Games of Thrones changed the lives of many of its actors. In one case, it even turned a homeless man into a household name! There were others who literally grew up in front of us, Maisie Williams who played the role of Arya Stark, Sophie Turner who brought Sansa Stark to life and Issac Hempstead Wright who portrayed the role of Bran Stark.
The three youngest members of the cast recently spoke about the show to Complex. Read on!
Issac recalling the first day of the shoot said:
“I can remember my first day of shooting because it just rained non-stop and I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this. What have I gotten myself into?”
Speaking about his character Bran Stark Issac said:
“I just think he has the most extraordinary story, as a disabled ten-year-old, in one of the most brutal universes ever created, who loses his home and his family… and yet, despite all of that, or maybe in fact because of it, he is able to remove himself and dedicate himself to the strange mystical power he has, and actually ends up becoming one of the most powerful characters there is.”
Sophie Turner may be one be the most famous faces on earth now but back when the show began, she was just trying to find her feet. Speaking about her character of Sansa Stark, she said:
“I think [Sansa] is not power-hungry, which automatically makes her a better leader than most people in Game of Thrones, because they get blinded by that power. I think she’s very diplomatic and fair, politically minded, honest, and she’s been through the worst and has come out of it on top.”
Sophie also regretted not being able to do too many stunts on the show:
“I would have loved to do proper stunts, because I never really got to work with the stunt team unless it was [when I was] getting beaten. They are an Emmy-award winning stunt team, and I never got to work with them!”
Maisie Williams portrayal of Arya Stark was arguably one of the most appreciated aspects of the show. She also spoke about the tale behind one of the best lines of the last season!
“You know [series writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss] stole that line from an interview I gave. I said Arya would never survive what Sansa survived, and Sansa would never have survived what Arya survived, and then [the characters] said the lines!”
Speaking about the final day of shooting the trio recalled being really emotional.
Issac said:
“I did [cry], I didn’t think I was going to,”
“It was really nostalgic, and very emotional… It was just a season of heartbreak. After so many years, it is impossible to say goodbye in the right way,” Turner recalled.
“It’s impossible to be able to, one, feel all of that in one moment, and two, be able to thank anyone enough. We knew it was going to take a lot of time to set in. Still is.”
Williams added:
Wasn’t it fascinating to hear from three of the youngest but most important characters of the show. Which of these three stars did you like the most on the show? Let us know in the comments 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!
