Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo) Chats About 300
By Unknown
Source: Close-Up Film

How did you get involved in 300?
I received the script and then met with Zack Snyder. I loved his last movie, Dawn of the Dead. He showed me the graphic novel, his drawings and a 10-minute visual he had put together. It was so exciting! I immediately thought that I wanted to be part of it.

How did you prepare for the role of Queen Gorgo?
I didn’t have to go through all the training process that the men did, because Gorgo doesn’t really do much fighting. I would have loved to, because I love all that physical stuff, but I talked to Zack a lot about the Spartan society and their culture.

What was the biggest challenge for you in the role?
Just being still, learning to hide Gorgo’s true emotions, because I am not like that.

What do you have in common with her?
I think I am pretty single-minded, like her. I can also be really stubborn and not let things affect me for a long time. But, then again, I cry more, so I would have probably been a terrible Spartan queen.

How did you feel being one of the few women among all those Spartan men?
I wanted her to have a balance with all the men, and not to be weeping for her loss while they are fighting. I wanted Gorgo to be incredibly strong and equal to Leonidas in regards to the emotional strength.

What is Gorgo’s relationship with Leonidas like?
I think one of non-spoken understanding, with absolute respect for each other. She is incredibly selfless and would never tell him not to go and fight for fear of losing him.

How was it like to work with Gerard Butler?
He is great as King Leonidas, and is very focused and professional. And he is also so much fun. If you can laugh with somebody, your job is much easier.

What did you think of Xerxes, Leonidas’s nemesis?
I love that character! He is so vain. The whole concept is great, like an old fashioned villain.

Gorgo has a stronger presence in the film than in the graphic novel.
Yes, Zack gave her a larger presence in the film. In the book she doesn’t appear much, and has a bad haircut.

Did you get to meet Frank Miller?
Yes, briefly on set. He was there for a couple of days and I am glad I got to meet him.

What was the shoot like in Canada?
It was cold, but such an exciting experience. It was a fun project because of Zack, and there was a great momentum that was built as it was coming together. You couldn’t help becoming caught up in all that excitement.

Were you comfortable dealing with the special effects?
I had done a little work with special effects before, so I knew what to expect, but I didn’t have that much to do here. The boys had a harder time with the CGI.

Who do you think 300 will appeal to?
I think it will appeal to everybody: men, women and children – if they are old enough. And the theme is so powerful, it reminds me of Spartacus in the sense that you have this gorgeous man, who loves his wife and fights for his country and for what he believes in. It is the best date movie.

How much of 300 is Zack Snyder’s visions?
I think that all of it. It’s his vision, his planning and his execution. And the way he handles people, the actors and the crew, is great. He has an unwavering confidence in what he is doing, which is genius. He is brilliant.

As an actor, it must be wonderful to be able to rely on a director?
Yes, it is so wonderful! Because some directors don’t know what they want, so you just keep going without really knowing where you are. That doesn’t happen with Zack.

How did you feel when you saw 300 completed for the first time?
I was blown away! Everybody that has worked on the film has done such a beautiful job. And it could have just been visually beautiful, but it has everything that a movie needs to have.

It is such a powerful moment when Leonidas and Gorgo say goodbye to each other.
I think that scene really works. It makes the audience want to invest in the two of them. And there is no drama in that goodbye, when she tells him to come back with his shield or on it, because he has to fight for freedom.

Because the Spartans’ fight against the Persian invaders is, above all, a fight for freedom.
It certainly is. The whole film is about that, and about the small number of men, the minority, fighting for their independence and for their right to exist as they choose, without having to beg or depend upon larger powers. It is a pretty relevant and universal.

What is freedom for you?
Something so important that I can’t imagine it being taken from me. Having to ask permission to another power would be terrifying. We, as human beings, are so incredible, curious and passionate, and to have all of that stamped out would be worse than death. That is why this battle is so important, historically. But in any movie there is always a character fighting for his freedom.