, and then all the changes in her face, in a matter of seconds, as the truth hits…
It’s one of the most masterful displays of acting I’ve ever seen in any film or TV series.
Lena, thank you so much for your gift to us.
Lady MarMar,
Well said and I agree!
Yes! She conveyed so much through her face, how she held her body, or clutched her hand into a fist! (I’m thinking of how she reacted when Tyrion called for a champion at his trial for Jeoffrey’s death.) I thought all of her scenes in this final season were wonderful! As you posted, she didn’t need words.
Thank you Lena!
Thank you to the many posters with longer, in depth thoughts on how great Lena was. She was, and you say it so well.
For obvious reasons, most characters get simplified when translated from book onto screen. Cersei was one glaring exception! Lena played her with such complexity and layered her into the lioness we love (or love to hate). I prefer show Cersei to the relatively one dimensional, petty, willful character of low cunning of the books. Lena deserves every award for her portrayal especially during the last 3-4 seasons!
In my mind Lena was the most talented actor/actress on the show over all eight seasons I loved how she portrayed the deeply flawed and complex Cersei, such a contrast to her real life personna too. I genuinely don’t believe anyone could have played her better.
That was the unfortunate side effect of sending all the other main characters to the North. While we had all kinds of character reunions and interaction at Winterfell, Cersei was left with just Qyburn and Euron. But, as usual, Lena was impressive with what she was given. Throughout the series she made Cersei hateful but also made you feel sympathy for her at times (the walk of shame; Myrcella’s death). Just a remarkable actress who ‘got’ her character from beginning of the series to the end.
Side note – Can people please stop using these ‘curtail call’ posts to complain about the writing and directing? There are several other posts for that where you have all already expressed your complaints so there is no reason to take over these posts with the same comments over and over again. These posts are supposed to for expressing thanks to the ACTORS.
After Jaime and Cersei had their talk about a dynasty and heir to the throne in S7 E1. Cercei thought of her final con that she was pregnant so Tyrion and Jaime would do everything they could do to keep Cersei alive and in power.
Cersei knew she couldn’t get pregnant again and she also knew if she died that either Tyrion or Jaime would be King of the Seven Kingdoms and she didn’t want that to happen. So Cersei (inspired by Tywin love of family and dynasty) said she was pregnant.
After their talk in S7 E7 Tyrion believed Cersei’s con and did everything he could to keep Cersei alive. Cersie didn’t kill Tyrion in S7 E7 because Daenerys had her whole army outside Kings Landing and they would have attacked if the mountain killed Tyrion and Cersei knew Tyrion would do everything he could to keep her alive.
Cersei is pure Evil!!!!!!!!
When Bronn told Tyrion and Jaime Cersei paid him to kill them, they should have realized Cersei was lying about being pregnant. S8 E2 Tyrion told Jaime you always knew what Cersei was and Jaime just accepted it so I don’t see how they didn’t figure it out by S8 E2. Tyrion had to know Cersei was not pregnant after the Mountain killed Missandai.
In Jaime and Cersei’s final scene… Cersei is still trying to con Jaime one more time, Cersie mentions their baby trying to get Jaime to do everything possible to save her, Cersei realizes she is going to die and repeats “I don’t want to die”. Jaime knows Cersei is not pregnant and forgives her anyway when he says… “look me in my eyes – All that matter is us”
I think Jaime is crazy for dying with Cersei but obviously Jaime was as sick and twisted as Cersei –
Cersei Lannister played the Game of Thrones until the very last seconds of her life… when Cersei lost playing the Game of Thrones … Cersei died
Love your curtain call and no better actress could have play Cercei. After rewatching episode 6, It sounded like the end scene of Cercei, the music plays the rain of castamere but in the background you also got the light of the seven song and then during the credits the light of the seven take over, beautiful choice for ‘her’ ending. I have now found this you tube link if you want to hear it again. Music amazing as always!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yw26cfPK0I
I hate Cersei, but I love Lena – she is an amazing actress, who can really make the audience hate her character, as the villain she brings to the small screen is a multi-dimensional one, the product of unfortunate circumstances: she didn’t experience mother love, her father and uncle wanted her to shut up, marry the one who fit the Lannister agenda and give birth to heirs. It’s a dark joke that she did even more: her children were pure Lannisters!
I was told that there’s an unbreakable bond between twins and maybe that’s why she was meant to die together with her twin, although I’m not at peace with her final moments: she should have died alone. Maybe her demise was meant to show that there is no justice IRL.
I’m trying to understand her character, but I don’t have any compassion for Cersei. As she had been hurt by her father, she brought tragedy upon her own children: Joffrey was the product of her education (although maybe the gods of genetics had tossed a coin here) and her own schemes brought Tommen’s death. She was not directly responsible for Myrcella’s death, but she did little to make the Lannisters loved in Westeros. The Walk of Shame showed me that the mob can be even worse than the villain – everything she suffered was well-deserved.
Unfortunately, Lena hasn’t got what she deserves: a prize (or several) for her flawless acting. I’m glad Ten Bears has posted some scenes from Imagine Me and You, the people who have not watched the film are able now to see a completely different Lena. She also played a very small part in The Remains of the Day, but she was memorable (although I didn’t know her at the time): a young, beautiful servant, who left her job to get married, although the housekeeper advised her against it. Lena played the woman in love, ready to risk security for passion and the promise of happiness.
I follow her Instagram posts and I admire her sensibility, determination and courage to be herself, have fun and act goofy if she feels like.
Good luck, Lena, you increase the value of any film you are in!
Being an extra during the walk of shame and standing two feet beside Lena at various moments of shooting was otherwordly but the moment I will carry forever with me were seconds before they said ‘action’ Lena was throwing dirty jokes with the crew and having a laugh and in 5 seconds she squeezed her arm and leg fingers, closed her eyes and when she opened them there was Cersei right there all beaten and bullied in an instant. To lay my eyes on such transformation was just SPECTACULAR. Thank you Lena!!!!
3eyes,
It reminded me of the way she kept the hem of her dress clean of blood by tiptoeing around the Mountain’s practice humans when she went to consult him about the Trial by Combat.
Great stuff.
As much as I LOVE her as Cersei, when I first heard she was cast in the show I thought of her as Catelyn Stark. So glad she got to stay working on the show for almost the entire run. Well done, Lena!
HablaCarnage,
Inspirational, really. Her respect for the character made our emotional investment possible. Love or hate her, you couldn’t be indifferent.
I don’t think I have yet congratulated the excellent Lena Heady on her brilliant portrayal of Cersei.
In the books, she’s a moustache-twirling, stupid cartoon villain, but D&D made her more intelligent, more human, and Lena Heady portrayed it perfectly. The only regret is that the brilliant actor Lena is, didn’t have much to do in the last season. She nailed standing on the balcony, sipping wine, then worry, then fear. Then realisation she’d lost it all.
Shout out to Lena Heady’s perfect slipping out from Cleganebowl. Amidst all the tragedy, all the carnage, Lena Heady’s body language brought some levity. “You brothers have some beef? I’ll just…Byee.” Very Cersei, very Lena.
Lena Heady as Cersei had more, and more interesting things to do in the earlier seasons, but she carried the character and its dark, yet human turn to the end.
Brava, Lena!
Thank you for being a part, a pivotal part, of GoT. My enjoyment of the show will forever be enhanced by your brilliant acting.
tbh, I think the Lannister twins death scene was more about Jaime, the things he does for love, however misguided or toxic. The Lannister twins had literally come to a dead end, Cersei was freaking out, Jaime spent the last moments of his life (he and Cersei both knew they were going to die) selflessly comforting her. The things I do for love. Jaime’s original strapline. Cersei was a bit incidental in that scenario. No, she wasn’t “incidental” to Jaime, far from it, but for the fans, Jaime’s death was more important and more meaningful.
(Other than some fans who would’ve wanted Cersei to have an especially gruesome, painful death. I’m not one of those.)
Great acting from Lena and Nikolaj thorought.
I fucking love Lena. She was PERFECT.
I’m normally quite verbose with these tributes, but seeing as I’m several days late and somewhat at a loss for words at how to pay tribute to the astonishing achievement of this character and this actress. So for now, I’ll just say that Lena Headey is simply extraordinary. In a cast of hundreds, all of whom I admire and love dearly, I sincerely think she was the best actor in the entire show. I love her, I love everything about the way her Cersei Lannister was written and performed, and I will miss them both more than I can say.
You are the brightest of all possible stars, Lena. Shine on!
While I was saddened Lena Headey didn’t or couldn’t perform fully herself during the Walk of atonement (and therefore hold utmost respect for her body double in the scenes) and while I couldn’t always agree with the material Lena was given by the writers, she still managed to make Cersei a magnetic presence I loved to watch. Perhaps the so called villain I most loved to watch, in fact.
An admirable job then. Thank you, Lena Headey.