Hannah Waddingham says 'horrific' Game of Thrones scene left her with chronic claustrophobia
hannah waddingham has revealed a single Game of Thrones shoot left her with "chronic claustrophobia, " an experience she described as "horrific" that she will discuss when she appears on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh at 9. 30am on ITV on Sunday March 1.
Hannah Waddingham on the 'waterboarded' scene
The Ted Lasso star played Septa Unella in the fantasy series and recalled a scene in which Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey, poured wine over her face while the character was restrained. Speaking on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in 2024, she said the sequence felt like "actual waterboarding" and left her with lasting claustrophobia.
A 10-hour shoot and being strapped to a table
Waddingham said the shoot lasted 10 hours and that she discussed the ordeal afterward with producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss. She described being "strapped to a table with all these leather straps" and not lifting her head because she feared it would make the restraints look loose. She said the intensity came with the production's high cinematic ambition.
What she and colleagues joked about afterwards
After the scene, she encountered another actor in a lift and they traded grim jokes about their days on set. Waddingham said she had purple-stained hair from grape juice, strap marks across her body and that The Mountain, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, had his hand over her mouth while she screamed. The other actor told her he had been "crawling through s*** on my elbows for four days, " and they both laughed at the extremes they endured while working on Game of Thrones.
Collider interview: 'worst day' apart from childbirth
Waddingham — who has a daughter — previously called the day one of the "worst" she had experienced. In an interview with Collider she said, "Definitely, other than childbirth it was the worst day of my life. " She added that Lena Headey was uncomfortable pouring liquid in her face for such a long time and that she felt "beside myself, " but that actors must decide whether to "serve the piece and get on with it" or walk away.
She joins Alan Titchmarsh at Manor Farm on March 1
Hannah Waddingham will join Alan Titchmarsh at Manor Farm for Love Your Weekend. The programme at 9. 30am on ITV on Sunday March 1 also features food writer Mary Berry and actor Michael Praed. Camilla Bassett-Smith will champion award-winning plants, Jaega Wise will look at the trend in pastry stouts including a tiramisu-flavoured one, and Alan will shine a light on the traditional skill of horse logging.
Waddingham was part of the series from 2015 to 2016 and has spoken candidly about the physical and emotional toll of that shoot. Her appearance on Love Your Weekend is the next confirmed public engagement in the provided context.
