‘Game of Thrones’ Stars Lena Headey, Hannah Waddingham Speak out on Traumatic Scene

Game of Thrones stars Lena Headey and Hannah Waddingham reunited for a virtual event this weekend, where they addressed their infamous “wineboarding” scene once again. Waddingham — now an Emmy nominee for her starring role on Ted Lasso — recently revealed that she was authentically waterboarded while playing Septa Unella on Game of Thrones. Headey, who did the torturing as Cersei Lannister, remembers the frightful filming experience all too well.

Waddingham’s Game of Thrones character is sometimes referred to as the “shame nun” within the fandom. She’s the one who tortured Cersei during her captivity by the High Sparrow, and followed her through the streets with a bell chanting “shame.” These days, Waddingham is better known for playing AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton on Apple TV+‘s Ted Lasso. During her video chat with Headey published by Entertainment Weekly, Waddingham asked Headey for her impression on their final scene together.

“I wanted to ask you, which we never really talk about because I think both of us found it quite traumatic at the time: Our waterboarding, or rather wineboarding, scenes,” Waddingham said. “People are always quite shocked that that actually did happen in reality and there was nothing CGI’d. One thing I’ve said a lot is that both of us were quite uncomfortable about it, but as with all these things, you know that they’re not actually going to kill you so you just get on with it and do it. It made wicked telly and I just wondered what your take on all that was, because I think you found it quite difficult too.”

“Yes, that was, for you, horrendous,” Headey agreed. “Someone else asked me about that the other day and I was like, you know, as an actor we all have boundaries or no boundaries. And no boundaries are obviously very thrilling when you can go to a place… but something like that when you’re tied down [during filming for 10 hours], it made me feel horrendous doing that scene with you.”

Still, Waddingham and Headey assured fans that they did all they could for each other through that scene and that they are still friends in real life. Waddingham joked: “I have to say one thing that that traumatic experience — and you walking through the streets practically with your nunny out — gave us was that you and I absolutely [became incredibly close]. And I was really nervous joining you [on Game of Thrones] because you were like queen lady of the ladies and I was some nobhead who had popped a baby out nine weeks previously.”

“Well, and then you met me and you realized [that I was an] equal nobhead!” Headey laughed. The two women threaded the needle of letting fans know how traumatic that filming experience really was without placing any blame on each other. Waddingham first opened up about the “wineboarding scene” back in May, in an interview with Collider.

Game of Thrones is still streaming on HBO Max, and the prequel series is expected to premiere in the spring of 2022 on HBO. Ted Lasso Season 2 airs every Friday on Apple TV+.