{"id":9752,"date":"2026-07-18T17:16:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9752"},"modified":"2026-07-18T17:16:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:16:35","slug":"lena-headey-recalls-backlash-after-refusing-full-nudity-on-got","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9752","title":{"rendered":"Lena Headey Recalls Backlash After Refusing Full Nudity On \u2018GoT\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years after \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theblast.com\/tag\/game-of-thrones\/\">Game of Thrones<\/a><\/strong>\u201d aired its infamous Walk of Shame sequence, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theblast.com\/tag\/lena-headey\/\">Lena Headey<\/a><\/strong> is setting the record straight about why she chose not to film the scene fully nude. The actress says the decision triggered an unexpectedly fierce reaction from fans, leaving her surprised by the level of criticism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Headey has also condemned Hollywood\u2019s long-standing culture of shielding powerful \u201cpredatory men,\u201d saying <a href=\"https:\/\/theblast.com\/802958\/cate-blanchett-hollywood-metoo\/\">the #MeToo movement<\/a> exposed an industry-wide problem. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lena-Headey-1152x1536.jpg\" class=\"pss-trigger\" role=\"button\" data-pss-trigger=\"0\" aria-controls=\"pss-modal\" aria-label=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\" title=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"1051\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=1051,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lena-Headey-788x1051.jpg\" alt=\"Lena Headey on the red carpet\" class=\"wp-image-820445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1152%2Cheight=1536%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lena-Headey-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788%2Cheight=1051%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lena-Headey-788x1051.jpg 788w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428%2Cheight=571%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Lena-Headey-428x571.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"\/><span class=\"pss-trigger__badge\" aria-hidden=\"true\">3<\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Starbuck\/AFF-USA.COM \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lena Headey is looking back on the backlash that followed her decision not to film her character\u2019s infamous Walk of Shame scene in \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d nude.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Emmy-nominated actress revealed she was blindsided by the criticism from fans who accused her of misleading viewers after it emerged that a body double, Rebecca Van Cleave, and CGI were used for the Season 5 sequence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was really shocked by the anger, by this idea that I\u2019d duped the audience,\u201d Headey said in an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/radio\/what-to-listen-to\/lena-headey-interview\/\">The Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She explained that by then, the HBO phenomenon had become so massive that filming the emotionally grueling scene naked in front of roughly 3,000 extras would have left her feeling \u201cfull-on defensive\u201d instead of fully immersed in her character\u2019s vulnerability.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-how-hbo-filmed-cersei-s-walk-of-shame\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How HBO Filmed Cersei\u2019s Walk Of Shame<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Game of Thrones Season 5: Episode #10 - Cersei&amp;apos;s Walk of Atonement (HBO)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M-9u6msqJNo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cersei Lannister\u2019s Walk of Shame remains one of the iconic show\u2019s most unforgettable scenes, but bringing it to life was no small feat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sequence was filmed over three days in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and unfolded before roughly 3,000 extras as Van Cleave performed the nude portions. HBO later digitally composited Headey\u2019s face onto her body.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The performer later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/news\/ni58714894\/\">described<\/a> the experience as both \u201cscariest\u201d and \u201cmost gratifying\u201d of her career, crediting Headey for helping guide the emotional performance throughout filming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On her part, Headey has consistently maintained that using a body double wasn\u2019t about avoiding nudity but about protecting Cersei\u2019s emotional arc. Despite criticism from some viewers who questioned her commitment, the actress insisted the choice ultimately served the story.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-lena-headey-slams-hollywood-for-protecting-predatory-men\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lena Headey Slams Hollywood For Protecting \u2018Predatory Men\u2019<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-1180x1773.jpg\" class=\"pss-trigger\" role=\"button\" data-pss-trigger=\"1\" aria-controls=\"pss-modal\" aria-label=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\" title=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"1184\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=1184,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-788x1184.jpg\" alt=\"Lena Headey on the red carpet\" class=\"wp-image-820443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1180%2Cheight=1773%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-1180x1773.jpg 1180w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1022%2Cheight=1536%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788%2Cheight=1184%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-788x1184.jpg 788w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428%2Cheight=643%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Headey-Lena-428x643.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"\/><span class=\"pss-trigger__badge\" aria-hidden=\"true\">3<\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u00a9GTRESONLINE \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hollywood still has a long way to go in holding powerful men accountable, according to Headey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reflecting on her own experiences in the industry, the \u201cGoT\u201d star criticized what she labeled the \u201cweird protection\u201d afforded to predatory men. She argued that vulnerable actresses have too often been forced to tolerate inappropriate behavior simply to keep working.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Headey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2017\/oct\/18\/lena-headey-sexually-harassed-harvey-weinstein-game-of-thrones\">who herself accused<\/a> disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in 2017, said the industry\u2019s power imbalance had allowed individuals to \u201cget away with it\u201d for years before the #MeToo movement exposed how widespread the problem had become.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While she admitted those experiences still make her \u201cvery angry,\u201d Headey believes the landscape is slowly changing, praising younger actresses for being more willing to reject unsafe or uncomfortable situations outright rather than feeling pressured to comply.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-headey-says-early-hollywood-sex-scenes-left-her-in-tears\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Headey Says Early Hollywood Sex Scenes Left Her In Tears<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lena Heady - Women, Sex and Film\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BMeX8JHNz1A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before finding the confidence to advocate for herself, Headey says she often left film sets questioning experiences that made her uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reflecting on the early years of her career, the actress recalled how young women were routinely expected to film kissing, sex, and topless scenes as part of playing the \u201cingenue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Headey added she rarely challenged those expectations because she was simply grateful to be working. Instead, she said she would \u201cgo home and cry,\u201d only later realizing those moments had crossed personal boundaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back, Headey now views those experiences as a harsh reality many young actresses once faced in Hollywood.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-lena-headey-wasn-t-the-only-game-of-thrones-star-to-speak-out\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lena Headey Wasn\u2019t The Only \u2018Game Of Thrones\u2019 Star To Speak Out<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-1217x1536.jpeg\" class=\"pss-trigger\" role=\"button\" data-pss-trigger=\"2\" aria-controls=\"pss-modal\" aria-label=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\" title=\"Open gallery of 3 images.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"969\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768,height=969,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-768x969.jpeg\" alt=\"Emilia Clarke at The Pod Generation Premiere - 2023 Sundance Film Festival\" class=\"wp-image-506197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1217%2Cheight=1536%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-1217x1536.jpeg 1217w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=811%2Cheight=1024%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-811x1024.jpeg 811w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=768%2Cheight=969%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-768x969.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=238%2Cheight=300%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-238x300.jpeg 238w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150%2Cheight=189%2Cfit=crop%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-150x189.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150%2Cquality=75%2Cgravity=auto%2Csharpen=1%2Cmetadata=none%2Cformat=auto%2Conerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Emilia-Clarke-scaled.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"\/><span class=\"pss-trigger__badge\" aria-hidden=\"true\">3<\/span><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">JPA \/ AFF-USA.com \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Headey is not the only \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d alum who has later reflected on the challenges of filming the HBO fantasy drama\u2019s intimate scenes. Emilia Clarke, who portrayed Daenerys Targaryen, revealed in a 2019 interview that she often felt overwhelmed by the show\u2019s early nude scenes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2019\/11\/emilia-clarke-game-of-thrones-nudity\">Vanity Fair<\/a>, Clarke admitted she accepted them because she was new to the industry and believed they were simply expected of her. She also credited co-star Jason Momoa with helping her navigate those moments, recalling that he looked after her on set and pushed back when he felt she was being asked to do more than necessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s only now that I realize how fortunate I was with that,\u201d Clarke said. \u201cBecause Jason had experience; he was an experienced actor who had done a bunch of stuff before coming on to this.\u201d The actress also revealed that after \u201cGoT\u201d made her famous, producers on other projects attempted to persuade her into additional nude scenes by claiming she wouldn\u2019t want to disappoint fans of the series.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Years after \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d aired its infamous Walk of Shame sequence, Lena Headey is setting the record straight about why she chose not to film the scene fully nude. The actress says the decision triggered an unexpectedly fierce reaction from fans, leaving her surprised by the level of criticism. Headey has also condemned Hollywood\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lena_headey-1200x600.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}