Lena Headey plays the fiercest and most ruthless woman on all of television. But behind the scenes, she’s just like every other woman in Hollywood.
What I mean by that is, she’s looked at as a good looking woman who gets ignored when she talks.
Lena opened up to Net-a Porter on the challenges of being a woman in Hollywood:
I was talking about this with another actress, and I said, “Do you find that you have to say the same things seven times, whereas a man says it once and everyone listens?” Male counterparts can say the same thing [I just did] and everyone’s like, “Oh, that’s a great idea,” and I’m like, “I just said that 19 times but you chose not to listen or take it on board.”
Do people not know who she is? She’s fucking Cersei Lannister. When she speaks, everyone should be listening. If you don’t listen to Cersei Lannister, chances are you don’t see tomorrow. Lena should start cutting off the heads or poisoning those that don’t listen to her. I bet she never gets ignored again.
I’m happier now I’m older, playing women who aren’t expected to be beautiful. That pressure has gone for me. [Male] actors can be ‘interesting’, but there’s a real pressure on women to be beautiful and skinny. When I was in my twenties, and doing a lot of audition tapes in the States, a casting director told me: “The men take these tapes home and watch them and say, ‘Who would you f***?’”
I want to say this has changed over the last few years, but I’m sure it still happens during a lot of auditions. You know who you are, Entourage. I’m willing to bet that the men took the tapes home and did a lot more than ask, “Who would you f**k?” as well.
When asked if she’s ever flirted for a job, Lena said that she’s never done it and that it probably cost her some jobs.
After Game of Thrones finishes, I hope Lena remains in Cersei mode and calls out everyone who has wronged her over the years. Force them to walk naked down the street while everyone throws trash at them. I would not want to be on her bad side.