“I had no deathly ambition to become super famous. I just want to work. I want to be able to put a roof over my head, and make great films, and also create a path for me to make movies as a director.”
Friendship and a strong work ethic are core values for Sarah Connor Chronicles star Lena Headey. The Bermuda-born actress, who was raised in the working-class town of Huddersfield in the North of England, has come a long way, but she remains very down to earth.
Since her film debut opposite Jeremy Irons in Waterland back in 1992, Headey has built up a lengthy list of credits. Her breakout role didn’t arrive until 2006 however, when she played the heroic Queen of Sparta in director Zack Snyder‘s highly stylized retelling of the story of the Spartan’s epic battle with Persia. Having worked to protect her husband, the King of Sparta, in 300, Headey was then called on to protect her on-screen son, John Connor, from the Terminator in The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
While working on the Fox TV series, Headey forged a close bond with special effects guru Robert Hall (whose credits also include Buffy, Angel and Pineapple Express) and his partner in slime, producer and actress Bobbi Sue Luther. So when Robert and Bobbi decided to branch out and make their own blood and guts genre horror flick, Headey was more than happy to jump on board.
Though made on a beyond-low budget that was supplemented by friends and favors, Laid To Rest, which was the first film to be shot on Panasonic’s new HPX-3000 high-def DV camcorder, has a polished analog look despite its bargain digital price tag. Shot on location at a deserted psychiatric hospital in Maryland, the film exemplifies the DIY methodology of Hollywood’s next generation filmmakers.
With Season 2 of Sarah Connor coming to a close, and the fate of a follow up season still hanging in the balance, Headey ultimately hopes to join their ranks. Over the past couple of years, during downtime on the SCC set, the actress worked on her own project, which she describes as a “quirky ensemble comedy.” Having penned and prepped it, and with The Chronicles behind her for the time being, she now hopes to direct and produce it. If all goes Headey’s way, she’ll soon be the one making calls to friends for favors.
I caught up Headey while she was enjoying a rare moment of rest, surrounded by her dogs, on the couch at her Los Angeles home. [..]
