Lena Headey Glad 'Game of Thrones' Mania Died Down: 'It Was Weird'

Lena Headey is glad that the Game of Thrones hype has died down finally, admitting that it was all a bit "weird."

The Bermuda-born British actress came to international attention for her portrayal as the sinister queen Cersei Lannister. Headey's character was a constant source of frustration as the smirking, incestuous, malevolent, murderous ruler of King's Landing.

Game of Thrones itself ruled television for several years, before fans deemed its final eighth season to be an underwhelming send-off for the HBO show. During its run, GoT won dozens of Emmys and was viewed weekly by millions of captivated viewers. The show made billions of dollars in profits for HBO; hundreds of millions of dollars of profit per episode, according to multiple sources.

The finale aired in May 2019, and now four years later, Headey and the rest of the cast are experiencing life after GoT.

"Yes, it's died down, thank God, because it was weird," Headey, 49, told Newsweek. "And, not in any s***** way. You kind of go, 'OK, that was amazing and unexpected,' and then you're like, 'What's next?'"

What's next for Headey is a starring role in the Watergate-based comedy-drama White House Plumbers. She stars as Dorothy Hunt in the HBO show, alongside Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux. It's her first live-action TV show performance since appearing in the divisive Game of Thrones season in May 2019.

For years, fans of the show and journalists asked Headey questions relating to Game of Thrones while it was on the air. Now, that chatter has died down as time has moved on.

Newsweek asked Headey if she minds being asked about the topic still?

"It's fine..." she said solemnly, before reassuring us she's joking. "No, it's not annoying. It's the territory. Right? Listen, it was an amazing thing to be part of. So I'm very happy it happened, obviously."

Headey's latest role sees her play Dorothy Hunt, the wife of E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson), one of the men who ultimately went to jail for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

White House Plumbers is a satirical political drama, and begins on Monday, May 1 on HBO. Headey's character Dorothy becomes more embroiled in the scandal than many may realize as the show progresses. Headey said there were several reasons to take on the role, but the chance to work with Harrelson was a major one.

"He's great. He's the easiest. And we're both of a certain time in this industry where I, you can't offend Woody. It doesn't exist. So, there's a certain liberation in that," Headey said.

"Woody and I met beforehand in Hawaii in a bamboo forest situation. So I had known Woody prior to doing this, and he was like, 'I hear you're gonna do a show,' and I was like, 'I don't know, am I?' Then, we were in upstate New York [shooting White House Plumbers], and it was good time. We just laughed a lot. It was easy."

When asked to expand upon her time in the bamboo forest with Harrelson, Headey played it coy.

"We just had a cup of tea. And we were like, 'Oh my God, Hawaii's so nice,'" she told Newsweek.

HBO's new limited series 'White House Plumbers' begins on Monday, May 1, 2023.