For Staunton's Van Cleave, 'Walk of Shame' a proud moment

A thousand actresses were vying for the privilege of being stripped naked and suffering abuse from a crowd on the set of "Game of Thrones" in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

For the season finale, the character of Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey, was scripted to endure a humiliating walk through the capital of King's Landing. Headey needed a body double. She wanted to be able to concentrate on the emotion of the scene without the distraction of performing it nude, and she was pregnant.

Thus began the search for a very special type of actress. One who could literally embody the moment in a way that would blend seamlessly with Headey's performance. Enter Rebecca Van Cleave.

Van Cleave was born in 1987 in London. When she was 5, her father, actor and musician Chris Van Cleave, moved the family to Staunton. Known as "Becca" among family and friends, while a student at Robert E. Lee High School, she sang in the school choir and attended the Shenandoah Valley Regional Governor's School for the Arts.

"I love my hometown and how much ridiculous talent it holds," said Van Cleave to The News Leader.

"Staunton holds such a rich and diverse artistic community it was easy to be inspired growing up there."

Her former teacher, Keri Wormald, said she created a piece based on dreams that she wrote, acted and directed. She already was showing determination and talent.

"My dad is an amazing actor, and I think growing up watching him perform was the first thing that really inspired me," said Van Cleave to The News Leader.

After graduating from the program in 2006, Van Cleave did the obligatory starving-actress routine in New York and then returned to Staunton where she worked as general manager at the Pompei Lounge.

By 2012 she was working as a waitress in London. She applied for the part of the nude body double, and ended up being chosen as one of the semi-finalists and flown to Belfast to meet with the producers. It was there she landed the part – with the caveat that she couldn't tell anyone.

"I'm not going to lie," said Van Cleave to The News Leader. "It was really hard not being able to say anything. But a few people on the Internet put two and two together and someone added a credit on my IMDB page that I couldn't take down, and the rest is history."

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director David Nutter called Van Cleave's casting one of the most important parts of making the finale.

"We needed somebody who could do The Walk of Shame physically, somebody who could match Lena's integrity, intensity and sensibility," Nutter told EW. "We found a tremendous actress in Rebecca; she was a godsend. The courage of this girl, who's never done anything like this in her life, who understood what was important about this … once I had her I felt like I could accomplish anything."

The show's visual effects team created a composite image. Headey wore a skin-colored slip while Van Cleave walked alongside her nude. The effect's team then blended Headey's facial expressions with Van Cleave's bodily movements.

During EW's on-set interview, Headey talked about Van Cleave's work ethic.

"It was a long process trying to find somebody who got what it means physically to be there with all that stuff going on, and Rebecca is a great actress," Headey told EW. "It takes a lot to walk through the crowd naked for three days in a row with the crowd braying at you."

Van Cleave said to EW that Headey walked beside her and provided insight into what the character Cersei was thinking during the scene.

"The first time I took off the robe there was all this anticipation building up to it," Van Cleave told EW. "But it's such an emotional experience for Cersei, you almost check out of the fact that you're nude. You're so in touch with the scene and what you're going for."

"I had a good little cry afterward," Van Cleave said to EW. She went on to say that it was the most challenging thing she ever did but also the best experience of her life.

"One of the reasons I fell in love with acting is that I could be and do anything," said Van Cleave to The News Leader.

"I could travel back in time, I could have any profession, I could explore what it means to be gloriously, crazily human and the whole spectrum of human emotion. It fascinates me."

Looking toward the future, the actress told EW, "I hope the next thing I do will have my head in it!"

Below is a Safe-for-Work version of the walk.