Lena Heady joins Showtime pilot with some lighter family drama than what she's used to

According to Variety, Lena Headey has joined the cast of Rita, a pilot for Showtime from Christian Torpe that’s based on Torpe’s own Danish TV series about a “headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority—as well as her family—in a messy and unfiltered way.” Headey will be playing the eponymous Rita, with Showtime’s president of entertainment Jana Winograde saying that Heady is “a force” and that she’s “ideal to take on this wonderfully dynamic lead role.”

Obviously, Headey is best known for playing Cersei Lannister on Game Of Thrones, where she also played a single mother who took on every kind of authority—as well as her family—in a messy and unfiltered way. On Thrones it was more about having sex with her one brother and going to war with her other brother, which is a bit more messy and unfiltered than what will probably happen on Rita, but it still seems like valuable experience. Also, it may be kind of lazy to only think of Lena Headey in terms of her Game Of Thrones role, but if she didn’t want us to keep referencing it she should’ve starred in some kind of fantasy puppet show and not a premium cable series about a family.