Cersei's walk of shame remains among the most memorable scenes on Game of Thrones. Lena Headey's face, as Cersei attempts to retain her dignity as she's walked naked through the streets, is unforgettable.
It's a moment of sympathy for a tragic, villainous character. The walk of shame has become a defining moment for the character and for fans, who have turned it into a very nerdy meme—both online and IRL. And, as a New York Times profile of Headey details, it has gotten pretty damn creepy:
Most common are fans channeling Septa Unella, the malignant nun who scolded Cersei during her infamous walk of atonement through Kings Landing in Season 5. ("Shame! Shame!") Perhaps most egregious was a nurse who got caught up in the moment while helping Ms. Headey breast-feed in her hospital room, shortly after giving birth to her daughter. The story ends with the nurse, nipples in hand, chanting "Shame" as "she's milking me like a human cow," Ms. Headey said. "I was flying on morphine, so it was sort of funny," she said. "Had I been vaguely in the world, I might have been more offended."
That's weird! But, hey, superfans of a show about murder, incest, and dragons are bound to be a little off, right?
And that's too bad because Headey seems really cool—especially in this profile, where she cuts off the interviewer attempting to mansplain to her with a quick "I do understand that, sir."
