Do we like Lena Headey?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent record on both tests, with a long run of speaking up for women and refugees and only a dull money dispute against her.
Most people know Headey as Cersei Lannister, the scheming queen of Game of Thrones. She told the Telegraph in July 2026 that she was “really shocked by the anger” when a body double took over her nude scene in season five. Some fans felt she had “duped the audience”.
She said she couldn't have done the emotional part of that scene while naked in front of thousands of extras. She described a “rite of passage” she was expected to go through early in her career. She didn't question it then because she was grateful to be working.
Her most serious story is one where she is the accuser. In 2017 she alleged that Harvey Weinstein made suggestive remarks and, in a later meeting, invited her to his hotel room to give her a script. She said he then gripped her arm and told her not to tell anyone. In 2019 she said turning him down may have affected a decade of her work. A Weinstein representative called any account other than a professional relationship “absolutely untrue”.
On the harm test, we found nothing nasty. In 2019 she shared a video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and told trolls she cares about the climate. She said she wasn't highly political, just a human being who cares. We found no harmful words and no worrying co-stars or studios in what we read.
The one blemish is dull. In 2022 her former UK agency sued her for about $1.5 million, alleging unpaid commission on projects including Thor: Love and Thunder. She disputed it. She said she never signed a contract with the agency, and that the director approached her directly. We found no reported outcome.
The good stuff is real. In a 2015 guest post for Plan International USA she asked readers to donate to a project supporting young women in Egypt. In 2026 she is still angry about how Hollywood shields powerful men. Her record on this is consistent and public.