Lena Headey supports Hannah Waddingham over ‘Game of Thrones’ waterboarding scene

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 6/25/21

The last time Septa Unella (Hannah Waddingham) was seen on Game of Thrones, she was being brutally and relentlessly waterboarded with wine by Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey).

Headey has confirmed what Waddingham revealed in late May about the fateful scene in the Season 6 finale.

"[Waddingham] had a really s—t time doing that scene," Headey told Insider this week. "I adore Hannah. She's one of my favorite humans."

Waddingham painted a traumatic picture when describing the 10 hours of waterboarding she endured while filming, including an admission that "other than childbirth, it was the worst day of my life" as well as her lingering claustrophobia around water:

"People have different limits," Headey added. "People will go to different places. And some people will be like, 'I don't want to f—ing put myself in that position.' I totally respect whatever your boundaries are, but Hannah was a trooper. That was a long day of prune juice in your face."

Waddingham portrayed Unella for eight episodes, beginning in Season 5 and ending with Cersei torturing her for a confession—leaving her indefinitely in a dungeon with The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson). Unella's demise was full circle in terms of plot because she had previously imprisoned and tortured Cersei for an imprisonment.

Game of Thrones wrapped a globally dominant eight-season run on HBO in May 2019.

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