The Best Lena Headey TV Roles Before Game of Thrones
Actress Lena Headey is currently living an actresses dream. Although Headey had previously found success in films with her role in 2006’s 300, her television career is what would eventually lead her to mainstream fame. In 2011, she was cast as Cersi Lannister on the HBO series, Game of Thrones. The show has since become a critical and commercial success, and Headey’s career has skyrocketed. Lannister has also become one of the show’s most popular characters, and her story line is often full of interesting twists that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, even though her recent success must feel amazing, Headey, has actually been acting for more than two decades, and landed several roles in both television and film before Game of Thrones debuted. In 1993, Headey made her first television appearance in the British Drama series, Scene Two. For the next 15 years, Headey would appear in several small television roles in both the United Kingdom and the United States before landing her breakthrough starring role in the Fox series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Headey now serves as a good example for those wanting to see just how hard work can pay of, and also as a testament to the fact that no one’s career is built overnight. Here are the best Lena Headey TV roles before Game of Thrones.
5. How We Used To Live
The British historical drama, How We Used to Live, which aired from 1968 to 2002, produced educational content for generations of school children. During each episode, the show followed the lives of fictional families living in London Yorkshire. When possible, the show mixed in actual footage to help children understand the historical context of the events taking place. In 1993, Lena Headey appeared in three episodes of the show as the fictional character, Grace Palmer.
4. Soldier Soldier
In 1993, Lena Headey made a brief appearance on the British drama series, Soldier Soldier. The show, which was set shortly after the cold war, featured the lives of soldiers in B Company. Attempting to portray an accurate depiction of British military life during the 90s, Soldier Soldier chronicled many of the real life changes affecting the army during that time period. Although Headey’s character, Shenna Bowles, appeared in just three episodes, Soldier Soldier has been credited with helping to launch the careers of several actors.
3. Merlin
NBC’s miniseries, Merlin, originally aired in 1998. Featuring Lena Headey in a starring role as Queen Guinevere, Merlin told the classic tale with a new spin. Slightly deviating from the story’s original version, Merlin retold the story of the legendary King Arthur. Headey’s character, Guinevere, the unfaithful wife of King Arthur, famously betrays him with Lancelot. The miniseries was a critical success, earning a primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Miniseries. There have been three novel adaptaions, and in 2006, a sequel, Merlin’s Apprentice, aired on the Hallmark Channel. However, Headey was not a part of the sequel’s cast.
2. Band of Gold
In the United Kingdom’s television drama, Band of Gold, Lena Headey played the recurring role of Colette, a prostitute who was a known drug abuser. Throughout her time on the show, Colette finds herself in several sticky situations, and she is often mistrusted by the other characters on the show. The series was a success in the United Kingdom, and was featured in two novel adaptations, Band of Gold – Ring Of Lies and Band of Gold – Chain of Power both of which were written by John Burke and Kay Mellor.
1. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles featured Lena Headey in the title role of Sarah Connor. After seeing her audition tape, John Freidman, series creator, decided that Headey was a “tough woman,” making her perfect for the role. In 2006, when it was announced that Headey would be taking on the role, many fans were critical of the decision to cast her. Connor, a fictional character who appeared in several installments of the Terminator franchise, was initially depicted as athletic and muscular; however, many viewers felt like Headey bore no resembles to the original character. Kym Lambert, spokeswoman for The Sarah Connor Charm School, and a Terminator fan group stated: “We were very upset to find out that a very thin and non-athletic actress had been chosen out of, supposedly, hundreds to play a role that we as physical feminists found so inspiring.” However, both the series and Headey’s performance were generally met with positive reviews. The Connecticut Post gave Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles a place on its list of Top 10 TV Shows of 2008, and stated that the show was, :smart, with thought-provoking meditations on parenthood, destiny and human nature, and features good performances by Lena Headey, as Sarah, and Summer Glau.” Headey also received several award nominations for her role on the show, including the 2009 Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television.
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