Game of Thrones A-Z (3 page)

Another time, he joked, ‘Two BIG books. 1,500 manuscript pages each – that’s 3,000 pages. I think I have a good shot. And you know, if I really get pressed, I’ve already established that red comet. I can just have it hit Westeros and wipe out all life!’

While some fans are impatient, Martin has his bone of literary contention – namely that genre authors still don’t get the credit they deserve. ‘I wouldn’t use the phrase “literary highbrows’’, which is sort of reverse-elitist,’ he says. ‘But I do think fantasy and science fiction are a legitimate part of literature. I think I speak for virtually all fantasy and science-fiction writers that it’s a constant annoyance for anyone who works in these fields that, whenever a great piece of work is produced, you get reviewers saying, “Oh, this isn’t science fiction, it’s too good.” Most recently, that’s happened with Cormac McCarthy and 
The Road
. Which is definitely a science-fiction book, and yet it’s winning all these prizes and people are saying, “No, no, it’s science fiction.” Well, it’s literature 
and
it’s science fiction. It’s a breath mint and a candy mint!’

After Martin finally finishes his epic series, he has detailed his plans for the future: ‘I might write a science-fiction novel as my next major project after I finish 
Ice and
 
Fire
. I never left horror; I’m not going to leave fantasy. I try to do everything. I enjoy murder mysteries – maybe I’ll write a murder mystery next. I just don’t want to be told, “Oh, you write this sort of thing, so please settle down and keep turning out the same thing forever.” That would be boring.’

AWARDS

Befitting a show that has been lauded by critics and fans, 
Game of Thrones
 has been handsomely rewarded with prestigious prizes. It has been honoured numerous times. Here are the notable prize-giving entries for 2011 and 2012:

B

BRANDON STARK

Brandon, or Bran as he’s also known, is a young boy and the second son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. He is a keen climber and can regularly be seen scaling the walls of Winterfell. However, he ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, spotting the visiting Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime having sex. When he is discovered, Jaime pushes him from the window.

He survives, but is in a coma. Unbeknown to him, his direwolf thwarts an assassination attempt on his life while he is bedridden. While in the coma, Bran has visions featuring a three-eyed crow.

When he wakes up from the coma, he discovers he is a cripple, but is given the chance to continue riding thanks to a contraption devised by Tyrion Lannister.

During one of his rides, he is ambushed by a group of wildings. They are all killed by Robb and Theon, bar a woman called Osha. She is taken back to Winterfell as prisoner, but eventually Osha bonds with Bran over his dream. He realises that he can see through the eyes of his direwolf.

SPOILER:
When they flee Winterfell following Theon’s betrayal, they eventually end up in the Haunted Forest in search of the three-eyed crow. He meets the Children of the Forest, and Bran learns about his gift. He can see things from the past by looking through the weirwoods, but his gift has yet to be fully realised.

Bran Stark is played by Isaac Hempstead-Wright, a young 13-year-old actor hailing from England. His other screen credit is playing Tom in the 2011 British horror 
The Awakening
.

He says about being cast in the role, ‘It was just an accident really. I go to a small acting group, and I heard 
Game of Thrones
 were doing a huge casting and so I went to the audition. I hadn’t done an audition like this before.’

He watches it with his family, but admits there are some scenes that leave him a bit embarrassed to watch.

C

CASTING

In May 2009, Peter Dinklage signed on to star as Tyrion Lannister. Author George R. R. Martin and co-creator of the series David Benioff wanted Dinklage, and also Sean Bean, early on. ‘Peter and Sean were the exceptions to the long, drawn-out casting process because we knew we wanted them from the beginning,’ he said, ‘so, we obviously didn’t ask either of them to audition.’

It was then a case of going after the two actors. ‘I had met Peter before, socially. We have a mutual friend, so I got his email address and sent him an email that just said, “I don’t know if you have heard of these books, but there is a character named Tyrion Lannister and I think you would be fantastic. Maybe we could talk about it at some point.”

So, we started emailing, and then he came out to LA. We sat down with him and had a great conversation, where he basically said, “I am really interested in this part, but don’t give me a beard. Dwarves in fantasy movies always have big beards. It’s the cliché of fantasy.” So, we promised him that he wouldn’t have to have a beard, and that went well.’

And with Bean it was even easier. ‘I had actually worked with Sean before and was just a huge admirer of him, as a professional and as a person. We had lunch with him in London and talked to him about the part, and we managed to get him. With Peter and with Sean, we just knew from midway through reading the first book that those were the actors we wanted.’

In July, more names were cast. Kit Harington landed the role of Jon Snow; Jack Gleeson won the part of Joffrey Baratheon; and Mark Addy was cast as King Robert Baratheon.

August saw Jennifer Ehle confirmed as Catelyn Stark, with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tamzin Merchant, Richard Madden, Iain Glen, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Alfie Allen all heading to the magical world of Westeros.

Lena Headey joined the cast in September and Jason Momoa was hired for the part of Khal Drogo in October.

Michelle Fairley would replace Ehle as Catelyn after the pilot had been shot, with Emilia Clarke replacing Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys Targaryen.

Author Martin played an integral part in the casting process. While he wouldn’t be present, the screen tests would be filmed and he eagerly viewed them every morning in the hope he could find the right person.

Despite having an involvement, he knew the final decision rested with Weiss and Benioff.

With casting announced, Martin faced a problem common to writers who have their work adapted to the screen. Would his style change because he now knew what the characters looked like in the flesh? ‘It does affect me when watching adaptations of other books by other writers,’ he told 
Empire
. ‘For example, I recently read 
The
 
Hunger Games
 and saw the movie, and I think if I go back and read that book now I will see those actors; but it doesn’t happen with my own work. I’ve been living with these characters since 1991 in some cases; their images are fixed very strongly in my head, and it would be very difficult to replace them with our actors, good as they are.

Also, I’ve seen dozens of other versions of these characters in the comic books, the card game, the book covers. These are characters that change over and over again, so there are a wealth of characterisations to choose from.’

Benioff said of the casting decisions in season two, ‘You decide if you absolutely need somebody who is well known to play a role. And you have that cost-cutting analysis. I sound like an accountant but, honestly, it’s something we never came up against this year. It wasn’t like we said, “We need Daniel Day-Lewis to play Stannis.” [The new actors’] performances were so compelling and so overpowering that we decided that this person is far and away the most interesting person we saw for this role. Like Gemma Whelan came in for the role [of Theon’s sister] and I seem to remember her not looking the same as the character in the book. But she is the character now and so overpoweringly great that I can’t imagine anybody else being the character.’

For series three, Dame Diana Rigg will play Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns. Of the part, she said, ‘I am thrilled, it’s an absolutely wonderful part.’ While 
Office
 star Mackenzie Crook will play wilding raider Orell. Crook said, ‘It’s a monster of a show, but it’s a real privilege to be a part of this massive cast.’

Other key and new cast members include 
Waking the
 
Dead
’s Tara Fitzgerald as Stannis’ wife, Selyse Florent, Clive Russell as Brynden The Blackfish Tully, who promised fans that the show will be as ‘sexy, spectacular and violent as it has been up till now’, and Nathalie Emmanuel will play slave-trader translator Missandei.

Tobias Menzies stars as Catelyn Stark’s younger brother Edmure Tully. The role of Qyburn will be played by Anton Lesser. Paul Kaye will star as Thoros of Myr, a member of the outlaw band the Brotherhood Without Banners; 
Love Actually
 star Thomas Brodie-Sangster will play Jojen Reed, a mysterious young man who aids Bran Stark; and Richard Dormer portrays Beric Dondarrion, the Brotherhood

Without Banners leader. The eldest daughter of Howland Reed, Meera, a fervent Stark loyalist, will be played by Ellie Kendrick. Kristofer Hivju is playing Tormund Giantsbane, while Philip McGinley will be seen as Anguy, a key member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. Finally, 
Misfits
 star Iwan Rheon has landed a major part in the series, believed to be Ramsay Snow – the bastard of Roose Bolton.

It was announced in May 2012 that the character Mance Rayder would feature in season three, too. He had been mentioned several times during the series, but 
Entertainment Weekly
 confirmed he would finally appear on screen. As the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Rayder is a fan favourite, and there had been much talk about who would play the character, with a host of names including 
Lost
’s Henry Ian Cusick, 
Star Trek
’s Karl Urban and 
Casino
 
Royale
’s Mads Mikkelsen.

James Purefoy, however, remained the favourite for the role of Rayder, with the actor having expressed an interest in appearing on the show, saying, ‘If it was the right role on
Game of Thrones
, definitely. Of course! It’s a terrific series.

It’s a great series of books. I love HBO. I’m on record saying that HBO is the best television company in the world, and I believe they are. I think they absolutely understand how to make television that is really, really vital and interesting and visceral, and all the things that television really should be.’

The Wire
 star Dominic West revealed in August 2012 that he turned down a major role in
Game of Thrones
 because it would have involved being ‘in Reykjavik for six months’ – with many believing it was that of Mance. He told the 
Huffington Post
, ‘I was offered something on 
Game of Thrones
 and unfortunately I hadn’t seen it, but my nephew and his father said, “Gosh, 
Game of Thrones
 is the only great show on!” And I felt terrible because I’d just turned them down; it was a lovely part, a good part. I’m going to regret it. My problem is, I’ve got four kids and, at the moment, I’m reluctant to be away from home for a long time. I can get a lot of work in London and still be at home.’

The actor who would play the part of Mance Rayder was finally announced on 17 August, and it was 
Rome
 star Ciaran Hinds who had won the role.

COSTUMES

Typifying the genre-breaking tradition of the show, when costume designer Michele Clapton was asked to submit one episode of the series for a chance to be nominated for a prestigious Emmy, she surprised many by opting out of the expected path of showing the glamorous gowns that Lena Headey wears as Cersei, or the Alexander McQueen-inspired tunnel dress for Margaery. Nor did she want to showcase the lavish and outrageous designs that adorn the gluttonous trading city of Qarth, for example. Instead, she went for a less obvious approach, choosing the gritty locales and grubby clothing of series two episode ‘The Prince of Winterfell’.

‘There’s a big hole that fantasy often falls in,’ she said. ‘The costumes don’t resonate with the environment. We try to give the costumes a reality based on the land, climate and the food sources. I want you to be able to smell the costumes.’

Clapton prepares extensively for each season, eventually meeting up with her assistant designers about four months before shooting to decide on the direction for the forthcoming episodes, what new characters need to be included and what influences suit different groups. Medieval England was an obvious choice for the North, but others include the Bedouins look for Dothraki and Inuit tribes for the people Beyond the Wall.

Clapton told the 
LA Times
, ‘It’s so exciting because we can almost go anywhere as long as it makes sense. If they live on a windy, rocky island, like the Greyjoys do, then they dress accordingly. They have costumes made of heavy, densely woven cloths that are waxed and painted with fish oil to help keep out the wind. Everything has a reason for being there.