Lena Headey, best known for playing Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, has revealed that she told Harvey Weinstein to 'fuck himself' early in her career and subsequently lost a decade and a half of film opportunities. In an interview with The Guardian, the 53-year-old actor described how the encounter led to her being blacklisted from Miramax films.
Weinstein encounter and career impact
Headey recounted that Weinstein took her to a hotel room, but his keycard didn't work. 'I was young, cocky and drunk,' she said. 'When I realised what was happening I essentially told him to fuck himself.' She added, 'I didn't ever get another Miramax film after that. A decade and a half of possibilities disappeared.' Headey felt she was blacklisted for refusing his advances.
Early life and feral youth
Born in Bermuda in 1973 to police officer parents, Headey described a 'feral decade' of childhood. She ran away from home at 14, taking a bus to Birmingham to meet older boys she had met on holiday. After running out of money, she returned home. A doctor diagnosed her with depression but offered no further help. Acting became her escape at 17 when she was cast in the film Waterland after a school play competition.
Game of Thrones and fame
Headey auditioned for Cersei Lannister at age 35. During the audition, an executive answered a phone call and left the room, leading Headey to think she had failed. She got the role, which earned her five Emmy nominations and ran from 2011 to 2019. The show brought financial security but also unwanted visibility. Headey said she is not interested in fame, preferring what she calls 'Jomo: the joy of missing out.'
Motherhood and protecting her daughter
Headey has two children and is protective of her 11-year-old daughter. She said she sees 'the power of her beauty in the eyes of men that really shouldn't be looking at her' and hates it. She feels liberation in getting older and no longer being leered at. 'My main takeaway is that I never, ever, want those things to happen to my children,' she said.
New project: Intimacy
Headey has written, directed, and stars in Intimacy, an eight-part comedy audio drama for BBC Sounds and Radio 4. The project marks a new direction for the actor, who continues to navigate the industry on her own terms.
