Lena Headey

Some Lesser Known Facts About Lena Headey

• Lena Headey spent her early years in different countries including Bermuda, India, and England. At five, she moved from Bermuda to Somerset, England, along with her family.

• As a child, Lena studied ballet for several years but was asked to stop. She once even considered pursuing a career in dance.

• Lena was a tomboy during her childhood. She enjoyed engaging in activities like climbing trees and playing sports.

• Lena has a noticeable scar on her face that she got from a childhood accident.

• Lena owned two hamsters and some goldfish when she was a child. She once thought her goldfish deserved a warm jacuzzi experience. Without much planning, she added hot water and a bubble bath and ended up boiling one of the fish alive.

• Lena had several encounters with ghosts in childhood. She once saw a ghost girl asking for help in a French hotel. Later, in Nantucket, she saw a ghost mother with a baby and another woman who could walk through walls.

• Headey was bullied for her “posh” accent when she was young. Her mother had made her take elocution classes so she could ‘speak like a lady.’ However, it did not help her fit in with her mostly working-class peers. The bullying turned physical once when she asked a boy about the playing field, and he hit her on the head with his cricket bat.

  

• Lena actively participated in plays during her school days. While at Sheley College, She once performed in a play at the Royal National Theatre. She performed so well that she was selected for a role in the film ‘Waterland’ (1992); Lena was 17 at that time.
  

• She has appeared in many other films including ‘Mrs Dalloway’ (1997), ‘The Brothers Grimm’ (2005), ‘300’ (2006), ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ (2016), ‘Fighting with My Family’ (2019), and ‘9 Bullets’ (2022).

• Lena met Peter Paul Loughran, a musician, during the shoot of the television series ‘Ballykissangel’ in 1997. Some reports claim that they dated in the late 1990s after soon developing a romantic connection during shooting, while others claim that their relationship began in 2007 after they hooked up.

• Lena has worked in some television series like NBC’s ‘Merlin’ (1998) and television films like BBC–HBO’s ‘The Gathering Storm’ (2002).

  

• She has appeared in some short films like ‘Inside-Out’ (1999), ‘No Verbal Response’ (2003), and ‘Vacancy’ (2006).

  

• In 2001, Lena briefly dated actor Jason Flemyng whom she had known each other since the 1990s. They worked together in the film ‘Anazapta’ (2002) during the shoot of which they fell in love. Their relationship, however, ended after a few months.

• In 2002, Lena began dating Jerome Flynn, an actor and singer. They reportedly fell in love while working on the television series ‘Soldier Soldier.’ They, however, broke up in 2003 amidst rumours that they avoided shooting scenes together for the Game of Thrones series.

• Lena got married to Peter Paul Loughran in 2007. She, however, filed for divorce in 2012 after she realised that the issues they had could not be resolved. Their divorce was finalised on 26 December 2013.

• She played the role of ‘Sarah Connor’ in Fox’s television series ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ from 2008 to 2009.
  

• Headey has worked as both an actor and executive producer for projects like ‘The Devil’s Wedding’ (2009) (short film), ‘The Flood’ (2019) (film), and ‘Beacon 23’ (2023) (television series).

  

• She gained recognition through her role as ‘Cersei Lannister’ in HBO’s series ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019).
  

• Lena Headey knew actor Peter Dinklage even before they started working on Game of Thrones. Dinklage was the one who suggested her name for the role of ‘Cersei Lannister’ in the series.

  

• Headey earned up to $144,000 per episode for a season of Game of Thrones, making $1.2 million per episode. She previously earned $300,000 per episode but later negotiated it to $500,000 to match her male co-stars.

• She was initially vegetarian, but she later adopted a non-vegetarian diet. In 2011, she admitted that she occasionally eats meat.

• In 2014, Lena was rumoured to be dating actor Pedro Pascal after they were spotted getting cosy at events. They frequently posted pictures together on social media but never confirmed their relationship.
  

• In 2014, Lena began dating director Dan Cadan, whom she met in the early 2000s while he was working as an assistant director for the film ‘The Brothers Grimm.’ The duo got married in 2018 but decided to part ways in 2019. After their divorce in 2020, they continued co-parenting their daughter, Teddy.

• In 2016, Lena met Marc Menchaca, an actor and writer, while working on the film ‘The Flood,’ where Marc worked as a director and Lena was a lead actor. The rumours about their relationship emerged while she was still married to Dan Cadan.

• In 2016, she joined the International Rescue Committee to raise global awareness about the daily challenges of refugees, especially regarding mental health.

  

• In 2017, Lena accused Harvey Weinstein, a former film producer and convicted sex offender, of sexual harassment. She said that he often tried to talk about her personal life instead of work. When she joked to avoid his advances, she was never cast in another Miramax film. Lena also claimed that Weinstein once pressurised her to visit his hotel room. When she refused, she was led out and told to stay quiet.

  

• Lena has often discussed her struggles with depression and anxiety to reduce negative perceptions and societal disapproval. In 2017, she experienced postpartum depression after her son Wylie was born.

• Lena has lent her to various characters in series like Nickelodeon’s ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (2018-2020), Cartoon Network and HBO Max’s ‘Infinity Train’ (2019-2021), and Netflix’s ‘Masters of the Universe: Revelation’ (2021).

• Lena has worked as a director for projects like ‘The Trap’ (2019) (short film) and ‘You Mean the World to Me’ (2019) (music video).

  

• Heady is a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and often uses her platform to raise awareness and promote equal rights. She has collaborated with the NOH8 Campaign, which supports the LGBTQ+ community.

• Lena strongly opposes animal cruelty and supports People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) efforts. She endorsed PETA’s 2015 t-shirts that featured her image and helped the organisation raise funds through sales on represent.com.

• Lena loves tattoos and finds them calming.

• She greatly admires Cate Blanchett, an Australian actor and film producer.

• Lena is a fitness enthusiast and often engages in activities like yoga and boxing.

  

• Lena is known for her edgy fashion sense. She blends vintage and modern elements to create a bold statement.

• Lena often smokes cigarettes.

  

• She consumes alcohol occasionally.

  

• She is an avid animal lover and has a few pet dogs including a beagle named Wizard, two dachshunds named Monkey and Skippy, a rescue dog named Irish, and a Brussels Griffon named Angela Lansbury (originally named Nugget).

  

• She loves reading books and has a good collection of them.
  

  
• She has been featured on the cover of various magazines including TV Guide, G3, Sunday Mirror, and The Edit.

  

• Lena has been vocal about accusations of genocide against Israel by South Africa. On 12 January 2024, she participated in a Palestine Festival of Literature’s video series, which supported South Africa’s claims regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza.

  

Lena Headey as ‘Gorgo, the Queen of Sparta’ in the film ‘300’ (2006)

A gif of the character ‘Big Mama’ from the television series ‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ voiced by Lena Headey