One of the many problems with a passionate fandom is that some individuals get too involved with the fictional world of their favourite story. They take it really personally when there’s a gruesome death scene, or if one of their favourite characters are killed off. Many times these angry fanatics get mad at the actors playing a negative role, and vent out at them, often sending death threats. Game of Thrones star Carice Van Houten, famous for playing Melisandre on the show, was a victim of such fan behaviour.
All of this began after her scene involving Shireen Baratheon’s tragic demise. To lay his claim to the Iron Throne, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) sacrifices his daughter Shireen (Kerry Ingram) to the Lord of Light, going along with the advice given by Melisandre. Stannis eventually goes on to lose everything, his army, his family, and of course his chance to claim the Iron Throne.
The scene where Shireen is set aflame and burnt to her death was received strongly by the audience, some of them reacting too strongly. In an interview with the Telegraph, Carice revealed she received death threats from fans. She remarked, “There are people who take it a little bit too seriously.”
What’s funny is the fact the same fans were sending her marriage proposals after she resurrected Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in season 6. She also spoke about the nudity on the show, especially her own :
“In Melisandre’s case, I think I can justify it because she uses sexuality as a weapon… she’s trying to manipulate. I find it hypocritical that we can show people with their heads blown off, then there’s one nipple and viewers get upset. That’s the thing that I struggle with… you don’t have sex with a bra on. I just want to normalise it. I would struggle more with my own vanity at this point to undress,’ she continues, ‘because I feel way less secure about my body, especially after giving birth and having turned 40.”
Carice was last seen playing the lead role in The Affair. What do you think of the death threats received by the actress? Tell us in the comments below!
The saga of Game of Thrones season 8 continues. It has been two years since HBO’s money-making mint wrapped up filming, but people can’t stop talking about it. After all, the highly popular and record-breaking show divided its fandom with a controversial and a rather rushed-up final season. Not just the fans, but the cast of the series are spilt up upon the same issue. Some like Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, defend it quite furiously. While others, like Charles Dance, were ready to sign the petition to change the final season. Then there are some, who walk the middle path, like Game of Thrones’ gentle giant Kristian Nairn (Hodor).
In an interview with Express UK, Nairn seemed to be holding the door once again for the Game of Thrones franchise. He didn’t directly criticize it, but he wasn’t clearly impressed by the final season either. He said, “I try to be objective here. But, I’m a fan of things too and when something you deeply love doesn’t live up to what you expect, I get it, I understand.”
He continued, “I didn’t dislike the last season, I just wish it was longer. I feel lucky to have been involved in such an epic project. Hodor was such a unique character, and I enjoyed playing him totally.”
The star admitted that despite the show ending over two years ago, he still gets recognised as Hodor every day.
How do you feel about the final season? Tell us in the comments below!
Game of Thrones was a huge show. It comprised many characters and each of those characters had a significance of their own. Even the actors that were part of the show belonged to different diversity and were proud to represent their origin. Nathalie Emmanuel who played the character of Missandei too felt that she was part of a change and was thankful for the show. Her character’s death was a turning point on Game of Thrones. It tipped Daenerys over the edge, so much so that the Mother of Dragons burned the whole city of King’s Landing to ashes. The actress recently opened up about how she felt about her character’s demise on the show.
She told Elle UK, “Every season, I opened the script expecting to be killed. The fact that I made it to season 8 was a shock. And so when it finally happened, I wasn’t thinking ‘Oh no’, I was more like… ‘It was always going to happen eventually’. I didn’t necessarily have a fear because it was Game of Thrones – it was kind of known for [killing popular characters] and I don’t see why I would be an exception to the rule (laughs).”
She recalled, “My favourite memories are those times when we weren’t filming, and we were just hanging out, being silly together with the cast and the crew. When we had dinners or went to concerts, just that fun stuff. That connection that I built with those people will be with me for a long time.”
How did you feel when Missandei died on Game of Thrones? Talk to us in the comments below!
Game of Thrones had a highly critical ending which was also the one most talked about in all of television history. The final season divided the fanbase into two, some favour the controversial season, others not so much. Even the cast of the show seems to have a divided opinion about it. Actors like Charles Dance and Miltos Yerolemou felt it was a bit unsatisfying. Lena Headey said her character deserved a better death. It took quite a while for Emilia Clarke to come to terms with the finale. Then there are actors like Joe Dempsie, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams who lauded the last season with heaps of praises. Recently, another Game of Thrones alum Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on the show, shared her perspective on the same.
In an interview with Elle UK, she said, “I did like the ending. I thought what they were able to do, after such a huge monster of a show, was really impressive… I think what they’ve achieved for television is so insane. The amount of work and talent from every department; I was kind of blown away by it, and I was really proud of everybody.”
She added, “But we need to think about how many people have been following the show. There really was no way to make every single person happy.”
Do you share the same sentiment about the show’s finale? Tell us in the comments below!
