Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Game Of Thrones' Actress Says She Was Literally Waterboarded For 10 Hours While Filming Scene

'Game Of Thrones' Actress Says She Was Literally Waterboarded For 10 Hours While Filming Scene
Darren Bell/Getty Images

Game of Thrones gained a much more tarnished reputation after the ending flopped with fans and information about the qualifications of the creators has come to light.

Now some more information from behind the scenes left more fans with a sour taste in their mouths.


Hannah Waddingham who played Septa Unella, the fanatical nun of a cult like sect in the show's religion, says she was basically waterboarded for ten hours for a scene involving her character's torture at the hands of Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey.

You can see Waddingham recall the scene here:

www.youtube.com

This has many fans up in arms over the incident.



Waddingham told the story to Collider's Ladies Night.

Her character is best known for chanting "Shame" at Cersei in an iconic and highly meme-able scene. In a later point in the series, Cersei gets her revenge by strapping Unella to a plinth and waterboarding her with wine.

However, no movie magic was used for the scene. Instead, Headey actually poured liquid over Waddingham's face for shoot after reshoot.

The actress said the change was made last minute:

"I thought they'd sent me the wrong bits and sure enough, when I got there, I was then put in a wetsuit top."
"I was like, 'Because?' And they went, 'Oh, it's waterboarding instead'. And I was like, 'Oh, well, we're not actually doing waterboarding'."
"'No, no, no—we are.' And there I was, strapped to a wooden table with proper big straps for 10 hours. And definitely, other than childbirth, it was the worst day of my life."

Headey was also very uncomfortable pouring liquid on Waddingham's face for so long, but the two shot the scene for hours.

The final shot is only about two minutes long.




After the incident, Waddingham recalled her voice being so hoarse from trying to speak through the torture, she had "no voice at all to barely whisper" along with bruises on her neck.

Since then, the actress has claustrophobia around water and went to therapy over the incident she was completely unprepared for due to it being a last minute change.

She said:

"Unella was meant to be raped by The Mountain. I think they'd had so many complaints about the rape of Sansa that they chose not to go with it."

Waddingham is currently on Ted Lasso, a series so far from Game of Thrones, she's in much safer hands. In it, she plays the owner of a football club, hiring the unbelievably wholesome Ted Lasso to coach.

It's certainly a long way from "Shame!"



While a few fans decided to make the obvious joke, workplace safety is no laughing matter.

More from News

dog and cat snuggling together
Krista Mangulsone on Unsplash

Times Pet Owners 'Severely Underestimated' Their Pets' Intelligence

I've lived with cats—because no one owns a feline—most of my life. Some have been very clever creatures while others were real dingbats.

Family members have owned dogs whose talents also ran the gamut.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scott Bessent
Meet the Press/NBC News

Scott Bessent Blasted Over His Bonkers Suggestion For How To Bring Your Own Inflation Rate Down

Continuing to follow the example of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on Meet the Press Sunday to blame Democratic President Joe Biden for the financial downturn caused by Trump's tariff fiasco, then lied repeatedly about the state of the economy.

Meet the Press host Kristen Welker played a clip of MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance telling a conservative audience at a Breitbart News event that Americans owe the Trump administration "a little bit of patience"—apparently while they figure out what tariffs are and how they work since they're rolling back more of them to lower consumer prices despite claiming Trump's tariffs don't affect consumer prices.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lindsay Lohan attends the men's final during day fifteen of the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Elsa/Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan Is Now Sporting A New Accent—And Fans Aren't Sure What To Make Of It

In a twist freakier than a sequel to Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan has debuted yet another new accent—this time at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards in Doha, Qatar.

Draped in a maroon, jewel-trimmed gown by The New Arrivals Ilkyaz Ozel and accompanied by her husband, Bader Shammas, and their 2-year-old son, Luai, the actress looked serene, elegant, and completely unbothered by the collective whiplash she was about to inflict on the internet.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jameela Jamil
Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

Jameela Jamil Speaks Out Against The Rise Of The 'Aesthetic Of Emaciation' Among Women In Hollywood

Content Warning: eating disorders, thinness as an aesthetic, emaciation in Hollywood

There's no denying that we've been gifted with some incredible music, television shows, and films this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Screenshot of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in "Rush Hour 2"
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images; New Line Cinema

Trump Is Now Using His Presidential Sway To Pressure Studio Into Making 'Rush Hour 4'—And, Huh?

President Trump has reportedly pressured Paramount head Larry Ellison to make another sequel to Rush Hour, his favorite buddy-cop movie, as the company looks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

The first Rush Hour film, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was released in 1998, received positive reviews, and made $245 million worldwide. Chan and Tucker returned for two sequels released in 2001 and 2007 respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less