Lena Headey prepping ‘big action-led female piece’ for release after GoT

Lena Headey has said she plans to launch her post-Game Of Thrones career with a “big action-led female piece”.

The actress, who plays scheming queen Cersei Lannister in the HBO series, made the admission during an appearance on the Chris Evans Breakfast Radio Show on Virgin.

Headey, 45, whose character is expected to play a pivotal role in the highly anticipated series, also explained how she came to audition for the show about a decade ago.

She said: “(Peter) Dinklage (who plays Tyrion Lannister) got me the job.

“He said, ‘oh my god, I’m reading this script, it’s bonkers you should do it’. I thought incest, dragons, I’m in.”

On her biggest regret, she said: “I always begged the producers, can I just get a sword, I’ve never beheaded anyone. I just drink wine.”

24 star and country singer Kiefer Sutherland also appeared on the show.

He told her: “What you do with the character is so extraordinary, most people would try and soften that character, the way you lean into it is inspiring.”

He also offered advice on how to deal with coming to the end of a long-running show.

Sutherland starred as Jack Bauer in counter-terrorism thriller 24 for eight seasons, the same number as Headey has starred in Game Of Thrones.

On the cure for such an ending Sutherland, 52, suggested “whisky and a cigarette”.

The final series of Game Of Thrones begins on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 2am on Monday and is repeated at 9pm.