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Game of Thrones

The season five finale of Game of Thrones gave us tons of jaw-dropping moments, but the one that stands out in our mind almost a year later is Cersei’s infamous “walk of shame” through King’s Landing. If you recall, the High Sparrow called Cersei out for cheating on Robert and to atone for her sins, she was stripped down, shaved, and forced to make a painful walk through an angry mob. The scene was harrowing, but also controversial because star Lena Headey used a body double named Rebecca Van Cleave for the nudity.

Now, The Daily Mail is reporting that Headey is firing out against critics hating on her for using a body double. She told Entertainment Weekly that “some people thought I was less of an actress because I didn’t get my t**s out.”

Headey opted for the body double for two big reasons. One was practical. At the time of shooting, Headey was pregnant with her second child. The other reason had to do with craft. Headey said:

I’ve done nudity. I’m not averse to it. But I know I’m a very emotional actor and I get really driven by that. In order to do my job, I allow myself to be really vulnerable. I don’t know any other way to do my job. Things really affect me. And the thought of being naked for three days and trying to contain her in the way she would be I think I would feel very angry…And wonderful Rebecca [Van Cleave] was able to contain herself and be naked. She found it very difficult, obviously. It’s not a natural thing to do. I film every year and I have kids and they know me now and [being naked in the scene] was just too much on top of that. So yeah, people that get it thought it was great. I didn’t phone it in; I was actually there for three days with Rebecca.

Rebecca Van Cleave told Entertainment Weekly last year that ‘It should all be about the finished product, not about whose body was where and and whose head was where.’

Headey went on to clear up rumors that she used a body double for “vanity reasons.” Headey said, “People [assume] I picked Rebecca…Like I demanded to have a hot body. In reality, I said, ‘If somebody will do this, I’ll have no choice about it. Whatever you decide.'”

By all accounts the actresses have nothing but total respect for one another and view the scene as a collaboration. Coincidentally, Van Cleave has also appeared as a body double for Elizabeth Hurley on E!’s The Royals.