WARNING: SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES SEASON 5 FOLLOW
Games of Thrones has become immensely popular for many reasons: the story, the characters and, yes, the copious nudity.
Comparatively speaking, the world of the television show and George R. R. Martin's novels are on completely different levels as many of the nude scenes from HBO's take on the world never happened in the novels. There is one scene in particular that carries a lot of weight, and not just from a story perspective. In the upcoming fifth season, Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey) is forced to walk out of a church and through town in nothing but her birthday suit.
Interestingly enough, the scene almost didn't happen, and when it finally did, it carried an extremely hefty price tag. Reports from the set place the estimated production costs at over $200,000 for just four days of shooting.
Troubles with the production began earlier this past summer when HBO and the Croatian film board disagreed over the location of the nude scene's shoot. In the past, Game of Thrones has used Church of St. Nicholas as a stand-in for the Great Sept of Baelor, but when the film board learned of what would be shot, it refused to allow it. Eventually, HBO agreed to use a fake set for interior shots, and the only nude scenes in Croatia would be shot outdoors.
As a result, HBO spent quite a bit of money and manpower making sure that Headey's scene would be kept secret. According to a report from TMZ, over 200 bodyguards were hired to prevent access to the set, cellphones were banned from the area and non-disclosure agreements with $250,000 fines attached were all signed by those present during production. For the actual shot, only four major crew members were allowed to film Headey's scene; the rest were presumably kept back by security.
While TMZ's photos do appear to be from the set, the news conflicts with earlier reports that Headey wouldn't even film the scene herself. The actress would film all shots from the shoulders up, but for everything else, a body double would take Headey's place. If that were indeed the case, hiring $200,000 worth of bodyguards wouldn't make a bit of sense.
The fifth season of Game of Thrones began filming earlier this summer after being renewed by HBO in April 2014. The season will be split into two separate parts; this is to ensure that Martin has enough time to finish more of the novels. While a specific date has yet to be announced, Game of Thrones' fifth season should air sometime in the spring of 2015.
