Actress Hannah Waddingham, who played Septa Unella on Game of Thrones, reveals that the fate for her character was supposed to be much worse.
Game of Thrones actress Hannah Waddingham revealed that the original fate of her character, Septa Unella, was supposed to be much worse. Game of Thrones is known for its dramatic twists, especially considering character deaths that occurred sporadically throughout the series but Septa Unella’s death wasn’t a surprising one. She had a grisly fate but some views on that changed when it was revealed by Waddingham that the writers originally wanted to kill her off in a far more brutal way since her death seemed cruel enough.
Season 6 had one of the show’s most action-packed finales and in it, Cersei Lannister gets revenge on enemies like the Tyrells and the High Sparrow, the leader of the cultish Faith of the Seven religion that had infiltrated her kingdom and put her on trial for sacrilege crimes. They were responsible for Cersei’s walk of shame, where they stripped her naked and marched her through the streets of King’s Landing while she was mocked, beaten, and humiliated. Septa Unella rang the bell behind her throughout the march, yelling “Shame,” repeatedly, so it was inevitable that Cersei would get violent revenge on her.
Septa Unella’s Fate In Game Of Thrones
Technically Her Death Was Never Confirmed
Following the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor that kills the Tyrells and the High Sparrow, Cersei tortured Unella by waterboarding her with wine in a cell and leaving her to be, presumably, tortured slowly to death by Ser Gregor Clegane, also known as the Mountain. Although that’s the case, Septa Unella’s true fate remains unknown, though it is fair to assume she met a miserable, slow, and unbearably painful death in the cells of the Red Keep.
Septa Unella is one of only a few Game of Thrones characters who never gets a confirmed death before disappearing from the series. Some were never mentioned again including the pirate Salladhor Saan and the executioner Ser Illyn Payne (despite being a name on Arya’s famous list) but Septa Unella’s case is more like Syrio Forel. The Bravoosi water dancer is believed to be dead since he was left alone to fight with a broken weapon but it’s never confirmed. Some fans still hold hope that he’ll return in the books.
How Septa Unella’s Death Was Going To Be Different
She Was Going To Be Sexually Assaulted Before Dying
It is hard to imagine that her fate could have been any worse, but despite Game of Thrones ending in 2019, fans are still in for more surprises. Waddingham revealed to Collider that her original death was going to be portrayed as far more horrible. According to her, the idea was eventually scrapped and the scene of Cersei waterboarding her with wine was written instead.
“She was meant to be raped by The Mountain, and I think they’d had so many complaints about the rape of Sansa that they chose not to go with it.
“I thought they possibly changed it when I was mid-air flying to Belfast because suddenly I got sent these new sides that said that I would need a wetsuit top. And I thought they’d sent me the wrong bits. And sure enough, when I got there, I was then put in a wetsuit top and I was like, ‘Because?’ And they went, ‘Oh, it’s waterboarding instead.'”
Game Of Thrones’ inclusion of graphic sexual violence has always been a major item of controversy. In season 5, the most controversial inclusion of such took place when Sansa (Sophie Turner), a character that was still a teenager at the time, was raped on her wedding night. The nature of the scene caused an outcry of complaints among fans, many of whom thought the scene was far too graphic and problematic. Therefore, Waddingham’s belief that the fate of Unella was changed as a direct result of the outcry over that scene seems like that very well could have been the reason.
While Septa Unella’s death was still undeniably brutal, it is disturbing to consider the routes that the showrunners could have taken.
The criticisms that Game Of Thrones faced surrounding the unnecessary violence against women are being considered for future projects. Actress Olivia Cooke, who stars in the spin-off House Of The Dragon, promised that the show doesn’t feature the same level of violence against women that the original series had and so far, which is true. While Septa Unella’s death was still undeniably brutal, it is disturbing to consider the routes that the showrunners could have taken.
What Hannah Waddingham Has Done Since Game Of Thrones
The Actress Has Become A Bigger Star
At the time of her appearance on Game of Thrones, Hannah Waddingham hadn’t yet broken out despite a handful of roles over the years. In 2019, she landed a recurring role in Netflix’s Sex Education but blossomed into stardom in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso as Rebecca Welton. For her efforts, Waddingham won an Emmy among several other accolades and her performance boosted her into other projects.
Thanks to the success of Ted Lasso, Waddingham went on to score roles in Hocus Pocus 2, Krapopolis, The Fall Guy, and the eighth Mission: Impossible film. Waddingham also co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest and had a holiday special on Apple TV+ where she got to showcase her impressive singing chops. Regardless of how her character was written off of Game of Thrones, things have worked out well for Hannah Waddingham.
