Lena Headey on Her Movie ‘The Entice,’ and How She Needs Her ‘Recreation of Thrones’ Position Ended

After so many acclaimed and fashionable performances in initiatives starting from 300 to Recreation of Thrones to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lena Headey is stepping behind the digicam for the primary time for her directorial debut, The Entice.

The indie movie – which is having its world premiere this weekend on the Austin Movie Competition — is a character-driven psychological drama with some shockingly darkish components (which is not going to be spoiled right here). The Entice stars Headey’s Thrones co-star Michelle Fairley as a girl dwelling a lifetime of solitude when she meets a mysterious younger drifter (James Nelson Joyce). The mission relies on Headey’s quick movie, which she additionally wrote.

The Entice comes at a busy time for Headey, who additionally stars in Zak Penn’s upcoming sci-fi collection Beacon 23, which premieres Nov. 12 on MGM+, and he or she stars in Kurt Sutter’s upcoming Netflix Western drama collection The Abandons, which seemingly premieres subsequent 12 months. Whereas Headey was unable to debate these two upcoming initiatives as a result of ongoing actors strike, she did gamely look again on the last days of Cersei Lannister.*

So we now have to watch out speaking concerning the plot, however let met begin with this: What was your inspiration for The Entice?

It got here to me once I was pregnant 13 years in the past. I used to be beginning to panic. I used to be like, “Am I able to loving one thing? I don’t know what that is.” It makes you query love. Then once I had my child, I puzzled, “Is love actually unconditional? How far would you go? How a lot forgiveness is there? Would you actually sacrifice every little thing for one more particular person?”

And also you solid Michelle because the lead. She’s clearly an incredible actress, however I puzzled if there’s additionally a long-standing friendship there out of your days on Thrones.

We’re nice mates. I hunted her down, made her drink with me, and we’ve bought a beautiful friendship. I used to observe Michelle and he or she’s such a fucking stunning actress, and I like her face. So I wrote this together with her in thoughts. I needed to have the ability to do all of the issues.

How did you go about increasing this from a brief movie right into a function?

I had presents alongside the best way to do the movie with massive names. However no. This movie is what I like about British cinema. It’s working-class actors. There are accents. It has all of the little issues we don’t take a look at. And I used to be like, fuck it — I’m simply going to do the movie that I do know I need to make with the folks I need to make it with.

And what was it like for you transitioning to behind the digicam? Was it—

Fucking heaven. It’s simply so a lot better.

I suppose that’s an apparent query.

Effectively, I at all times assume all people would. However truly, they don’t. An enormous quantity of actors have no real interest in doing it. I at all times have — from being 17 and dealing within the enterprise, I’ve at all times been curious and pushed in the direction of it. Everybody that loves me has identified this was my want for twenty years. So for me, it was mayhem and pure pleasure.

And when it comes to directing actors. Did that come naturally, or was it a bit odd at first?

That was essentially the most straightforward. I find it irresistible as a result of it’s creating area for folks to be susceptible. I work with actors as an actor. I examine what folks do, and I do know while you’re not giving what you may, or being lazy, or simply not within the area that day. So I imagine there’s a means of speaking to actors that may elicit one thing else. And I feel each actor’s bought a fucking rocking efficiency in them, they only want the phrases and a narrative that may serve them. However perhaps it’s a must to ask them.

Have you ever screened this beforehand? What was that like for you?

Just for family and friends. I used to be fucking terrified. I used to be simply sitting there in sheer fucking terror. They know me sufficient to not blow smoke up my ass, and everybody was actually moved. Individuals discovered it humorous. Individuals discovered connection. I don’t anticipate it to go shift lives or something. It’s a quite simple efficiency movie.

Do you’ve got a follow-up mission in thoughts?

I’ve written a brand new one. It’s fairly massive in its [premise]. If there’s anyone on the market with a cool $10 million, that will be rad.

I naturally needed to ask a pair Thrones-related questions. First, I’m curious: Have you ever watched Home of the Dragon?

Nah. 

Would that be too bizarre so that you can watch?

Too bizarre. Yeah. 

You’ve beforehand mentioned you needed extra for Cersei in that last season, and urged maybe she might have had a struggle scene, or a unique dying. However I puzzled: Did you ever take into consideration what your ideally suited storyline would have been in your character? And what would which were? 

I’m assume all of us did, to be sincere, since you begin attempting to jot down the story your self. And [Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams] and I’d fantasize a few Cersei and Arya showdown; that she would come again as Jaime. That was our dream. However they made totally different selections. 

Proper, and I understood it from the showrunners’ perspective, too — the quantity of stress, the large quantity of labor and time concerned, and attempting to determine methods to get this sophisticated mixture of tales good. 

Precisely. I feel in hindsight, all people understands that. You’re in it, and also you’ve been so invested, there’s a second of, “Why?” However I completely get it.

Do you ever miss it? 

No. I miss the folks — since you fall in love with folks, and also you create these household models. In order that takes a short time to go although. There’s a bizarre grief from these relationships. However I don’t miss it. We did it. We put every little thing into it. It modified everybody’s fucking world, and we’ll at all times have it.

The Entice premieres at AFF on Sunday evening on the Paramount Theatre. Headey might be doing a Q&A after the movie’s premiere. *Thrones and Dragon are lined by Fairness contracts as an alternative of SAG-AFTRA.