Game of Thrones star Lena Headey reveals why she used a body double to shoot infamous nude scene

Lena Headley produced one of the most memorable moments of Game of Thrones during Cersei Lannister's naked 'Walk of Atonement', but later revealed that it wasn't actually her striding through the angry crowds.

10 years on from the infamous scene that got the internet talking, Lena has decided to set the record straight on her using a body double, and told Page Six she found the backlash 'baffling'.

"I was really shocked by the anger, by this idea that I'd duped the audience," Headey told The Telegraph.

"But by that point everyone knew [The cast], it was insane simply going anywhere, and I was with 3,000 extras."

Lena Headey admitted she found the reaction to her using a body double 'baffling' (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)

Why did Lena Headey use a body double in Game of Thrones?

Headey explained that while acting is 'a joy', the sheer scale of filming the scene would have made it impossible for her to fully inhabit the emotional side of the performance if she'd also been worrying about appearing naked in front of thousands of extras.

"I wouldn't have been able to do the emotional part of the job," she said.

"I'd have been in full-on defensive mode."

The actress said she was in a different position compared to many younger actresses entering the industry at the time, and that her experience on set gave her the confidence to set boundaries she doesn't believe everyone feels able to assert.

Game of Thrones won a total of 272 awards out of 757 nominations during its run. This includes a historic 59 Primetime Emmy Awards (the most of any drama series in television history), eight Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Peabody Award. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

"By that point, I'd been through the wringer," she said.

"I could stand up for myself. I'm not saying those actresses couldn't, but they were much younger and more vulnerable, and had far less experience of being in front of people and the camera and performing."

Back in 2016, Headey told Entertainment Weekly that some viewers felt she was 'less of an actress' for not performing the nudity herself, but said the emotional toll of the scene made that decision necessary for her.

"I know I'm a very emotional actor and I get really driven by that," she explained at the time. "The thought of being naked for three days and trying to contain her in the way she would be, I think I would feel very angry. I didn't want to be angry. I don't think Cersei would be angry."

Headey also praised body double Rebecca Van Cleave for taking on the physically demanding role, insisting she stayed closely involved throughout filming.

"I didn't phone it in," she said. "I was actually there for three days with Rebecca."

The actress said she was in a different position compared to many younger actresses entering the industry at the time, and that her experience on set gave her the confidence to set boundaries she doesn't believe everyone feels able to assert.(Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

What did Lena Headey say about nudity and young actresses in Hollywood?

The controversy, Headey said, reflected a wider issue she believes many actresses faced early in their careers, describing a 'rite of passage' that often involved intimate or nude scenes marketed as coming-of-age roles.

"There was this rite of passage all young female actors had to go through, which usually involved snogging and falling in love, and having sex and showing your boobs," she said.

"They'd call them the ingénue parts, to make it sound nicer."

Headey admitted she rarely questioned those expectations early in her career, saying she was simply grateful to be working and didn't always feel safe speaking up.

She said the #MeToo movement helped expose how widespread those experiences were across the industry, and believes younger actresses today are far more willing to reject situations that make them uncomfortable.