Season 6 Interview roundup: Iwan Rheon, Jonathan Pryce, Sophie Turner, Iain Glen, Emilia Clarke 

Iwan Rheon discusses the humor in playing Ramsay Bolton and some of the deceased characters he would have loved to film with. Emilia Clarke chats with Ellen Degeneres about

‘ popularity and Sophie Turner does an impression of Jon Snow, Wolverine and Professor X.

In an interview with ShortList, Iwan Rheon discussed how Ramsay’s joyful disposition makes him an easier character to both play and watch.

“He’s not just evil and doing things, he’s actually enjoying it. You get that sense of fun. I guess it makes it slightly easier for the audience that he’s a bit funny.”

Similarly, the “sheer ridiculousness of how evil these characteres are” can bring some levity to the set. “That dinner party in Season 5, where we were being so horrendous, everyone was just laughing. There’s so much tension and it’s got to crack sometimes.”

Though he hinted a few weeks ago that season 6 will show off “different sides” of Ramsay, he clarified to ShortList that that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily getting nicer. “I don’t see him softening. I can’t see him donating to any charities,” he said.

He also discussed some of the show’s most famous deaths, mentioning that he would have loved to have filmed a scene with Charles Dance and that, “it would have been interesting to see Ramsay and Jon Snow meet.”

Jonathan Pryce spoke with Newsweek about

and the moral ambiguity of his character, the High Sparrow. “People say, ‘You’re playing a bad guy,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m not playing a bad guy. I’m playing a good guy.’ High Sparrow believes he’s good, as do many religious fundamentalists believe they are good. Ultimately, what they are doing is wrong.”

, which stars Iain Glenn and Dame Helen Mirren, Mirren admitted that, though she had previously expressed casual interest in being on

, she “may have lost [her] chance” at this point. Iain Glen concurred that “maybe there’s no great role for Helen” this far into the series. “We’re reaching the end game … everyone’s heading towards the Iron Throne and Westeros so maybe she’s right.”

Around 30 seconds into the video, Iain makes a comment that might be considered a spoiler, if he is telling the truth. The actor says (click to uncover spoilers) :

that they’ll probably be filming later in the year, since it’s supposed to be getting colder. He says they have not read the scripts yet so “Fingers crossed I’m still alive, I don’t know.”

, Emilia Clarke chatted with Ellen Degeneres about the popularity of

and said that she didn’t really get a sense of what a cultural phenomenon it was until she saw it satirized on 

s. She then showed off her dubious knack for accents through a game of Heads Up.

Sophie Turner gave her impression of Jon Snow reading the lyrics for Adele’s “Hello,” Wolverine and Charles Xavier and lip synced to Justin Bieber.

Alfie Allen and Daniel Portman discussed season 6 with OCS. Allen mentioned one scene that he’s particularly looking forward to that’s integral to Theon’s journey. “I won’t go into specifics but considering it’s a 30-second scene it’s pretty amazing what they’ve done with the environment itself.” Portman hinted at Pod’s story next season. “It’s all about him becoming a man and learning about what his path is and what he’s going to do with his life.”

#GameOfThrones Bonus : Theon “chlingue” Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) et Podrick (Daniel Portman) évoquent la saison 6 ! https://t.co/DDbujIt3zR

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“it would have been interesting to see Ramsay and Jon Snow meet.”

I think that’s a pretty hasty attempt to cover his tracks with the “if I’m in it”; unless the season ends with Jorah on a cliffhanger as to whether he’s dead or not, Glen would obviously know whether his character is still alive at the end of Season 6.

If Jorah does live into Season 7, then that adds another detail when considering the issue of why the writers gave Jorah the Connington greyscale plot element. I’d thought it effectively meant one of two things: the first, that Jorah was going to die soon anyway and the writers thought it would be poetic to add this angle; or two, that it’s plot-important that somebody in a Targaryen entourage bring greyscale to the south from Essos. It could obviously still be the former, but if Jorah’s still around for Dany’s presumptive journey westward, that means he’s likely to end up in some of the same places Connington will presumably be in the novels.

The video of Sophie is part of a magazine interview that came out yesterday:

Yeah he’s totally trying to cover up lol.

He wouldn’t know when they’re supposed to resume filming unless he was involved. The actors get their estimated shooting schedule before they get their scripts.

I’m beyond hyped at this point. No matter what any of them say or do at this point I don’t think there is anything they could do to make me want to see Season 6 as much as I do at this moment. I keep watching the clip from Liam on Conan and watching Ghost just so thrilled to see him and see him so ready to rip someone apart. The only thing maybe that could add to the hype would be to know we’d see Nymeria and her pack, but I’m kind of afraid we won’t see that:(

I’m beyond hyped at this point.No matter what any of them say or do at this point I don’t think there is anything they could do to make me want to see Season 6 as much as I do at this moment.I keep watching the clip from Liam on Conan and watching Ghost just so thrilled to see him and see him so ready to rip someone apart.The only thing maybe that could add to the hype would be to know we’d see Nymeria and her pack, but I’m kind of afraid we won’t see that:(

I could swear I saw a spoiler about a pack of wolves or some such last year?

Yeah he’s totally trying to cover up lol.

It’s pretty obvious to me that he realized he’d said maybe a bit much and tried his best to backtrack it? LOL

To me it’s highly interesting that D&D picked the grayscale plot element out of an otherwise discarded storyline from the books and gave it to Jorah. I’m really racking my brain about why that would be the case…LOL.

Helen Mirren could actually have been an alternative for the Queen of Thorns, although I have no qualms at all about Diana Rigg who has been excellent.

George: It’s pretty obvious to me that he realized he’d said maybe a bit much and tried his best to backtrack it? LOL

To me it’s highly interesting that D&D picked the grayscale plot element out of an otherwise discarded storyline from the books and gave it to Jorah. I’m really racking my brain about why that would be.

Maybe there’s going to be a greyscale pandemic. That would affect Westeros so profoundly that it’d be difficult to cut out of the show.

Ironically, it’d be more difficult to cut such a pandemic than the one who may spread the greyscale in the books, Connington. I haven’t seen any credible theory that has the Griffs’ plan working, let alone Aegon surviving past Daenerys’ arrival and his encounter with the queen and her dragons. Aegon, Connington and the Golden Company will probably take King’s Landing with the help of Arianne and the Dornish, that is true, but that can be done by the Dornish alone in the show. Or by no one at all, if Cersei ends up burning the city down anyway by the time Dany arrives, which is supported by the show’s version of Dany’s vision in Qarth.

I love the idea of a Dornish attack this season. I just wonder which side Doran will be on.

Also, I’m interested to see how the Lannisters play this. Do they go to Riverrun or attack Dorne? If is never read the books or seen the red tents at RR my money would be on Dorne.

In any case I’m expecting chaos in kings landing before seasons end. Dany is coming next year as are the WW.

Episode 7’s up on the schedule. Another relatively short episode (51 minutes). They’re either saving it all for the final three, or this season will be on the short side.

Episode 7’s up on the schedule. Another relatively short episode (51 minutes). They’re either saving it all for the final three, or this season will be on the short side.

This is the shortest season through the first seven episodes so far. The final 3 are hopefully long.

in the books that there will be some sort of greyscale outbreak. But perhaps the greyscale has been kept in there for another plot development altogether –

To prove/disprove Targaryen lineage. According to World of Ice and Fire a great number of Valyrians died of greyscale in Chroyane (where the stone men actually were encountered in the books) during a war prior to the doom. Perhaps not all died and some were immune or gained immunity and the Targaryens were one of those few. In the books it may be revealed Targaryens are immune to greyscale and Aegon actually contracts the disease from Jon Connington. Thus proving Aegon is a fake dragon. In the show, perhaps greyscale can be used to show the reverse and prove Tyrion is actually a Targaryen by either not contracting it from Jorah after accidental contact or perhaps being able to cure Jorah with his blood

I think it’s weird too. They wouldn’t give him greyscale just for the hell of it. It has to be leading somewhere right? Turning into stone man (dragon?)

I prefer Rigg. She’s just perfect for the role.

lmfao at Sophie Turner’s Jon Snow : ” I must have……..ravened you a thousand times…” 😀

I have never felt that Jon Con was going to cause a pandemic, because he has the slow spreading kind, not the Greyplague version. That is not to say that it won’t spread to some people, but I don’t see it being a widespread event. I feel like the greyscale will cause him to be more reckless and ruthless in his service to Faegon. We already got a hint of this in his last chapter where he reminisces about how Tywin would have burned down that town.

Combining makes a lot of sense when you look at the primary motivators for Jon Con and Jorah. Both were exiles who want to put a Targaryen on the Iron Throne. Both will probably do increasingly questionable things now that they feel that their time is running out.

I do feel that Tyrion is very possibly a secret Targ. It looks likely that he will bond with a dragon.

George: To me it’s highly interesting that D&D picked the grayscale plot element out of an otherwise discarded storyline from the books and gave it to Jorah. I’m really racking my brain about why that would be the case…LOL.

If D&D have picked up that plot element from a discarded storyline, then it stands to reason that only that plot element in that storyline was important in the long run; the rest was filler. The showrunners spent time on Shireen, her greyscale and cure, they showed the Stone men of Valyria, Gilly talked about her sisters getting greyscale, so greyscale is important as a pandemic to come via Jorah, I believe. Or greyscale as something that only a few are immune to, and a question as to WHY they are (latent “dragon” gene?)

Wow – the body language between Daniel Portman and Alfie Allen. Not good

Flayed Potatoes, Its almost like hes staying in-character when asked that question. Those mind games are crazy. “Yes you win……. but you forgot to ask one question. You forgot to ask if i’m a LIAR!”

Princess Maegelle Targaryen, a daughter of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne, died of greyscale, so Targaryens are not immune to it.

Great find! Hadn’t seen that one before. Well that throws water on that theory. Or perhaps she thought she was immune based on past relatives immunity and volunteered to nurse 😉

I prefer Rigg. She’s just perfect for the role.

I liked her too; although to be honest I was picturing a somehow younger woman.

I don’t think it was ever confirmed George.:( I’d love to be wrong!

I don’t know why people believe there will be an greyscale outbreak in westeros by connington.. I think its just a way of making Jon con agreeing to go to westeros without dany ….which will backfire obviously..

I think jorah will be given the treatment of victarion and his hand will be cured by a red priest at the end of the season I believe .

Wow – the body language between Daniel Portman and Alfie Allen.Not good

Yes! Can we saw awkward? Bored? Insecure? Gee, what is that under my fingernails?

Portman’s hand under the shirt, both playing with their scruffy beards, and Allen’s obsession with his fingernails are all awkward posturing for an interview.

Can’t some soon enough! Winter is Coming!!! (Sorry, guys)

Luka Nieto: Maybe there’s going to be a greyscale pandemic. That would affect Westeros so profoundly that it’d be difficult to cut out of the show.

Eh, it probably would be easy to cut out. Even if it happens in the books, then it’s going to be an arbitrary plot twist, which at best does not affect the story, and which at worst obfuscates the story.

At any rate, this is supposed to be a difficult disease to catch. (Of course, two of Craster’s daughters got it on the show: that would suggest that the bad “humours” in certain warm moist places are more flexible than the Maesters think! 😀 )

That written, I do sometimes have the bad feeling that the last two books will be classic epic fantasy drivel with random things like epidemics or distant relations that magically look like relatively recently deceased princes! Hopefully, I am just being a pessimist….

50,54,53,59,57,52,51 – runtimes so far. Let’s hope episodes 9 and 10 will be longer.

Jonathan Pryce:People say, ‘You’re playing a bad guy,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m not playing a bad guy. I’m playing a good guy.’ High Sparrow believes he’s good, as do many religious fundamentalists believe they are good. Ultimately, what they are doing is wrong.

This sort of summarizes the story, and what makes it different from most epic fantasy. It’s just like the real world: nobody thinks of him/herself as “evil”: and many of the worst deeds are done by people who think that they not only are “good,” but they they are being “good” by doing these things.

Wimsey: Eh, it probably would be easy to cut out.Even if it happens in the books, then it’s going to be an arbitrary plot twist, which at best does not affect the story, and which at worst obfuscates the story.

If it happens, how is that arbitrary? It’s been set up methodically.

And the whole reason we’re talking about it is that the greyscale infection has been retained by the show despite junking seemingly everything else related to that plot, which would potentially suggest it

*cough* Anyway….I can’t imagine that he, and for that matter, at least the majority of the cast

wouldn’t know if they are in the next season. Now how much, and to what end, fine. But most of them are almost constantly working on one project or another, film, television, or stage, and I don’t think they would be able to just leave ‘x’ amount of months open in the event they might be back.

Of course, Jorah is my #1 and I expected him to die in Season 5, so just the thought of him surviving Season 6 was never even on my radar. His comments lifted my little grumpy spirits. 🙂

Dragonbringer brought up something that has been in my mind for awhile, just as more of a fun hope of a fan in denial – that Jorah takes the Victarion healing from a Moqorro (?) character.

I really hope Ramsay survives S6 as I would truly miss Iwan – yes I’m one of the few, but I am fine with it. 😉 Love that guy. Also we really do need the villains in the game. I have high hopes for Euron and really hope he isn’t just a passing flash in the pan.

GDK: Great find! Hadn’t seen that one before. Well that throws water on that theory.

It’s the same as Jon being revealed as a Targaryen when his body won’t burn on the funeral pyre: except, of course, Aemon burned quite nicely on the show. In the books, I don’t think that they burned Aemon’s corpse: but we are told that Targaryens traditionally burned their dead, and we read of several cases where Targaryens were immolated under different circumstances.

The real problem with these sorts of conjectures that it ignores actual theory: i.e., GRRM’s theory of storytelling. He is quite vocal about story being driven by internal conflict for the protagonists. People are going to emerge into leadership roles by circumstance, and not entirely willingly. Who their ancestors are is not going to be important in the key moments

except insofar as how their ancestry contributed to important life-events that will guide the final choices.

If Jon’s mother is who we think she is, then it’s not going to be “special DNA” that makes Jon the right person in the right place at the right time: it is going to be Jon reflecting on the compromises that Ned made because of that DNA. Daeny is not going to have special powers over the Walkers because of her ancestry that make her the right person in the right place at the right time: it is going to be her reflecting on everything that has happened because she is the daughter of a deposed king. And even if silly conjectures about Tyrion’s ancestry are true, then that will not make him the right person in the right place at the right time: it is going to be Tyrion reflecting on everything that has happened because he was born a dwarf and because his mother died in childbirth.

Jorah could be stone dragon raised at the end by AAR. Isn’t that something from the book prophecies?

Sean C.: If it happens, how is that arbitrary? It’s been set up methodically.

Something is arbitrary in a story if it does not arise from the evolution of the primary protagonists. Deus ex Machina is a special case of arbitrary where the outcome is good and the plot failed to set it up. The plot has set this up (albeit very weakly: it is far, far from “methodically”), but all it would be is a random spanner in the works for the main characters.

And, no: it’s never good for a story to hinge on arbitrary events. Sure, you can start off a story by reaction to such things: think “Lucifcer’s Hammer,” in which the plot is driven by a small asteroid hitting the Earth early in the tale. However, these need to be “Act I” issues. We’ve done Acts I and II: at this point, the show should be firing guns hung on the Wall where the main characters affect how they are fired.

Ygritte: Jorah could be stone dragon raised at the end by AAR. Isn’t that something from the book prophecies?

Yes: but it was fulfilled when Daeny’s putatively fossilized dragon eggs hatched.

Entertainment Weekly is probably going to have even more stuff as we get closer to the premiere, but this stood out: No plans at the moment for a spin off of any kind.

Jorah could be stone dragon raised at the end by AAR. Isn’t that something from the book prophecies?

Jon may raise stone wolves within the crypts of Winterfell, but they won’t be happy because, according to them, Jon isn’t a Stark. I think he’ll have to go to Dragonstone to raise stone dragons, right?

Now that we know that there are probably only 13 episodes left I can’t see how a greyscale outbreak could really work. I think they gave Jorah greyscale so they could make him careless and because maybe they need him far away from Daenerys but still alive. Could he bring her the Golden Company?

Iain said recently about Jorah’s situation that:

“He knows now that he is finite… And he wants to do all that he can to see her on the Iron Throne.”

I get why it would be disappointing, but maybe there is not really more to it.

OMG! We may find out that answer *this* season!!!!! How cool would that be?

So you lean toward Cersei and not the dragons burning King’s Landing (even as part of a second The Dance of the Dragons)? Then would be no repeat of Jamie and the Mad King, with Jamie and the Mad Queen. Or would there be and he makes the decision not to kill her? If so, then he would not be the volonqar. Or is he the one to die this time?

I really hope Ramsay survives S6 as I would truly miss Iwan – yes I’m one of the few, but I am fine with it. Love that guy. Also we really do need the villains in the game. I have high hopes for Euron and really hope he isn’t just a passing flash in the pan.

I don’t think we will need them anymore. Not once the WW descend on Westeros. But he might survive this season. We shall see.

All the fidgeting, weird expressions when they are not speaking and they are totally leaning away from each other.

I agree. Having just re-watched the episode where Gilly discusses greyscale, either it was just a set up for Jorah contracting it, or something more. They set greyscale up at great length as they did the Iron Bank (and unlike the Sparrows IMO)

Yes, it makes JonCon have a much tighter timeline and resolve to take any measures no matter how extreme to put Aegon on the throne. Including burning a city. So if that becomes Jorah’s attitude … So LF can be king of the ashes 😉 just kidding on that

Not directly related but I noticed the Polls archive at the bottom of the page doesn’t work. Also surprised that for as much praise Two Swords (at least among premieres) received that it is in 6th place among Season 4 episodes. It was my fave season, tough competition!

He is! But every time I see him wearing normal clothes I see that asshole he played in Downton Abbey 🙂

Ginevra: OMG! We may find out that answer *this* season!!!!! How cool would that be?

We’ve only been waiting since Clinton was president….

I don’t think there’s a problem between them; they actually seem to share each other’s opinions. But they certainly look bored; maybe that was like the 10th interview saying the same things or that journalist was boring.

Darkrobin: I agree. Having just re-watched the episode where Gilly discusses greyscale, either it was just a set up for Jorah contracting it, or something more.

Go with #1. What this probably will be is a setup for getting one of the “foils” to become much more desperate in his attempts to see his life’s goal completed. It is hard to see what this is going to do in the book, as the Book!Foil is a foil for…. another foil. However, that Foil#2 almost certainly will be a foil for Daeny: Book!Daeny probably will finally hasten back to Westeros because of Foil#2. My bet is that they are cutting out unnecessary middle men in order to achieve the main goal: provide an impetus to get Daeny back to Westeros sooner rather than later.

At any rate, a plague would just be an arbitrary diversion providing plot for the sake of plot, and probably damaging the story greatly. As we saw with Crows, unnecessary plot is like adding sawdust to flour: you get more, but what you get isn’t very good and it can become hard to taste the actual cake. Chekhov asked that guns hung early be fired later: and they have fired that gun. The bullet is still in flight, so don’t expect another firing.

Wimsey: We’ve only been waiting since Clinton was president….

And maybe we’ll find out when Clinton is President again? 😛

I hope the distance relations thing doesn’t happen … I watched too many soap operas with my grandmother … even if you saw someone dead in a coffin their evil twin brother or sister would show up a season or two later 🙂

As far as epidemics … it depends … it is a consequence of warfare … warfare historically is replete with epidemics affecting the course of the battle/war/history … the plague of Athens, the plague of Justinian, the pandemic after WWI … dysentery … the bloody flux … the pale mare affected armies throughout history … more soldiers died of disease in the American Civil War than in battle … I’m shocked that King’s Landing hasn’t been racked with one given the War of the Five Kings and all the refugees streaming into to a filthy squalid city … the fact that Meereen is is not surprising …

I agree more likely the former than the latter … especially on the show … Martin spends more time with the effect on the common people of the nobles playing the game of thrones but not so much time to do so on the show especially if we only have 13 additional episodes after this year …

Dany herself was born as dragon from stone after the death of two kings viserys and rhaego…

Its from the chapter where she starts flying out of stone room as a dragon and looks herself inside the armor of Rhaegar as Last Dragon

Yes, I think Cersei will burn King’s Landing with wildfire, either at the end of season six or the beginning-middle of season seven (late in TWOW, in any case). I think Cersei will escape to Casterly Rock and that’s where Jaime will find her early in season seven (late TWOW), after the climax of his Season 6 arc (early TWOW) which may result in Brienne’s death (or at least in Brienne becoming an oathbreaker) when she protects Jaime from LSH (I believe it will be Sansa in the show). Then, in Casterly Rock Jaime will do the valonqar stuff with Cersei in whatever context the story needs. As for whether or not he will die after this… Perhaps, maybe even killing himself. Personally I’d love for Jaime and Brienne to acknowledge their deep mutual love and live happily ever after, but oh well…

Your spoiler hides an inaccuracy. When Ned & Jon parted ways, what did Ned tell Jon?

This is actually prophecy-material come to think about it:

“On a Clinton he was foretold; on a Clinton he shall be revealed to the world”.

Or she, depending on what your take on AAR’s gender is.

I’m guessing in the book that Arya winds up

permanently warging into Nymeria. She always considered herself a wolf and she’s too scarred to be able to simply go back to be a normal little Lord’s daughter. She also isn’t going to remain with the Faceless Men, and perhaps they put a hit on her when she bails on them.

That’s my tinfoil theory for the book. Not sure how she will wind up in the show.

I had never considered that Arya would bail on the faceless man before now. I always assumed she would become an assassin and be sent to kill someone we all love but whom she didn’t know.

However, it would be pretty sweet if she were to cut and run this year.

I found this new Season 6 picture on Internet, does anyone know where is this from?

D&D combined Griff’s story with Jorah’s a while back. When Dany first took over Meereen (season 4 where GRRM was still one of the main producers and writers), she had a conversation with Jorah after Jorah saw Darrio leave her chambers in the morning. In that conversation we find out that after Jorah’s exile to Essos, he joined the Golden Company which is what happened with Griff in the books. Ever since then I have always assumed that Griff’s story arch has been combined with Jorah’s. As for his greyscale, I dont think Jorah is stupid enough to be careless and create a pandemic that can destabilize Dany’s rule and destroy her kingdoms. Jorah cares about Dany more than anything in the world and his greatest wish is probably to see her ruling well. Like others have said, the disease will serve to make him more reckless in getting rid of her enemies and more devoted to ensuring that she will be safe.

I like that … well he’s said he wants to die in the arms of the woman he love, which seems like a foreshadowing of sorts … just a question of who that woman ends up being ….

Helen Mirren for Genna! Seriously I really would like her to show up in Casterly Rock when someone eventually goes there but I have the feeling she’ll be left out.

in the books that there will be some sort of greyscale outbreak.But perhaps the greyscale has been kept in there for another plot development altogether –

Damn, That is pretty good speculation right there. I’d be on board with that…

See, that’s what I would figure too, except that D&D didn’t cut it out, instead they gave the grayscale to Jorah…

That’s why I added the “according to them” bit. I consider him a Stark with or without the official name because he has the blood. But I’m referencing the scenes in the book.

I have yet to read through all the interviews, but, damn, I really enjoyed reading the one with Jonathan Pryce. I especially appreciated his articulation of a key feature of good acting:

“When you play a character, you commit yourself to their beliefs. People say, ‘You’re playing a bad guy,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m not playing a bad guy. I’m playing a good guy.’ High Sparrow believes he’s good…”

Does anyone here know what role he was originally offered?

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