Lena Headey Wasn't Sold on Cersei and Euron's Latest Development in 'Game of Thrones'

Game of Thrones’ return for its eighth and final season drew in a ton of emotion from fans (not to mention record-setting views). Between all the long-awaited reunions, and Jon Snow finding out who his parents really were, audiences had a whole lot to talk about just from the first episode. And one moment which was met with shock and even disgust from some was the fact that Cersei Lannister slept with Euron Greyjoy. Many were confused that soon after she told him he had to earn her, she jumped into bed with him. Even Lena Headey, the actress behind the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, wasn’t really for it at first.

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly about her character’s new relationship with Euron, Headey admitted, “I kept saying, ‘She wouldn’t, she wouldn’t, that she would keep fighting.’ But [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] obviously know what they’re doing and were adamant Cersei would do what she had to do.”

And while this move seemed pretty out of character for Cersei, Euron actor Pilou Asbæk explained how beneficial it could be to show the Queen in a new light. “We had a lot of discussions,” he told EW. “Would it be out of character for her to be with Greyjoy for power? We discussed it so much that we almost ended up going, ‘Maybe it’s too much.’ Then we decided to try it out and see if it works. Sometimes you have to show different sides of a character. You have to surprise yourself as an actor but you also have to surprise yourself as a character.”

Eventually, Headey saw it as a way to prove where her character stands without her brother/lover, Jaime Lannister. “There’s something to play in all of it,” she stated. “Cersei is such the ultimate survivor in all of this. She refuses to fall to her knees. She goes to the place where she doesn’t want to go, which makes it more powerful sad because of who she’s not with.”

Euron clearly has ulterior motives getting close to Cersei, even telling her he wants to “put a prince in [her] belly.” He’s power hungry and will do whatever it takes to succeed, but two can definitely play that game. As far as we know, Cersei is already pregnant at this point with Jaime’s baby, although many fans believe she’s lying. In the scene with Euron in the Season 8 premiere, she’s even drinking wine. On the other hand, however, some theorize she slept with Euron simply so she can tell people her baby is his, not Jaime’s.

We’ll see exactly what Cersei has up her sleeve regarding this whole situation when GoT continues Sunday night.

This article also appears on Mental Floss.