Lena Headey Rips Hollywood for Protecting ‘Predatory Men,’ Says ‘Game of Thrones’ Toxic Fans Got Mad She Didn’t Go Nude: ‘I Was Shocked by the Anger’
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- Lena Headey accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment in 2017, alleging he made suggestive comments at the Venice Film Festival during "The Brothers Grimm" promotion and later invited her alone to his hotel to view a script.
- Confronted in the hotel elevator, Headey told Weinstein "nothing is going to happen," recalling her "whole body went into high alert" when "the energy shifted."
- Headey blasted Hollywood's "weird protection" of predatory men wielding "disproportionate power" over actresses who need work "to put food on the table."
- Headey said #MeToo revealed predatory behavior was "everywhere" and praised young women in the industry today as "savvy" with the attitude of "I'm not fucking doing that."
- Headey described early-career nude scenes as a "rite of passage" for young female actors, saying she "didn't question that I should be safe" and would "go home and cry."
- "Game of Thrones" fans attacked Headey on social media after a body double and CGI were used for Cersei's Season 5 walk of shame, with some calling her "less of an actress."
- The show predated intimacy coordinators becoming standard; co-stars Emilia Clarke and Gemma Whelan have spoken publicly about difficult sex scenes, with Whelan calling them "a frenzied mess."
Why it matters: Headey's Weinstein account adds to documented cases of powerful producers exploiting vulnerable actresses, illustrating what #MeToo exposed as industry-wide. Her body-double choice for Cersei's Season 5 walk of shame — after years of nude scenes earlier in her career — shows experienced actresses were already pushing back on-set before intimacy coordinators became standard on productions.
