Game of Thrones star Lena Headey channels Cersei Lannister and bluntly explains why she won’t watch HBO’s prequel show House of the Dragon.
Game of Thrones star Lena Headey has given a short and decidedly blunt explanation about why she won’t watch House of the Dragon. Considered one of the most complex and fascinating characters in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Headey’s performance as the headstrong and uncompromising Cersei Lannister will earn her widespread praise and a slew of award nominations over the course of the show’s eight-season run. As one of the central figures competing for the coveted Iron Throne, Headey’s Cersei outlasted many of her rivals, dying only in the final moments of the penultimate episode.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Headey was asked if she had an opportunity to watch the new prequel show House of the Dragon, which premiered in August last year. After indicating that she had not seen it, Headey was asked why she had not familiarized herself with the latest show. Her blunt and perfectly concise response was one worthy of Cersei Lannister herself. Check out her answer below:
Why House Of The Dragon Will Never Have A Villain As Perfect As Cersei Lannister
Game of Thrones constantly introduced a long list of villainous characters whose lust for power and complete lack of scruples made them the kind of individuals that audiences loved to hate. From Cersei’s own son Joffrey Baratheon to Iwan Rheon’s sadistic Ramsay Bolton, the devious political machinations and constant plotting that made Game of Thrones such a monumental success was significantly buoyed by a long roster of increasingly deceitful and moral repugnant sociopaths.
Yet among the many assorted villains to grace viewers’ screens during Game of Thrones’ original run, none seemed to possess even a fraction of the complexity, enduring appeal, or sheer longevity of Headey’s Cersei Lannister. While House of the Dragon certainly has its own share of characters increasingly willing to forsake their own integrity in exchange for power and position, Headey’s commanding performance in the original show has set a nearly impossible bar for anyone else to follow.
Even House of the Dragon’s Alicent Hightower, whose own love for her children and fierce desire to protect their claim to the Iron Throne directly echoes Cersei’s own, does not seem to possess the same intense and single-minded sense purpose that eventually drove Cersei to claim Westeros for herself. While there remains some measure of consternation about Cersei’s eventual fate in Game of Thrones’ controversial final season, her character continues to stand as a testament to the power of a well-written character backed by an incredible performance.
