Game of Thrones star Lena Headey has opened up about the extreme decision she made to avoid being asked to film nude scenes.
The 52-year-old British actress, best known for playing the ruthless Cersei Lannister in HBO’s fantasy epic, reflected on her experiences while promoting her new BBC Sounds series Intimacy, in which she plays an intimacy co-ordinator dealing with a personal crisis.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, the Emmy-nominated actress explained how the industry has changed over the past decade, with intimacy co-ordinators now helping actors establish clear boundaries during intimate scenes.
“Most directors will ask for more than they need, in terms of nudity – so, to have someone who’s like, ‘nah, you don’t need that’, is great,” she explained.
Lena Headey reveals the surprising trick she used to avoid filming nude scenes. Credit: Michael Buckner / Getty
Before safeguards were used, Headey came up with a creative way to make directors think twice about asking her to film nude scenes.
“I got my whole back tattooed at one point, because I was like, ‘at least then they’re going to have to ask me to go to makeup [before doing a sex scene]’, and I’ll say, ‘that’s going to be eight hours,” she revealed. “There weren’t any co-ordinators. So I used ink.”
She quickly clarified that she already wanted the tattoos, adding: “But yes. I was like, at least if I do this, and they go, ‘can we see a full nude back?’, I could say, ‘you can, but I don’t think in the 19th century they would have had these’.”
The actress revealed she got her entire back tattooed as a tactic to discourage excessive on‑screen nudity. Credit: Steve Granitz / Getty
Intimacy on set has become a major talking point
Game of Thrones became known for its explicit content during its eight-season run, with several cast members later reflecting on their experiences filming intimate scenes.
Among them was Esmé Bianco, who played Ros, an ambitious sex worker who rose from Winterfell to King’s Landing under Littlefinger’s guidance.
One of Ros’ earliest scenes became one of the show’s most talked-about moments, when Alfie Allen’s character, Theon Greyjoy, asked for one last glimpse of her before she left Winterfell.
The brief moment has since been described by some as one of the “most paused” scenes in television history.
Looking back at the role during the premiere of the show’s final season, Bianco told Refinery29: “I think two of my top scenes would be my scenes with Alfie Allen [Theon Greyjoy].
“We had a scene together in Winterfell and then we had a great scene together on the back of the turnip cart.”
Esme Bianco as Ros in Game of Thrones. Credit: HBO
Bianco later shared a different perspective
Years after appearing in the series, the actress spoke about surviving abuse and how those experiences impacted the way she viewed some of her work.
“I was just chatting with someone about the fact that I think because of my experience, some things other people might have struggled with were sort of normalized to a certain extent,” she explained.
“My trauma clouded over them and made them actually more palatable for me, which in retrospect, it worries me a little bit.”
She later shared on X that she used to “hide in a cupboard to call [her] family and friends” while living with her abuser and also revealed she had taken medication for PTSD.
Despite those experiences, Bianco said she has no regrets about her work on GOT, a series that has been slammed by some viewers over its depiction of sexual violence and abuse.
“I don’t have any regrets about any of the scenes that I did,” she said. “I feel very comfortable with what I did, and I was treated with respect the entire time.”
