Lena Headey says Game of Thrones made her career feel ‘harder’

Lena Headey has opened up about the state of her career in the aftermath of Game of Thrones.

The British actor played Cersei Lannister in all eight seasons of the hit HBO fantasy series, which came to an end in 2019.

“Thrones was such a surprise,” Headey said, in a recent interview with People magazine. “But there was no part of me that went, ‘Oh, it’s done now. Life’s going to be easy.’

“It opened doors, it made certain things easier. It also made things feel harder because you think, ‘What do I do?’”

The 49-year-old actor also spoke about the fame that Thrones had brought her, revealing that she took pains to keep her celebrity separate from her private life – and from her two children.

She continued: “If someone says, ‘Oh, you’re in “Game of Thrones,”‘ my youngest [child] now says things like, ‘What is “Game of Thrones”?’ In fact, the other day she went, ‘My mommy is in…’ And I was like, ‘You don’t tell people!’”

After Thrones came to an end in 2019, Headey appeared in films such as Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) and 9 Bullets (2022).

She can currently be seen starring in the fact-based HBO drama White House Plumbers.

The final season of Game of Thrones prompted a divisive response among fans and critics, with members of the show’s cast subsequently weighing in.

Charles Dance, who portrayed Tywin Lannister, claimed that he was “disappointed” by the closing chapter, adding: “If there was a petition, I would sign it.”

Maisie Williams, however, who played Arya Stark, was among those to defend the final run of episodes.