The Queen has been cast.

[JoannaL]

I like her looks. If she can act she will be an excellent Cersei!

[Kalbear]

It's really sad that the casting description complaints about the Hound are along the lines of 'seems too nice' or Robert's 'not drunk enough', but the only complaint people can make about Cersei's choice is that her tits aren't big enough.

That's the character of Cersei? That's the most definable trait? Not her maliciousness, her cruelty, her deviousness, her seductive abilities, her cunning and manipulation, her intelligence, and her love for her brother. Or her beauty in general?

No, it's how she'd look in a bikini.

Kinda gross how big the double standard is. I had hoped for better amongst the fans. It's not quite as disgusting as the 'let's get someone I want to see naked as Taena so I can jerk off to it' a few months back, but it's up there.

Complaining about the actress' boob size is like complaining that the actor for the Hound isn't a good fit because half his face isn't horribly burned. You do know they can make breasts appear bigger, right? There are such things as bras? Sigh.

[Morrigan]

For me Arwen in LOTR was a similar dilemma.

Yep, the whole "Tamzin Merchant isn't the most beautiful woman in the world!!" crap can be summarized with the following argument: there is NO SUCH PERSON. Nobody in the entire world is beautiful enough to play Galadriel, so automatically, Cate Blanchett is the wrong choice! Durrr.

[mormont]

I'm too lazy to dig up the specific reference, but there are a couple of moments, at least 1 in Clash and another in Storm, where she turns on the charm in Tyrion's presence and he remarks at how very good she is at it.

But again, you would not suggest that 'charm' = 'cuteness and vulnerability', surely? (It may suggest that to you, but it certainly has very different connotations to me.) So this is not support either.

When I made that statement, I wasn't really referring to Headey specifically, so much as arguing that discussion of physical attributes in the general sense (or even breast size in particular) shouldn't be completely out of bounds, particularly for a character like Cersei, who is very consistently described in physical terms in the books.

I would have to go check, but I don't think she's 'very consistently described' as 'zaftig' or 'lush'. Ran already turned up one quote that suggests otherwise.

When it comes to Headey specifically, my observation is that, from SCC, she is awfully buff

So was Linda Hamilton when playing the same character. It's part of the role.

[Datepalm]

I'm too lazy to dig up the specific reference, but there are a couple of moments, at least 1 in Clash and another in Storm, where she turns on the charm in Tyrion's presence and he remarks at how very good she is at it. I tend to trust Tyrion's judgment in those spots, and infer that that is her persona much of the time. She has too many followers and friends to be all-bitch, all-the-time (of course, by Feast, she's burned up much of that currency by, y'know, going nuts).

No one who knows her well seems to ever fall for it, and I don't think we (the readers) are meant to for a second either, but she usually plays weak, delicate, coy and slutty when she's trying to manipulate someone, ocassionally with a degree of success. (asking Tanda Stokeworths husband to kill Bronn comes to mind as particularly pathetic, but IIRC she was pretty nutty by then and not at her best. She makes a reasonably good effort with Ned back in GOT, I think, but can't recall the tone there for sure.) But shes pretty bitchy tough otherwise - public scenes like ordering Sansas wolf killed or her bearing during the seige of KL.

Anyway, i'm pretty pleased. I loved Heady in SCC and i'm glad they got a good actress who could pull of being totally unsympathetic but hopegually manage to hint at all those issues about beauty and aging and power that Cercei always has lurking under the surface. I can't think of many actresses that could, and I don't know that i'd buy it from a busty 25 year old anyway.

[Isis]

I'm too lazy to dig up the specific reference, but there are a couple of moments, at least 1 in Clash and another in Storm, where she turns on the charm in Tyrion's presence and he remarks at how very good she is at it. I tend to trust Tyrion's judgment in those spots, and infer that that is her persona much of the time. She has too many followers and friends to be all-bitch, all-the-time

She's THE QUEEN. You don't think people might find it wise to stay on her good side? Everyone knows what happened to Ned Stark, after all. Just how many genuine friends do you thinks he has - at any point in the series?

[Dornish]

Not saying she won't be great but the raven haired warrior woman protector of good role that she's known for in the US is the exact opposite of Cersei Lannister. Happy to see her breaking out of typecast, but until I actually see it, it's going to strike me as being a bit off.

[SergioCQH]

It's really sad that the casting description complaints about the Hound are along the lines of 'seems too nice' or Robert's 'not drunk enough', but the only complaint people can make about Cersei's choice is that her tits aren't big enough.

That's the character of Cersei? That's the most definable trait? Not her maliciousness, her cruelty, her deviousness, her seductive abilities, her cunning and manipulation, her intelligence, and her love for her brother. Or her beauty in general?

No, it's how she'd look in a bikini.

Kinda gross how big the double standard is. I had hoped for better amongst the fans. It's not quite as disgusting as the 'let's get someone I want to see naked as Taena so I can jerk off to it' a few months back, but it's up there.

Complaining about the actress' boob size is like complaining that the actor for the Hound isn't a good fit because half his face isn't horribly burned. You do know they can make breasts appear bigger, right? There are such things as bras? Sigh.

Well, no. It's not the only complaint people have raised in this thread. We have indeed questioned whether Lena Headey's acting is capable of conveying Cersei's character. We have questioned whether her overall looks fit the image of Cersei we have in our heads. Don't try to fight a strawman, Kal.

[Isis]

I pointed this out earlier to but let me say it again: every actor in the LOTR films wore a wig except for PJ's son. Actors can change hair colour and hair style very easily. I can't believe fantasy fans have such little imagination.

[WarGalley]

I was under the same impression as Ser Greguh and recall Tyrion's observing Cersei playing the charming hostess somewhere (I don't have the books on hand). I also regarded her as someone being a vengeful angry bitch, but who could play the part of a ballroom girl when necessary.

I haven't seen Headey outside of 300 and I don't recall much about her character and acting. In truth, I don't care. I've never seen an HBO production that had a bad actor (except for the kid from John from Cincinnatti, but I blame Milch instead for wanting an actual surfer instead of an actor for the part). As long as they're not compromising the production standards they've had before, I'll be satisfied with the cast.

[damian]

It's really sad that the casting description complaints about the Hound are along the lines of 'seems too nice' or Robert's 'not drunk enough', but the only complaint people can make about Cersei's choice is that her tits aren't big enough.

That's the character of Cersei? That's the most definable trait? Not her maliciousness, her cruelty, her deviousness, her seductive abilities, her cunning and manipulation, her intelligence, and her love for her brother. Or her beauty in general?

No, it's how she'd look in a bikini.

Kinda gross how big the double standard is. I had hoped for better amongst the fans. It's not quite as disgusting as the 'let's get someone I want to see naked as Taena so I can jerk off to it' a few months back, but it's up there.

Complaining about the actress' boob size is like complaining that the actor for the Hound isn't a good fit because half his face isn't horribly burned. You do know they can make breasts appear bigger, right? There are such things as bras? Sigh.

you aren't paying attention if you haven't seen criticisms of the other actors' appearances.

[Dornish]

Well, no. It's not the only complaint people have raised in this thread. We have indeed questioned whether Lena Headey's acting is capable of conveying Cersei's character. We have questioned whether her overall looks fit the image of Cersei we have in our heads. Don't try to fight a strawman, Kal.

They're just demonizing dissent. Anybody who's been even slightly out of the "ZOMG perfect!" camp is clearly wrong and must be cast in the same light as the most irrational of naysayers.

ETA: better wording

[Isis]

They're just demonizing the naysayers. Anybody who's been even slightly out of the "ZOMG perfect!" camp is clearly wrong and must be cast in the same light as the most irrational of posters.

Keep telling yourself that.

[Krafus]

Oops, apologies. Yes, meant that for you.

Now I need to see if our wiki has it, so I can correct it. Heh.

I know I'm not this post's intended recipient ;), but I'd like to make a comment anyway: in this casting poll for Cersei, Tricia Helfer does seem to have been the popular favourite.

[The Pita]

This is the first bit of casting I'm not too thrilled with. We needed an actress who portrays really sweet characters. Cersei should be able to be capable of inducing diabetes in anyone around her. Tyrion mentions it at one point. It's why my favorite casting for her was Reese Witherspoon. But I guess I'll wait and see. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she'll hit the ball out of the park (is that the saying? I'm 17 and I live in Israel, I can claim ignorance about anything except for The Zohan). I dunno. Let's hope.

EDIT- I should mention that I have no objection to her look. I think that other than the general lack of sweetness, she's a very good choice for Cersei and she'd nail most of the scenes. But I'm still a bit worried.

[Ser Greguh]

But again, you would not suggest that 'charm' = 'cuteness and vulnerability', surely? (It may suggest that to you, but it certainly has very different connotations to me.) So this is not support either.

There's a spot in Clash where Cersei breaks down crying in front of Tyrion (remember the line along the lines of, Tyrion could not have been more surprised if Aegon Targaryen had burst through the doors, juggling lemon pies?), which implies vulnerability, and another where she shares a meal with him as a perfect charming host (leading to the line where he "almost felt guilty for poisoning her" or some such). Then there's a public function of some sort (I forget exactly which one) where Tyrion observes her engaging in some light flirting with men of the court and remarks at how good she is at it, which to me certainly implies some ability to be 'cute'.

I would have to go check, but I don't think she's 'very consistently described' as 'zaftig' or 'lush'. Ran already turned up one quote that suggests otherwise.

What I said was that she was described in consistently physical terms (i.e. she's known for her beauty, as opposed to say Ned, who is known for his honor), which in turn (to me, at least) justifies the relative emphasis on the actress's physical appearance when gauging the casting decision.

In other words, to me, at least, Cersei not looking like Cersei is a bigger potential problem than Ned not looking like Ned.

So was Linda Hamilton when playing the same character. It's part of the role.

...and it being part of the role is why you tend to cast actresses who either already fit, or can actively work to fit, the perception of the character. Certainly the actress can work to mold themselves to that image, to a degree, and things can be emphasized and de-emphasized in the process of filming via costumes, lighting, blocking, and other technical aspects, but that's a variable that's a lot harder to control than, say, hair color. Particularly when they start filming in, what, a month and a half?

Meaning, when they cast Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, they very likely said something along the lines of "we need you to buff up," they gave her time to do so, and she did. But that's not a flip that can be switched instantaneously, which means that the Lena Headey of SCC is very likely to look quite a bit like our Cersei (minus hair and costumes, of course), which is not a thought that fills me with joy.

Don't get me wrong, she's a beautiful woman, I'm just saying I picture Cersei's beauty as very different from hers.

[Ran]

People have questioned the acting, yes, and others have been responding.

For my part, I'm put off by a person's first reaction to the news being that her breasts are too small....

In any case. This is getting pretty old and tired, wrangling about looks. We're all going to watch this if it goes to series. Doesn't matter if they cast Bea Arthur's reanimated corpse as Cersei, we'll watch it, so long as the actors play their parts well, the production values are good, and the scripts aren't a shambles.

Greguh,

I think the fact that Tyrion is so shocked by Cersei breaking down into tears suggests that she is generally not of a vulnerable demeanor. It shocked him precisely because it was so out of her character.

I think she's a beautiful, regal, haughty woman, with a certain amount of charm, sensuality, low cunning, and innate viciousness. Vulnerable would be the last word I would apply to her, and cute would be almost as unlikely. Obviously, YMMV, but if you were to re-read the books, I think you'd find some of your notions aren't quite what you think.

No surprise. For Linda, Loras is a blonde and Renly has luxurious curls. ;)

[Kalbear]

you aren't paying attention if you haven't seen criticisms of the other actors' appearances.

Funny; I don't think I've seen one criticism of a male actor along the lines of "Sure, he can act, but does he have a fantastic schlong?"

Appearance is one thing. Dany needs to look somewhat young because she's young, for instance. That's a valid criticism. Commenting on specific body parts seems much different than that.

[Kyptonite]

It might be because Cersei really IS described as astonishingly beautiful all across the series and from multiple POV, while Dany's alleged beauty is a) sailor rumours b) a waifish young girl's "beauty", not a woman's beauty, and c) exotically Targaryen (and so requires someone who doesn't have a "classic beauty", and which Tamzin arguably fits). In fact, based on the books I think Margaery and Sansa are meant to be more attractive than Dany.

An exotic beauty need not be any less attractive than a classical one, which seems to be your implication here. It only necessarily implies an alienness, meaning that the Targaryens look like no one else. Monica Bellucci could have been considered an "exotic beauty" 300 years ago in, say, a place far removed from Italy.

I can't really argue about the relative attractiveness of the Westeros beauties, but I will say that I see no reason to dismiss information offered to the reader about Dany's looks as mere exaggerated gossip and yet believe other judgments or hearsay (i.e. "Maybe this character doesn't actually know what a beautiful woman looks like! He's around pigs all day so of course he thinks Cersei is a goddess!!!"). And I don't comprehend your point about there being a difference between a young girl's and a woman's beauty; in fortunate circumstances, one evolves from the other. Many young teenage girls are successful high fashion models, for example, and lack only some hip and breast development to be indistinguishable from their 18 and 19 year old colleagues.

[awesome possum]

Holy shit this is great news!