Why Lena Headey missed Wednesday's huge 'Game of Thrones' final-season premiere

Bill Keveney
Updated

The "Game of Thrones" final-season premiere screening and party was such a big event it even raised the dead, bringing back many actors whose characters have perished as well as the ones whose characters have survived — so far.

Except one, and a huge one: Lena Headey. The actress who plays the fascinating, powerful and now murderous ruler of King's Landing, Cersei Lannister, was noticeably missing from the red carpet and other festivities at and around Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday.

Headey took to Instagram to explain her absence: She's sick. (You'd figure Cersei's unethical but creative maester, Qyburn, could have cooked up an elixir, but that's mixing fiction with reality.)

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British actress Emilia Clarke arrives for the "Game of Thrones" eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: "Game of ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1FD09A
British actress Emilia Clarke arrives for the "Game of Thrones" eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: "Game of ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1FD09A

Headey delivered her message in such colorful language that we can only link to it, but the quotable parts say she's "gutted (and) heartbroken (and that) still doesn't cover my disappointment at not being able to travel to NYC for our final (premiere). I hate … being sick and the timing of this."

She sings the praises of cast and crew mates — "Love you beauties" — and gave them partying instructions: "Ride forth into the night and create mayhem."

Emilia Clarke, who plays Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, responded: "WE LOVE AND MISS YOU MAMMA (5 red heart emojis) you're here in spirit!!!!!! (5 fire emojis)!"

And Headey emojied her affection back, with four pink hearts, one raised hands and another pink heart.

Clarke was joined at the event by such fellow stars as Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, who all will be seen when the final season of the HBO fantasy hit premieres April 14 (9 EDT/PDT).

But many of their characters' fallen comrades also were represented at the reunion by the actors who played them, including Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Natalie Dormer and Aidan Gillen.

Although Headey was missed, Westeros was well represented. Here's hoping she quickly returns to health.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Lena Headey missed Wednesday's huge 'Game of Thrones' final-season premiere