Game of Thrones has had great CGI, no doubt, but the show also has had some really well-coordinated stunts. Not only do we have rigs that let our stars fly, like Arya’s charge at the Night King, we also have horses! It’s always tricky to work with animals, but Game of Thrones’ horsemaster Camilla Naprous did very well. She recently discussed her work on Game of Thrones, and even the upcoming prequel series, in an interview with Elle. Read on!
Naprous has a company called The Devil’s Horsemen, and has headed the horse department to Game of Thrones since the beginning. She first spoke of the cast members and how they were with horses:
“If I can get a cast member to understand and love horses like I do, then my job’s done. Kit Harington [who played Jon Snow] was a natural rider, and another favorite was Nikolaj Coster-Waldau [Jaime Lannister]. Michelle Fairley [Catelyn Stark] was amazing as well. I can’t say who was not a strong rider, I don’t want to hurt any feelings!”
She then spoke about her whole process with horses and actors working together:
“I start by reading the person, and then I set them up with the right horse based on personality. For example, with Kit, Kit’s very brave, which is really good, so you can give him a fearless horse. Kit actually had three horses that he used over the eight seasons: Concord, Quentin, and Tornado. I think continuity is important, because a rider and a horse need to build up trust.”
She continued:
“Once I match a horse and an actor, I take them out to ride in a forest to get a feel for what it’s like being on the horse. It’s actually my favorite part of my job, seeing that human and horse relationship strengthen, and being privy to people learning something new and being like, “My God, this is amazing, I’m so excited right now!” After introductions, we do continual training sessions with the actors and horses before and during shooting.”
She also was asked about her approach to safety in the whole process, to which she replied:
“Luckily, nothing horrific ever happened on set during all eight seasons. The safety of our animals and riders is the number one concern, and I like to think of myself as the voice of my horses. In every other department on a movie set, people can speak up for themselves. The horses, of course, can’t, so I pride myself on making sure their safety is a priority.”
Lastly, she was asked about the Game of Thrones prequel, Bloodmoon, which is scheduled to begin filming soon, and whether there were any horse scenes in it. She said:
“I can’t say! But this project is going to be really fun, because it’s not Game of Thrones anymore—it’s a whole new world. It’ll be interesting to go back without the same faces, with a brand new way of doing things, so I’m looking forward to see how that sits with me.”
Well, we sure hope to see a horse or two in the prequel pilot. What about you guys? Talk to us in the comments, down below!
Humility is a virtue possessed by few. Even though Game of Thrones reached great heights, the show’s cast was always humble to their roots. They have won the admiration and respect of fans all over the world due to their down-to-earth nature. For example, Jason Momoa reached out to a young Aquaman fan battling cancer last year. Kristian Nairn (Hodor) talked to Digital Spy about the show’s success and praised his co-stars.
He said, “It didn’t happen overnight, and I think for us that was a good thing. I mean it was always immensely popular, I just think as the seasons went on it moved from a really amazing TV show into a kind of phenomenon. It sort of turned into that thing that everyone talks about, people say over the watercooler at work. “
“It’s crazy, because every TV show you watch these days, every single TV show or movie, they all reference Game of Thrones. It always blows me away. I watch a show I love and there’s a reference to Hodor, there’s a reference to Khaleesi. It’s become such a huge part of the public psyche. I don’t think we ever dreamed before season one was out that that would happen. It still happens!”
“It kind of grew, it really doubled per season. But we grew into it, which made it kind of easy. The cast was really down to Earth. I can say hand on heart we’re all really down to Earth. I think that’s a really nice thing. Just the whole Hollywood thing, we’re all kind of aware of that… Game of Thrones is so brutal and real. It’s important to keep it real.”
Have you ever met a Game of Thrones star in real? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
Game of Thrones was an enchanting journey that lasted for nearly a decade. Some of the show’s cast was very young when the show began. They sort of grew up with the show, like Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner and Isaac Hempstead-Wright. Stardom can be a bit scary when you are young. Especially for someone as studious as Isaac Hempstead-Wright. He revealed about his nervousness in an interview with Digital Spy.
Isaac (Bran) said, “It was actually a little bit intimidating. I remember seeing the show go interstellar. Especially when you’re separate from it a bit [Bran was off-screen during season five], you really just see how huge it is when you’re not in the midst of the whole thing.”
“I really think season five was when it had its meteoric rise. So coming back into season six – and I hadn’t acted for a year; I’d been doing my GCSEs – coming back in was kind of like, ‘Argh! I’ve forgotten how to act!’”
He continued, “I think also there had been a lot of bonds forged in that season, and a lot of people had grown up. I’d kind of grown-up, but I had that key year of being 15, 16 away from it. So it was a weird one to come back to. But after a couple of days, it was business as usual.”
Did you ever find your job to be intimidating? Talk to us in the comments below!
Game of Thrones ended more than one and a half years ago. It was a beautiful journey for both the fans and the crew that lasted for a decade. The fantastical series still holds the record for the most number of Emmy Awards won. On the occasion of New Year, the cast of the show came together for an interview with Digital Spy. They shared their experience while shooting for the fantasy epic. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor) talked about how they were cast for their roles.
Gwendoline recalled, “I immediately rang my agent and said, ‘I want to do this’. My agent said, ‘What are you talking about? I’d never ever put you up for this. She’s ugly, her nose is broken, her teeth are broken and you’ll need to use a sword’.”
Nairn remembered, “I was a first-time actor. I was glad I didn’t know anything about the show at the time. Because if I had I would’ve realised what a huge audition I was going for. I had no idea what Game of Thrones was. I had auditioned for a part in another movie called Hot Fuzz, and I didn’t get the part. It was the casting director Nina Gold who remembered me – she called me in for this audition. I didn’t know it at the time, but when you’re called for an audition, that’s really in your favour.”
What are your best memories from the show? Talk to us in the comments below!
