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Lena Headey calls Cersei a “horrible cow” in season 7 and Kit Harington promises tension between Jon and Sansa

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Cersei

As we inch ever closer to the season 7 premiere, the interviews continue to pour in. Lena Headey chatted with Maisie Williams about hypothetical character crossovers and Cersei Lannister’s “loathsome” conduct next season and Kit Harington described Jon’s frayed relationship with Sansa post-Battle of the Bastards.


Maisie Williams interviewed Lena Headey for the cover story of Net-A-Porter. Their conversation covered quite a lot of ground, from Headey’s rebellious youth to her struggle with post-partum depression but, of course, they also managed to mention Game of Thrones a time or two. According to Headey, Cersei’s gonna be in full Evil Queen mode next season.

“[She’s] lost everything,” she told Williams. “Whatever was good [in her life] has been erased and she’s a horrible cow to one particular character … It’s really quite loathsome.”

After sharing stories about on-set Game of Thrones antics, Williams and Headey asked each other which characters they’d most love to see cross paths. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they agreed that Cersei and Arya would have the most … colorful reunion.

“I think if they ever met again, one of them would end up dead,” Williams said. Headey concurred: “Surely Arya would kill Cersei? Arya’s such a little fiend that she would find a way. Look, she f****** wears people’s faces.”

And who does Headey most want to see on the Iron Throne? (Take a guess.)

“I think she’s already sitting there, isn’t she?” Headey said. Jon2
Kit Harington recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly to discuss season 7 and more or less corroborate what his co-stars have teased thus far:

“Everyone gets a bigger slice of the pie,” he told EW. “Everybody is left is left with more stuff to do. This season is really different than any other season because of the fewer episodes and everything accelerating toward the end.”

A bit juicier, perhaps, is what he had to say about Jon’s relationship with Sansa next season. It looks like the warmth of their highly emotional reunion will have cooled off by the time we see them again in 7×01.

“There is definite tension between them right from the first scene,” he said. “There are the same problems — she questions his decisions and command; he doesn’t listen to her. But as far as where that goes or takes them or how dark it can get, we’ll see. It gets past sibling squabbling, it gets into two people power struggling.”

Harington had to admit, though, that he rather enjoyed the material he was given for season 7.

“It’s a nice change for me this season, he talks more, he’s more sure of himself. He doesn’t just know what he’s got to do but he’s more sure of what he’s saying — whereas before there was always some fear and doubt. I’ve gotten to enjoy not just grunting.”

The post Lena Headey calls Cersei a “horrible cow” in season 7 and Kit Harington promises tension between Jon and Sansa appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.


TV Insider gets inside Season 7 with Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, and more!

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Daenerys and co

TV Guide Magazine‘s most recent issue was a cover story on the incoming season of Game of Thrones, and now they have uploaded it to their site, TV Insider (thanks, Kaka!) It includes interviews with Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, and the showrunners too, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

We are so close to the premiere you may believe you have heard everything and, at the same time, very little of substance, but there are some interesting quotes here!

TV Guide got to see a highly technical scene being filmed by Matt Shakman, director of episodes four and five: Emilia Clarke rode the immense mechanical bull that special effects will turn into a dragon. Emilia Clarke couldn’t be happier, but the fun comes at a cost: “I’ve been on the dragons so much I have saddle sores,” Clarke told the magazine as she laughed. Dany’s task in season seven is no laughing matter, however, but neither is it all about killing people: “She wants to break the wheel, get in the power seat, enact change. She doesn’t want to simply wipe out anyone who disagrees with her.”

I certainly hope that’s not her plan, because I know of a certain Hand who wouldn’t be too happy about that. Peter Dinklage foreshadows other kinds of problems they might have: “We’ll deal with how much Daenerys can trust him [to stay on her side]. But he’s smitten with his employer. How good can he be at his job while having these feelings?” Now, that is interesting. I don’t see their relationship romantically, but… who knows!

“Every single character is putting that first step into the absolute unknown,” Clarke said. “Everybody means business this season.” And so they do, as Dan Weiss corroborated: “Everyone is facing something more dangerous to all of them than any danger they are to each other.” That danger is, of course, the “true enemy”: the White Walkers.

65 Jon's hair looking good from behind

“Jon sees his mission this season—to save people’s lives. That’s it,” said Kit Harington about his character. Still, those around him may have been too affected by the ‘game of thrones’ to see it his way: “There’s a part of Sansa that feels very hard done by, and because of that, she is going to make not-so-honorable decisions,” Harington revealed. “Jon still sees her as just his kid sister. But he’ll start listening to her more this season.”

“Sansa’s learned how to manipulate. She’s a clever bunny now,” Turner told TV Guide. “And in a world where everyone is a manipulator —Sansa is one of the best— it’s becoming more and more difficult to tell who is loyal… even family.”

But family squabbles are not the height of stakes: “There are magnificent action scenes,” promised David Benioff, “different from anything we’ve ever done.” Apparently, there’s a “massive sea battle” that will “sail past Season 2’s Blackwater in scope.” On the other side of the spectrum, Benioff added: “There might be some surprising hookups this season.”

Speaking of hookups, there is a couple of siblings who are known for being awfully close to each other. Perhaps too much. “It’s a big season for Cersei and Jaime,” Lena Headey said. “If you thought it was complicated before, just wait. He blindly, wholeheartedly loves her; she [emotionally] vampires him.” Pretty spot-on summary of their relationship!

According to TV Guide Magazine, in the first episode, which premieres in eight days, Cersei will be planning to take Westeros from her enemies, as teased in the voiceover of the first trailer: “She wants to run the world. She is enjoying sitting on the throne. And she feels, for the first time, like, ‘Hear me roar,’” Headey said. “But Jaime wants to discuss the death of their last surviving child.” Jaime, don’t be such a wet blanket!

Seriously, now: I would say that’s a conversation Jaime would very much like to have, after returning to the capital and finding the Great Sept in flames, Tommen defenestrated and Cersei in the throne instead. Their relationship coming to a climax is something I very much hope to see this year, and I imagine I’m not alone.

But I shouldn’t assume. What are you looking forward to see the most in season seven?

The post TV Insider gets inside Season 7 with Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, and more! appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Game of Thrones cast judge who deserves the Iron Throne & Lena Headey on the Walk of Atonement, Jaime, and Cersei as Queen

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Cersei Season 7 Tease Promo

As the surviving Stark children —Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright— judge who should end up sitting on the Iron Throne for EW, Time continues their season seven coverage with a fascinating talk to Lena Headey. The actress discusses the importance of the Walk of Atonement, her surprise at becoming Queen Regnant, and her fascination with Cersei’s relationship with Jaime.

The Stark kids may (perhaps) be in a path to reuniting this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re united in their views on the ‘game of thrones.’ Speaking to EW, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright reveal their differing opinions on who should sit on the Iron Throne by the end of this story, if anyone at all:

For those keeping score, there is no clear winner here, but Sansa and Jon should be quite happy: Isaac and Kit want their would-be sister Sansa to rule the Seven Kingdoms, while Maisie and Sophie nominate Jon instead. There is a caveat, however: Sansa is the clear winner as the Lady of Winterfell, as judged by Sophie and Maisie. Though at first Isaac agrees, in the end he flips it around, giving Winterfell to Jon. As for Kit, he wants Arya to rule Winterfell in his stead, as Jon should return to the Wall.

Cersei Season 7 (2)

In Time, Lena Headey begins with a heartfelt love letter to Game of Thrones:

“I don’t really have time to think about [the show winding down]. It doesn’t feel very real right now. Until the last day, when it’s goodbye, my most successful relationship, my longest relationship ever,” the actress confessed, to our collective ‘aaaaaaw.’ “Having the chance to work with the same people over what’s going to be eight years this year is quite extraordinary, really, when you think about it. And going to work on something that is so beloved is obviously a great feeling and a great responsibility as well.”

“I love playing Cersei,” Headey continued. “I’m very intrigued to see what happens to her! She’s so layered, endlessly. Every time you think you know her, there’s another depth of insecurity or fury or resentment or drive or grief.” Indeed, she was as surprised as any of us when she was crowned Queen: “I couldn’t believe that moment. I never saw that coming in a million years, I never thought she’d have the balls to finally go, ‘All right then, I guess I’ll f—ing do it.’ It was a great moment. I’m sure getting the seat of power is never comfortable on every level. But she’s aware. She’s aware of all of the s–t, the pain she’s created for everybody.” Well, as long as she is aware, that’s fine. No hard feelings!

It’s been a difficult journey for Cersei, though Headey seems to acknowledge a lot of that has been self-inflected, including Tommen’s suicide. According to her, that has not been forgotten: in season seven “we’ll see her dealing with her grief.” But, of course, Cersei has been spiraling out of control since the Walk of Atonement a few years ago:

“When I initially met David and Dan, that was the end of her journey as far as I knew,” Headey revealed. “I had considered her entire story up until that point, this whole thing of building somebody up to drag them under. And yet they still won’t drown. I’ve known [director of “Mother’s Mercy”] David Nutter a long time, and he’s a brilliant, prepared, empathetic leader. It was a tricky one, because obviously I had a stand-in, Rebecca. It was a three-day shoot with a lot of extras and a lot of people very near you, I really wanted to be in a headspace to be able to connect on an emotional level. If I’m stark bollock naked for three days with people touching me — it’s just going to feel really off-putting, I’m going to be aware of that rather than being able to just give it what I need emotionally. It wasn’t like I was walking around in a suit of armor — I had strips of fabric on that were flesh-colored. I loved it. I enjoy moments like that. It was the moment I knew Cersei would get to, and everything up to that point was poured into those three days. It was tiring, but I’m really grateful for those moments as an actor.”

Cersei Lannister Walk of Shame on Game of Thrones

“I’m a nerd, and quite shy, and suffer massive anxiety,” she admitted. “So for me it’s a real challenge to play her. I always shatter at the end of a season because I give it everything. She’s got this storm inside — human pain that we all identify with.”

Speaking of human pain, Headey also addressed Cersei’s relationship with her brother and lover Jaime, and how she, Nikolaj-Coster Waldau and the showrunners approach it:

“Cersei’s always wanted to be him. Therefore, for her, that relationship is completion. There’s been an envy, because he was born with privilege just for being a man. I think their love was built on respect. He truly loves her, he’s truly in love with Cersei, but I don’t think her love was pure love, I think it was respect and a kind of need,” she explained. “I just like to find all of her motivations. There’s never just one or two with Cersei, there’s always like seven. [Benioff and Weiss are] totally responsive and brilliant, I’m just sure behind closed doors, they’re like, Oh f—, who’s going to answer this [email].'”

If you want even more insight into Cersei’s psyche, read the entire interview at Time.

The post Game of Thrones cast judge who deserves the Iron Throne & Lena Headey on the Walk of Atonement, Jaime, and Cersei as Queen appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Game of Thrones cast on Season 7 alliances and conflicts; Jessica Henwick’s “in character” interview as Nymeria

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Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen Game of Thrones

The season premiere of Game of Thrones seventh season is almost upon us, and the interviews keep rolling in. Entertainment Weekly brings us a look at the coming conflict between Cersei (Lena Headey) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), the cast shares their thoughts on other character clashes and alliances with TVLine, and Jessica Henwick does a fun interview completely in character as Nymeria Sand on Instagram.

The war for the Iron Throne is coming to a head this season, with Cersei firmly entrenched in the seat of power and Daenerys on her way to take it from her. Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke discuss the situation with EW touch on each queen’s strengths and weaknesses.

Cersei’s position looks precarious given that she torched – literally – her alliance with the Tyrells last season, but Headey hints that Cersei has a plan. “Cersei’s very smart and she’s listened to her dad, unbeknownst to everybody who judges her,” she explains. “She’s put a lot of things in place politically, and we’ll see her cash those in.” One of those things may be Euron Greyjoy. “Cersei thinks he’s a bit of a dick, but he’s arguably dangerous in a good way, somebody else she might be able to manipulate and make use of.” She definitely needs all the help she can get against Daenerys and her dragons.

Dany may not have an easy time of it though, as Cersei will be gunning for her. “The prophecy says somebody younger and more beautiful will take Cersei’s place, so I’m sure that’s at the forefront of her mind,” Headey admits. “And since Tyrion is her Hand, she couldn’t view Dany worse.” And we all know how Cersei handles her enemies. Watch out, Dany.

As for Daenerys, Clarke implies she is ready for a fight. “Dany forces you to think about her objectives this season,” Clarke says. “She’s practiced patience and has this savior-like quality, but now it’s game on.” Although Cersei and Dany are on opposite sides, Clarke believes they have more in common than you think. “We both truly believe we deserve to be on the Iron Throne. Both of us think it’s our birthright, we both had f—ed-up dads; it’s a clash of similarities.”

Read the rest at EW.

Speaking of clashes, several of the Game of Thrones cast spoke to TVLine about their characters’ potential conflicts in season seven. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau teases tension between Jaime and Cersei. “Obviously that relationship has always been very complicated; it’s not less complicated now. I think he earned his name Kingslayer when he killed the mad king who was about to firebomb the whole city – now his sister did something very similar. How does that affect him? You’ll have to watch the show to find out.”

Gwendoline Christine discusses some inner conflict for Brienne this year. Brienne has long been loyal to her oath to Catelyn Stark and subsequently, the Stark girls themselves, but Christie suggests Brienne’s motives have evolved. “Brienne starts to question those preconceived ideas…of how her life should be, how she should live her life, what loyalty truly means. Does loyal mean adhering blindly to someone who perhaps is making poor decisions, or does it mean trying to steer them towards the better way?”

Jon Snow has evolved as well, as Kit Harington points out. “He has been an underdog…being this black sheep of the family and an illegitimate child,” he says. “Now he’s King in the North – that’s a huge trajectory. There’s a lot of pride in that for him, he’s more than his father was; he’s not even Warden of the North, he’s King in the North. But it’s not something he asked for, so we’ll see how he deals with it.”

Harington also reiterates the tension with Sansa, “Basically putting these two people together who we’ve never seen interact before, but we know have a history, and instantly they go back to disliking each other.” For him, it’s a case of art imitating life. “I really enjoy working opposite Sophie Turner, I think she’s a fabulous actor, and she irritates me in real life just as much as Sansa irritates Jon so it works,” he jokes.

Method interviewing with @instageorgey @hbo_asia #GameOfThrones #NymeriaSand #SOCLOSE!!

A post shared by Jessica Henwick (@jhenwick) on

Most interviews are conducted with the actors themselves, but Jessica Henwick decided to inhabit her character, Nymeria Sand, for her latest. She discusses her two favorite things – whips and killing – in the interview above. I have a feeling we’ll see plenty of both from Nymeria this season.

The post Game of Thrones cast on Season 7 alliances and conflicts; Jessica Henwick’s “in character” interview as Nymeria appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Game of Thrones Post-Mortem of “Dragonstone”

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Walder Frey Game of Thrones

The Game of Thrones season seven premiere finally arrived last night, and it was everything I hoped it would be! From the shocking (yet satisfying) cold open to that emotional and long-awaited ending, Game of Thrones didn’t miss a beat – expertly setting the stage for the season to come. It also gave us plenty to chew on before the next episode drops, so let dive into some interviews and videos for a closer look at “Dragonstone.”

First up, Maisie Williams opens up to Entertainment Weekly about Arya’s opening scene, in which she dons the face of the murdered Walder Frey to dish out some more vengeance on his house. “It’s so f—ed up!” she exclaims. “Even Arya is surprised she has so much power. In that last moment she’s staring out at all those men dying, she’s turned into a bit more of a monster than she’s ever realized. I don’t think she’s sad about that but she’s got it on her mind.” I’m not sure I’d use the word “monster” – at least she spared the Frey girls.

Williams also shares her idea for the end of the series, which of course involves more face changing by Arya. “I’ve always had this fantasy in the back of my head — I don’t think it’s a good ending and fans might not like it — but that somebody would sit on the Iron Throne at the end and then they whip their face off and it’s Arya instead,” she admits. “I’ve always had that dream.”

Head over to EW for more.

Euron Greyjoy Game of Thrones

We also learn more about Euron Greyjoy’s reappearance from EW, as Pilou Asbaek shares his vision for the character this season. “He’s kind of a joker type. He doesn’t take anyone too seriously. He doesn’t take himself too seriously…So where he’s much more like a demon in the books, he’s much more f—ing enjoying himself here,” Asbaek explains. “Those psychopathic sociopaths I’ve met in my life are smiley and well-mannered and they’re the biggest pricks in the world.” He adds, “He’s such a f—ing idiot douchebag, an impolite selfish child.”

What does Euron make of Queen Cersei, First of Her Name? “The thing with Cersei is maybe she’s more man than a woman. She’s smart and intellectual and bloody sexy. But for Euron, the question is: ‘How can I become king of the Iron Throne?’” Asbaek says. With his niece and nephew allying with Daenerys, Euron looks to Cersei to get him there. “I think he considers her to be a worthy wife. Euron’s not a Lannister, he’s an Ironborn, she’s something better. There’s just one guy in the way…” Hopefully Euron won’t use his “two good hands” to remove Jaime from the picture!

You can read the entire interview at EW.

Samwell Tarly Game of Thrones

TVLine brings us an interview with John Bradley, who gives his insight into Sam’s feelings about the Citadel. “He’s not gone to the Citadel for an easy life for himself,” Bradley admits. “When he appealed to Jon Snow, he said, ‘Send me to the Citadel because that’s where I can do the most good… I will help you win this war.’ He wants to go to the Citadel and work, and find knowledge that he can apply that’s going to change the course of things for everybody.”

Unfortunately for Sam, it looks to be an uphill battle. “People at the Citadel are very keen on academia and knowledge for the sake of it. They’re quite keen to store all this knowledge and leave it on the shelf for a long time and never apply it. Sam doesn’t believe in that relationship with knowledge. He knows that knowledge isn’t powerful if it’s on the shelf… and not being applied,” Bradley explains.

The premiere also introduced us to Sam’s new mentor played by Jim Broadbent – Archmaester Ebrose (not Marwyn as some sites claim; confirmed by the HBO viewer guide). “He’s a fatherly figure,” Bradley says. “He’s a very wise old soul that Sam develops this relationship with.” Hopefully that “wise old soul” will take Sam’s White Walker warnings seriously – before it’s too late.

Check out the rest at TVLine.

Jorah Mormont Greyscale Game of Thrones

Iain Glen talks to Vulture about Jorah’s future after his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance last night. That is, if Jorah even has a future given the condition of his greyscale. “It’s very advanced. I’m in trouble,” Glen confesses. “No doubt about it, I’m in trouble.”

Jorah is still optimistic, however, after promising Daenerys he’d come back to her. “I got to a point where I think I was quite happy to die, I suppose,” Glen says, speaking of last season. “I’d sort of given up hope because I’d lost her affection and lost her belief in me. And the last moment of our time together last season she said, ‘I need you, I need you to look after yourself, find a cure, so you can come back and be beside me when I occupy the Iron Throne.’ That’s my route, really, this season — to see if I can find a cure.” Maybe Sam can smuggle some advanced medical books out of the library’s restricted section.

For the entire article, head to Vulture.


POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR FUTURE EPISODES IN THIS SEGMENT!

We also have an interesting tidbit to dissect courtesy of Kim Renfro at Insider. She points out that in the HBO viewer guide official synopsis, there is an additional line in the script attributed to the Hound but not spoken on the show

Game of Thrones 701 Synopsis

“The waves are frozen” was left out of the Hound’s dialogue, so what significance could this have? If the Hound saw a vision of Eastwatch with frozen waves, could that provide an access point for the Night King and his army of the dead? They were left at Hardhome, which is perilously close to the Night’s Watch castle at Eastwatch – close enough for an army to cross the frozen sea and make their way around the Wall.

Of course, most fans theorize that the Wall will be breached somehow, allowing the White Walkers to launch a full scale invasion. If they have an alternate route, however, the danger may reach Westeros sooner than we think.


In the season’s first “Inside the Episode,” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss that cold open, the Hound’s guilt and doubt, the Sansa/Jon conflict, Cersei’s lust for power, and Daenerys’ homecoming.

Pilou Asbaek, Lena Headey, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau discuss the tension between their characters during Euron’s proposal.

Finally, Emilia Clarke, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Peter Dinklage discuss the significance of Dany’s arrival in Westeros.

The post Game of Thrones Post-Mortem of “Dragonstone” appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Game of Thrones Post-Mortem of “The Queen’s Justice”

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Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones

Last night on Game of Thrones there was a little something for everyone. As the title “The Queen’s Justice” implies, Cersei finally metes out her own (cruel) brand of justice and continues to reign supreme in Westeros – for now – while another queen, Daenerys, struggles to make a new ally. In a loaded episode complete with action, intrigue, vengeance, and reunions, we also witnessed a highly anticipated meeting between “ice and fire.” It’s time to break down everything that happened with some in-depth interviews and videos, so let’s take a look, shall we?

Jon Snow meets Daenerys The Queen's Justice

Entertainment Weekly gives us the usual round of cast interviews, starting with that historic meeting between Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow. According to Kit Harington, “I predicted, like everyone, they would meet this season, but I don’t think I predicted it quite as quickly. But then again, you’ve got to take yourself out of the mindset of the viewer. As far as Jon knows, he’s just meeting this queen he’s heard of and trying to negotiate with her – he’s not meeting Daenerys, who the audience has been watching for so many years. That helps with the surprise of it.”

What do the actors have to say about their characters’ initial impressions of each other? Harington explains, “[Jon] walks into the room and doesn’t expect to see such a beautiful young woman of similar age to him. Any young man’s reaction is going to be, ‘Okay…’ but he puts that aside, because he has to.” Emilia Clarke adds, “It was fun to play – [Daenerys] doesn’t like him and she doesn’t believe him.”

Fans have long wondered how the two characters would react to each other, and bringing together two strong-willed rulers who both believe they are doing what’s right for the realm was bound to cause friction. “It was really fun to watch that scene and I thought they did a great job,” remarks showrunner David Benioff. “There isn’t instant chemistry. He’s annoying and she’s annoying and they have to figure out how to make peace.” Hopefully they’ll figure it out soon, as things are looking dire for both of them.

Read the rest at EW.

Tyrene and Ellaria Sand The Queen's Justice

EW also brings us Indira Varma’s reaction to the “justice” her character, Ellaria Sand, receives at Cersei’s hand. Varma knew the end was coming, as she says, “Obviously there’s lots of trimming going on. It’s all coming to a head and you have to get rid of less important characters that the audience hasn’t had the chance to invest in as much. So I was expecting it. I wasn’t heartbroken. And I was like, ‘As long as I die on screen…’ and they were like ‘Yeah!’ But of course I don’t die on screen. I stay alive, I’m just not going to reappear. I think it’s really clever.”

The scene was as difficult and gut-wrenching to watch as it was intriguing. Varma admits it was just as tough for the actors, but that she enjoyed the way it was portrayed. “It’s really dark. What I love about this scene is you’re reading it and from one sentence to the next you don’t know what’s going to happen – how Cersei is going to treat her victim.” She adds, “It was hard work. A lot of blood snot and sweat and tears. Myself and Rosabell had to be shackled. They very kindly put some felt inside the handcuffs so we didn’t get bruised and battered – though we ended up doing that anyway because your acting takes over…At the end of the day I was like, ‘I’m stuck! I need somebody to help me!’ and they had to cut me out of them. All in a day’s work.

Varma gives some additional insight over at Making Game of Thrones, explaining Ellaria’s mindset as she is presented as Cersei’s gift. “I think there’s the humiliation of being caught [by Euron]…she’s absolutely gutted. Her dream was to meet Cersei head-to-head and battle it out as equals. When you’re chained up and gagged, that is not meeting someone in an equal way. So that in itself is horrendous. Then seeing the Mountain, oh my God – it’s utter shock, and it brings it all back. It’s sorrow at that point, and disbelief. She feels humiliated.”

Did Ellaria anticipate what kind of punishment Cersei had in store for them? “Poor Ellaria, I don’t think she was expecting that. She thinks of herself as the poison queen,” Varma confesses. “The idea that Cersei had figured out what her poison was – it’s the ultimate humiliation. And then to watch her lovely daughter die… It’s hell, awful, beyond your nightmares.” Despite the retribution, Varma doesn’t believe Ellaria regrets her hand in Myrcella’s death. “If you’re going to kill me and my daughter, at least I’ve done that to you. She wants to tear Cersei down, one family member at a time,” she says. “I don’t think she would try and apologize for that in order to win back her daughter. It’s too late. Too much blood has been shed.”

For more, head over to EW and Making Game of Thrones.

bran sansa

Fans have been hoping to see more Stark reunions ever since Jon and Sansa came together last season, but Bran’s homecoming wasn’t quite what we expected. “I think it’s a major shock for Sansa,” Isaac Hempstead Wright explains to EW. “She’s lost her brother once before when he fell out of that tower, and now Bran’s back but she loses him all over again. All the Starks have changed so much. Arya is like this ninja assassin. Sansa has been held captive by these tyrannical men and had to become politically cunning herself. But Bran is now this tree-raven-magic thing.”

Wright also shares his understanding of Bran’s new abilities and how they have affected him. “It’s like imagining you have all of space and time in your head. Bran is existing in thousands of planes of existence at any one time. So it’s quite difficult for Bran to have any kind of semblance of personality anymore because he’s really like a giant computer.” Adds showrunner D.B. Weiss, “One of the things we loved about Game of Thrones from the very first book is it’s not a world where magic is the primary driver of the story, it’s a world where human psychology and behavior and desire are drivers of the story…So with Bran, ideally you want to use him in a way that adds to the story and enriches the story and not in a way that’s a magic bullet to conveniently deal with things that you haven’t come up with a better way to deal with.”

Since Bran’s training was interrupted when the White Walkers attacked the Three Eyed Raven’s cave, he is still struggling to comprehend the knowledge that he’s gained. “There was supposed to be more time to learn what he needed to know and they ran out of time,” David Benioff explains. “Now Bran the Broken is broken in more ways than one. He’s got serious challenges dealing with all the stuff happening in his mind and that prevents him becoming this omniscient character.”

Hempstead Wright agrees with Benioff’s assessment. “Bran really at this stage is not the Three-Eyed Raven. He’s got the title but hasn’t had thousands of years of sitting in a cave looking through time,” he says. “Somebody put in front of him a massive encyclopedia of all of time and he’s only opened page one. He can look stuff up but doesn’t have this all-knowing all-seeing capability just yet.”

Check out the full interview at EW.

Jaime Olenna the end

Finally, the Game of Thrones showrunners and cast member Nikolaj Coster Waldau talk to EW about the heartbreaking (yet satisfying) end for Lady Olenna Tyrell. “When we initially cast Diana Rigg, we met with Nina Gold, our legendary casting director, and we had tea with her,” David Benioff says. “Dames don’t audition for you, you audition for them. And we loved her. She was funny, she was bawdy, she was everything we wanted for that character. We’ve been very lucky to write for these legendary actors — like Diana Rigg. Max Von Sydow, Jim Broadbent, and Charles Dance – people who have been doing it for so long and are so frickin’ good at what they do. She’s one of the best in the world and [Olenna’s final scene] is one of my favorites in the whole season. She really brought it.”

D.B. Weiss agrees. “What I love about the way she plays the scene is that even though you leave the scene knowing she’s soon going to be dead shortly after you cut to black you still feel like she won. She’s probably the only character to win her own death scene.” Olenna’s confession to the murder of Joffrey clearly rattled Jaime and gave her the opportunity to deliver a final gut punch to the Lannisters before her demise.

Despite the discomfort of his character during the scene, Coster Waldau has nothing but praise for how it was portrayed. “Olenna is like Cersei in so many ways, but just from our point of view she’s been on the ‘good’ side,” he admits. “And I just love how she goes out. She goes out with bite. She’s never going to beg. She did an amazing job. It was fun to be there and when we wrapped the showrunners came around and said a few words. She’s had a huge impact on the series.” The Queen of Thorns may be gone, but she will never be forgotten.

Go to EW for the rest.


This week’s “Inside the Episode” brings us D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s thoughts on Jon meeting Daenerys, the Lannisters’ motivations and strategy, and Olenna’s death.

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Lena Headey, Indira Varma, and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers share their insight into Cersei’s punishment of Ellaria and Tyene Sand.

Last but not least, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington provide more background to the meeting of fire and ice.

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The Game Revealed Offers a Look Behind Cersei’s Revenge

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The Game Revealed, HBO’s Game of Thrones behind-the-scenes series, has returned for the post-season-seven period, as announced two weeks ago. While the interviews-loaded series is technically only available to subscribers of the network this year, each week HBO is throwing viewers a bone by posting some of the material for free on YouTube.

This week The Game Revealed is spotlighting a particularly harrowing moment from episode 3 of this season. In “The Queen’s Justice,” we saw the last vestiges of the show’s Dornish contingent consigned to a hellish fate, with Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and her daughter Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) doomed by Cersei (Lena Headey) as payback for their murder of the innocent Princess Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) in season 5.

In “A Goodbye Kiss,” we hear from Headey and Varma, along with episode director Mark Mylod, who reveals that this “incredibly intense” scene was filmed on the very first day of shooting for season seven. The actresses provided great insight into the scene, along with the director. Check it out here:

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Iain Glen offers details about season 8 production and Jane Goldman has finished her script for a Game of Thrones spinoff

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Jorah

Iain Glen has revealed the date for the first Game of Thrones season 8 read-through and offered some production details that partially explain why the final season’s filming is expected to take so long; Lena Headey Instagrammed a likely wig fitting and writer Jane Goldman has completed her script for one of the Game of Thrones spinoffs in development.

Back in September (yes, this little gem has remained hidden on the internet for nearly a month) Iain Glen told his audience at Stockholm Comic Con (at 20:43 in the video) that the cast of Game of Thrones will meet for a read-through on October 9th. Until then, he has no idea what season 8 holds, though he “would just be happy to be alive and in what I imagine is going to be a massive battle [in which] I then survive or die nobly” (21:38).

He also revealed (at 6:40) that production for season 8 will be using only one filming unit instead of two, as has been the tradition since the first season (though production did include a third unit for season 3).

“We’re all starting to occupy the same territory, we’re all starting to be in the same storylines and so they can’t [have two filming units] anymore,” he explained. “I think this last season will take much longer to shoot because they can only use one unit because we’re all in the same sort of scenes.”

The need to use only one unit because of the cast having to be together helps to explain the 10 months of production, which is around twice the time filming usually takes.


The cast will be congregating in Northern Ireland for a read-through soon, and Lena Headey was already with the crew today when she posted this photo on Instagram.

Season 8 … Hair and Teeth … HAIR AND TEETH !!! I @kevalexanderhair @candicebanks74 😘😘😘

A post shared by Lena Headey (@iamlenaheadey) on

Provided that Headey is posing with two major hair staff members, it’s safe to bet that Headey went in for a wig fitting today (though presumably not for wig featured in the photo), further evidence that the long journey towards the final season is officially underway.


As our thoughts turn to season 8 and, consequently, to the inevitable end of Game of Thrones, let’s remind ourselves that at least one spinoff is on the way and rejoice that the pilot script for one of the unspecified projects has been completed!

In an interview with Hello Magazine at the BFI Luminous Gala, English comedian, Jonathan Ross, discussed his wife, Jane Goldman’s, script writing project for a Game of Thrones spinoff but was unable to say much about it other than that  … it’s done.

“I’m not going to say anything apart from the fact that [Jane] has just finished it!” he said and later jokingly capitulated to pressure by adding: “She’s written it all around me, I’m a dragon in it!”

Then again, we don’t know what season 8 holds. If Daenerys has a fever dream in which Drogon begins monologuing in Ross’ voice … I guess you heard it here first.

Our deepest thanks to Ismail for unearthing that internet gem and tipping us off about Iain Glen’s interview

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Game of Thrones Screen Time Chart Reveals Main Players & Changing Trends

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Jon & Daenerys were the main players in season seven

Jon & Daenerys were the main players in season seven, despite appearing in fewer episodes

Game of Thrones is a pretty geeky show, so you’ll find plenty of geeky charts and infographics all over the internet, showing everything from size comparisons in Westeros to how each book chapter corresponds to each episode in the adaptation. They are nothing new. And yet, there is a new chart detailing the screen time of the top 100 characters of the show that caught our attention, as it puts certain trends into perspective and corroborates what the cast have said about their increased workload.

An Indian fan of the show by the name of Shivaraj, using data collected by an IMDB user, created this wonderfully dynamic chart, which not only tells us about the characters with more screen time overall, but how this breaks up by season and family as well.

Click on the picture to go to the dynamic version of the chart

Click on the picture to play around with the dynamic version of the chart

Following the revelation that seasons seven and eight would have fewer episodes, there was a general feeling of disillusionment in the community, along with a very specific complaint that we would get less time with our favorite characters. However, this chart corroborates what many starring cast members claimed in the months before the season aired: with so many characters —main, secondary and tertiary— culled from the story in the last few seasons, season seven could focus on the main players.

Jon and Daenerys were the obvious winners from this plot-tightening massacre. The Dragon Queen almost doubled her screen time compared to the previous year, while the King in the North leaped 18 minutes, despite having three fewer episodes available. Only Ned, who was essentially the protagonist in the first season, surpasses season seven’s Jon, though he’s almost rivalled by season two’s Tyrion. Incidentally, this last season was also the one in which Jon finally passed Tyrion in terms of overall screen time.

But the hot new incestuous Thrones couple aren’t the only ones who came on top. Judging by screen time alone, the last few seasons have had seven main characters: Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion, Sansa, Jaime, Arya, and Cersei. Of these, only Sansa appeared less in season seven, but only by a single minute (and season six was an exception for Sansa anyway, as in every other season she’s had less screen time than in season seven.)

707 - Winterfell - Sansa, Arya 1

Just like the books, since Ned’s death the focus slowly started to diverge from the main characters, from the main Houses in the story: Stark, Lannister and Targaryen, and to a lesser extent Baratheon, Greyjoy and Tyrell (the Martells are not represented in the chart, as only Oberyn and Ellaria make the top 100 cut.) This trend of crowding out the main players culminated in season three, the only year in which all these six Houses combined amassed fewer minutes on-screen than the rest of the characters. The world had expanded. But, as the third act approached, it was time for it to contract again, and so the trend reversed; by season seven, the balance is closer to season one levels. The Starks haven’t had this much representation since Winterfell burnt down, and the Targaryens not since even further back, when Dany gave birth to the dragons.

All of this is to make the point that season eight having only six episodes doesn’t mean we will see less of our favorite characters, if season seven is anything to go by. Game of Thrones is increasingly re-focusing on the characters with which the story once came into being, and that’s who we will mostly see — in fact, probably more than ever before.

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The Writing On the Wall: Flames Of the Seven

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Valar Morghulis,

The seats of power within the world of Game Of Thrones are thoroughly dominated by men. Six out of the seven kingdoms on the continent of Westeros operate under a strict male primogeniture system. In such a system, the eldest male child is the one who inherits the family’s seat of power. One can imagine that such a system portends far too much risk, and indeed, glances at just the medieval European era alone proves how such a system inherently eschews a consistency of sense and stability. Dorne is the only aberration from this patriarchal primogeniture, its uniqueness borne out of it being founded by the warrior queen Nymeria.

Systems of power do not exist in vacuums and they often rely upon a quid pro quo mechanism in order to continue to operate. Patriarchal primogeniture in that regard is no different. It is first and foremost a result of strictly defined, binary gender norms that exist to reinforce a rigid social hierarchy between men and women. Yet as much as existing social norms are responsible for the creation and the sustainment of patriarchal primogeniture, the beneficiaries of the system also reinforce them to ensure the longevity of their power.

Patriarchal primogeniture is nevertheless a singular example of the way that systems of power in Westeros are dominated by men. Game Of Thrones is ubiquitous with examples of male-dominated institutions and hierarchies. The Faith of the Seven is dominated by male priests and during the rise of the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) that male domination turns into something particularly ugly. The Red God is represented most ubiquitously by women but the construction of that religion is founded upon the all-knowing savior-hood of a male figure. The Maesters of the Oldtown, the keepers of all Westerosi knowledge, simply refuse to even allow women to enter the hallowed halls of their library.

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A dominant theme of Game Of Thrones is the examination of the various ways in women traverse these patriarchal halls of power and what those pathways look like. Just as importantly, the theme delves into what those pathways tell the audience about the society that seems to exist so far away but is unfortunately not as different as we would like it to be. The fiery conflagration that destroys the Sept of Baelor in “The Winds Of Winter” is a key case study in looking at patriarchal systems and how they shaped and drove the decisions Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) made when the latter decided to bring the Sparrows to power.

Westerosi organized religions are a patriarchal construction and as the predominant faith for approximately half of the continent, the Faith of the Seven is intimately tied to that construction. Faithful devotees pray to the Mother on matters of pregnancy and childbirth. They pray to the Crone for wisdom and guidance. They pray to the Maiden to keep their young daughters safe. But the priests and decision-makers of the Seven are all men and that orthodoxy, while never lost in the religion’s history, is reinforced in a markedly different way when the Sparrows are brought to power.

Cersei’s entire life has been shaped by patriarchal institutions and critically by individuals (mostly men) who enforce those institutions’s aims and processes. Her father Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) inspired the sort of fear and respect she so desperately desired for herself but could not garner on account of her gender. Her brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) received all of that attention and respect she wanted on account of him being the presumed heir to Casterly Rock. Her disastrous relationship with Robert (Mark Addy) irrefutably shaped her perceptions of what it means to be a man in a position of authority and it only helped cement her resentment at being born a woman.

cersei and high sparrow game of thrones macall b. polay.jpeg

With the assassination of Tywin, the opportunity opened up for Cersei to finally grab the reins of power and prove to her father that she was in fact his worthy heir. And as far as she was concerned, the real opponents lying in her way was House Tyrell, whose rose façade crumbled in front of her to just show an abundance of thorns. If she could diminish the influence of her rivals, the pathway towards consolidating her hold over the power that emanated from King’s Landing. In her desire to diminish the influence of House Tyrell in King’s Landing, she strikes a fateful bargain with a seemingly humble man of the gods.

Cersei’s calculus, or lack thereof, was quite simple in theory. She would operate the tools of power as her father would have and in this case the tool of power would be able to provide Cersei the resources of the Faith of the Seven. When she meets this so-called High Sparrow, she sees an impoverished peasant feeding the poor and mumbling on about the inequities of Westeros. She sees an easily manipulable tool and as far as she was concerned, the High Sparrow would be eternally grateful that she rose his position and if he was truly committed to serving the poor, then she could just throw gold his way. As schemes in Game Of Thrones often go, this one falls apart and backfires spectacularly.

The initial mistake was her arming of the Faith Militant. Analogous to the existence of the papal armies that was formally disbanded in 1870, the Faith Militant served as the military branch of the Faith of the Seven. Relationships of power between governmental and religious institutions have a tumultuous history and this is no different. During the reign of King Maegor I (also known as Maegor the Cruel) of the Targaryen Dynasty, the Faith Militant was disbanded and removed as a threat to the monarchical power. The writing of Cersei’s decision to do this is sharper in the books as there is a financial component attached but even in the show, the reasons for doing so are obvious. The Faith Militant would be a more forceful, violent arm of her power schemes and if the Tyrell army in any capacity moved against them as Cersei would expect, then it wouldn’t be precious Lannister soldiers falling to the soldiers of the rose.

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At first, Cersei’s plan seems to be going swimmingly well. Loras (Finn Jones) is imprisoned for homosexuality and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) is imprisoned for lying to protect him. When Cersei visits Margaery in prison, she is gleefully ensconced within that aura of jubilation and seeing her rival queen dirty and seemingly defeated does nothing to temper that aura. A few minutes later, however, her eyes widen in shock as she realizes that the man to whom she had handed weapons and authority to use for her is turning them on her instead. Cersei arguably tried the same strategy that she did with Joffrey, of handing men power because the patriarchal systems of power demanded that she do so.

The patriarchal paradigm of the High Sparrow’s political positions demanded that Cersei’s power be publicly denounced. Critically, however, that denunciation needed to happen in a way where the onus of the behavior fell squarely upon her shoulders. The Walk of Shame was designed to be a public spectacle primarily to remove the fear that Cersei has inspired as Queen Regent, for seeing her in such a vulnerable state removes the veneer of impenetrability she had had. The sexual and gender aspects are kept critically in mind to add further connotations to stripping away Cersei’s power and adding onto her vulnerabilities.

The trial of Cersei Lannister is arguably an allegorical trial about the patriarchal power systems the High Sparrow embodies. It is a farce of justice where the outcome is determined, regardless of the truth about the accused (in this case, Cersei was quite guilty of committing the accused deeds). Cersei is well aware of what lies ahead of her at that trial, even if the specific punishments are unknown to her. She knows that at that juncture, there simply is no turning back and she frankly no longer cares about her place within the patriarchal paradigms of Westeros. She decides to stop trying to play the game of chess through men. Instead, she detonates the chessboard itself.

Valar Dohaeris,

Akash Of the Andals

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Britain’s Royal Mail to release ‘Game of Thrones’ stamp series

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The British Royal Mail service will introduce 15 "Game of Thrones" stamps, including this one of Daenerys Targaryen, on January 23.

The British Royal Mail service will introduce 15 “Game of Thrones” stamps, including this one of Daenerys Targaryen, on January 23.

Sure, you could send your mail by raven, but these days it’s much quicker to use the post office. If you still want a bit of a Westerosi feel to paying a gas bill or sending a birthday card, however, then the series of Game of Thrones stamps to be released by the British Royal Mail service should suffice.

Thrones will join the ranks of such iconic franchises to get their own stamps as Star Wars and Doctor Who with the release of the 15 stamps on January 23. The Royal Mail cites the “significant British contribution to the production” of Thrones, including a predominantly British and Irish cast and filming of the series at Titanic Studios in Belfast, the Linen Hill Film Studio in Banbridge and on location elsewhere in Northern Ireland, with additional filming in Scotland, as just some of the reasons to commemorate the award-winning series.

The stamps depict “photographic representations of central characters from across all seven seasons,” according to Royal Mail, with each stamp featuring an individual character and a montage of related images, such as Dany’s conquering of Meereen. “The result is a set of ten bespoke images that embody the crux of each character’s story,” the Royal Mail says.

Caption

Ten of the 15 stamps that will be featured in the Royal Mail’s “Game of Thrones” stamp series.

Characters with their own stamps are Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg), Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

The stamp series also will include five non-human characters, including giants, dragons, the Night King and White Walkers, the Iron Throne and the beloved direwolves.

The stamps are available for pre-order now at the Royal Mail’s website, with the collection available online and from 7,000 Post Office branches beginning January 23.

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The Stars of Game of Thrones Hit the Golden Globes Red Carpet

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Nikolaj and Lena

The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place this evening, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association selecting their favorites in film and television for the past year. Game of Thrones competed in a major category once again, and several GoT stars showed to support it, and dazzle the crowds on the red carpet.

Nominated in the category of Best Television Series – Drama, Game of Thrones was up against The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, This Is Us, and The Crown. Unfortunately, GoT lost to the Hulu drama The Handmaid’s Tale, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel. It didn’t come as a huge shock, since this was a very competitive year in the category. While it’s disappointing to lose the prize, at least GoT lost to a show as stunning and well-made as The Handmaid’s Tale!

As for the cast, they turned it out on the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton in California, leaving behind the furs of Westeros and wearing their best in black. Along with their red carpet appearances, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington are presenters tonight for the TV Comedy Actor and TV Comedy Series categories.

On the carpet-

Kit Harington (Jon Snow):

Kit Harington

Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen):

Emilia clarke 2

Emilia clarke

Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth):

Gwendoline Christie

Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister):

Lena Headey

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister):

Nikolaj Coster Waldau

Nikolaj and Lena

Game of Thrones may not be a trophy winner tonight, but we’re all winners as long as the cast churns out videos like this:

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Maisie Williams warns of Season 8 divide; Royal Mail makes Game of Thrones stamps!

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Maisie Williams Stamps

Today, the Royal Mail of the United Kingdom celebrates the launch of the new Game of Thrones-themed stamps with some of the cast. We bring you the details below the cut!

Also, while promoting her new animated film Early Man (from the creators and in the style of Wallace and Gromit), Maisie Williams spoke with Radio Times. Naturally, the interview was headlined by Williams’ revelation that she’d been chosen as a bridesmaid for her castmate and long-time friend Sophie Turner’s coming wedding, but the actress also spoke of the final season of Game of Thrones and how it may be perceived.

With the fancy trailer above, Royal Mail launches its 15 new Game of Thrones stamps. And that’s not all: some of the cast was there to celebrate the launch, namely Maisie Williams, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington, all of whom posed for photos with oversized prints of their respective characters’ stamps:

Lena Headey Stamps

Peter Dinklage Stamps

Emilia Clarke Stamps

Kit Harington Stamps

The remaining featured characters are Sansa Stark, Jaime Lannnister and, honored despite being long dead, Ned Stark, Olenna Tyrell and Tywin Lannister, late giants of their Houses portrayed by acting giants who are very much alive to appreciate this:

Royal Mail Stamps Characters

Four other stamps focus on the creatures: direwolves; dragons; giants; and the Night King and White Walkers. A final stamp features, as it must, the iconic Iron Throne:

Royal Mail Stamps Creatures Iron Throne

Starting today, these fifteen stamps are now available to purchase online here, as well as at 7,000 Post Office branches across the UK, or by calling 03457 641 641.


In other news, as reported by Radio Times, Williams is surprisingly blunt about the fact that, whatever happens in season eight, some people will inevitably be left disappointed:

“It’s either going to be everything that everyone dreamed of or it’s going to be disappointing,” Williams declares. “It depends what side of the fence you sit on because there’s definitely going to be that divide. It depends what people want from the final season. I love it, but you never know.”

That divide is, of course, inevitable. You have only to glance at the comment section of any article concerning the endgame here at Watchers to realize that, whatever Martin and Benioff & Weiss have in mind, some of the fandom will be bitterly disappointed.

There are too many diametrically opposed yet popular hopes for the ending for there to be no disappointment somewhere. Debunked pet theories are (or should be) easy to get over, but some may even feel betrayed by the ending not affirming their firmly held convictions on what Game of Thrones‘ thesis statement is supposed to be. I have seen plenty of people who believe the story can only end in nihilist death and destruction, as I have those who expect a truly happy ending. Both extremes may disregard Martin’s promise of a “bittersweet” ending, but all of us have our rationalizations. The final season may not have aired yet, but in truth this divide Williams speaks of already exists, as it has for many years. The only difference is that, as the final word on the story (at least for a long while), season eight may simply make this division erupt for good.

As for myself? I have my theories and ideas of what this story stands for, but, in the end, what I’m looking for in Game of Thrones most of all (as does Williams, I suspect) is a good story. What’s what I got all these years; so now let’s just see if they stick the landing!

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Lena Headey says ‘everybody cried’ during final read-through; art director teases March production schedule

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Lena Heady as Cersei Lannister.

We suspected as much, but according to Lena Headey, we’ll have to get the tissues ready for Season 8 of Game of Thrones.

“We did a massive read-through in October, and I think pretty much everybody cried at one point,” Headey, who plays the smirking, wine-swilling, half-mad Cersei Lannister, said in a recent interview with Mashable. And, she added, the ending “was pretty surprising.”

Being a part of Thrones and it’s massive popularity has been “an amazing journey,” and despite it coming to an end in the near future, Headey said she’s okay with that.

“I’ve enjoyed every second of it, and … it’s changed my life in spectacular ways, so I’m ever grateful for that opportunity,” she said.

On the other side of the camera, as we reported on January 28, Thrones art director Deborah Riley took home top honors at the annual Art Directors Guild Awards in the category of One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series. In an interview on the award’s red carpet, Riley said that even though the end of the show is nigh, she thinks it will be “sweet,” and not just “bittersweet,” a term we’ve been hearing from many a cast and crew member.

“We’re all gonna be so proud and so thrilled and it will be time to move on,” she said. “Bringing this show to an end — I mean, what an amazing opportunity is that?”

Naturally, Riley didn’t take the bait and reveal any plot spoilers for the final season, but she did tease a few tantalizing details about the upcoming production schedule. Noting that, since Season 8 will have only six episodes, the production team is “working 24 hours a day” to “bring these massive, mammoth … things to the screen” — and that March will be a particularly busy month.

“[Director] Miguel Sapochnik has just started shooting his massive things, particularly in March,” Riley said. “We’re going to be so busy in March!”

We reported in December that Sapochnik, who has directed the iconic episodes “Hardhome,” “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter,” will direct two of the six episodes in Season 8, so that’s not news — but it’s exciting to know that work is soon getting underway on what are sure to be blockbuster episodes. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you in the know!

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UPDATE! Cersei meets unexpected main character in Dubrovnik shoot for Season 8!

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Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones

After a mysterious first day of filming in Dubrovnik and a slightly confusing second one, this third day brings us the Queen of King’s Landing: Lena Headey has been spotted on location, wearing a new queenly outfit — and she’s not alone. Apparently, in season eight Cersei will be having a parley in King’s Landing with an unexpected main character!

There are spoilers for the last season below the cut, so venture forth at your own risk!

Yesterday Kit Harington filmed a scene in which Jon Snow was escorted through the city walls by Northmen-looking soldiers. Today Jon appeared again, this time at Bokar Fortress, but he wasn’t alone! As seen in Dubrovnik Net and The Dubrovnik Times, Cersei was there too, and today she was the one with an escort — her new black-and silver Kingsguard, including Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, played by Hafþór Björnsson:

Lena Headey as Cersei at Bokar Fortress. / Photo: Vedran Jerinić

Cersei with her Kingsguard at Bokar Fortress. Photo: Vedran Jerinić / Dubrovnik Net

The Lannister flag flies over King's Landing. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

The Lannister flag flies over King’s Landing. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Harington and Headey listen to Weiss. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Harington and Headey listen to Weiss. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Benioff and Weiss together on set. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Benioff and Weiss together on set. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Headey and Weiss share a laugh. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Headey and Weiss talk between takes. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Headey is directed by Weiss. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Headey is directed by Weiss. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Jon Snow, between Kingsguards. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Jon Snow, between Kingsguards. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Hafþór Björnsson can't hide from the cameras. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

Hafþór Björnsson can’t hide from the cameras. Photo: Ivana Smilović / Dubrovnik Times

The circumstances of this meeting are a mystery, as is its placement in the season. At first glance, the fact that both David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are on scene and giving directions would indicate this scene belongs to the series finale, which they are directing. However, it appears the showrunners were merely providing guidance as producers and writers, since the actual director, David Nutter, was also seen on set:

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Nutter is directing episodes one, two, and four. If I had to guess by the little context we have, I’d say this probably takes place in episode four. The rest, however, remains a mystery. Most of all, we must ask: what are Jon and Cersei discussing exactly? And in which circumstances does Jon find himself in the (still) Cersei-held capital?

UPDATE: via Slobodna Dalmacija, we get a much better look at Cersei’s new costume, which seems more battle-ready than previous versions (only symbolically, of course) and sees a return to the Lannister gold accents absent from her costumes the last few years. We can also spot a few gold cloaks, who are often seen guarding the city walls:

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Photo: Tonči Plazibat/ Hanza Media

Filming in Dubrovnik is supposed to finish either later today or tomorrow, so we probably won’t get many more juicy spoilers from Croatia. Still, what we’ve got is plenty to speculate, isn’t it? Please, share your best theories in the comments below!

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Cersei’s Shame Double Returns in Season 8 & Game of Thrones Cast Gathers in Belfast!

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Cersei Lannister Walk of Shame on Game of Thrones

Today’s surprising Game of Thrones news will probably lead to some lively speculation. Rebecca Van Cleave returns for the eighth and final season! You may not remember her name, but she certainly made an impression back in the finale for the fifth season, “Mother’s Mercy”, as Lena Headey’s double for Cersei’s naked walk of atonement!

And there’s more! At a Belfast pub, the showrunners were sighted together with some of the main cast, including but not limited to a certain new (on-screen) incestuous couple.

Industry Casting, an agency “supplying professional Background Artists, Walk-On Artists and Actors”, announced on Twitter that Rebecca Van Cleave “has been in a very snowy Belfast this week shooting her repeat role for Game of Thrones.” Let’s take a look:


Extras and stunt doubles returning wouldn’t normally constitute big news, but in her first appearance Van Cleave performed a very specific role — that of Lena Headey’s nude body double during the so-called “walk of shame” sequence in “Mother’s Mercy.”

Admittedly, she could be back in another role entirely, one in which her face wouldn’t be supplanted with Headey’s in post-production, but this is not described as a mere return to the show but as a “repeat role.” If Headey needs a body double again, that probably means Cersei will have one or more scenes of an intimate nature in this final season.

Will she really go all the way with Euron? Or, if Van Cleave’s scene isn’t sexual, could this have to do with Cersei’s probably doomed pregnancy? There are many options here!


Yesterday, along with showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, cast members Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage and Jacob Anderson were sighted together at Kelly’s Cellars, in Belfast. How would we all have loved to be a fly on the wall there!


You may notice there are two others in the group, apparently hiding from the camera. Was it just a coincidence? Were they hiding because they just didn’t want to be photographed at that particular moment? Of course, that would be more than fair enough! There is a more interesting possibility, however, even though it may not be as likely: were they perhaps hiding because the mere presence of these actors in season eight would constitute a spoiler? Now, that would be interesting. I leave you guys to speculate about this, as well as about what role Van Cleave will perform exactly.

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Lena Headey on ‘exciting’ Season 8 and new wrap date; capital set adds city gate

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Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones

In a new interview, Lena Headey hypes up season eight in all the usual ways, yet at the same time she slips by a new — and very different — wrap up date for Game of Thrones. Also, the King’s Landing set at Titanic Studios is getting an unexpected makeover!

Via the Northern Irish newspaper Independent, yesterday the Press Association caught up with Lena Headey at the premiere for Walk Like A Panther, her husband Dan Cadan’s latest film. Of course, the Cersei Lannister actress was asked about Game of Thrones season eight, which she teased just as she gave us an update on the filming schedule:

“We’re filming till the end of June and, you know, it’s all very exciting and very large,” Headey told Press Association. “Bigger and better than ever!”

It’s always nice to hear such positivity from the cast, but more interesting is the June wrap date. Season eight filming was previously said to “run as late as August 2018.” This date was never confirmed, but it wasn’t contested either and it lined up with everything else we knew about their schedule. Now, if Headey is correct, the question is whether the entire production will wrap up by the end of June or if this only concerns her schedule and the series will continue shooting for a few more months. Headey’s wording isn’t ambiguous, however: she seems to be referring to the whole show, not just herself.

The walls of King's Landing at Titanic Studios. Photo: Colm O'Reilly / Sunday Life

The walls of King’s Landing at Titanic Studios. Photo: Colm O’Reilly / Sunday Life

In other news: just yesterday we brought you the most up-to-date look at the King’s Landing set still in construction, as seen above, and it’s already changed significantly!

Jeff McCrory and A Red Priestess have captured photos of the latest additions to the set and shared them on Twitter. To start with, the buildings appear to be essentially done, with the addition of windows covering up the hollow space behind the facades:

Photo: Jeff McCrory

Photo: Jeff McCrory

Photo: A Red Priestess

Photo: A Red Priestess

More interesting is the inclusion of a gate at the city walls. If you recall, the entrance to the city was built to look already breached, with a big hole between the towers, just where the gate should be. Well, now they’re covering the hole with a gate arch:

Photo: Jeff McCrory

Photo: Jeff McCrory

Photo: A Red Priestess

Photo: A Red Priestess

Photo: A Red Priestess

Photo: A Red Priestess

Why did they bother to build the breach in such intricate detail only to then cover it up? It’s quite simple, really: they’re building a modular set. The gate is being constructed over the detailed breached wall, so that the battle at the city walls can be filmed in two states: before and after a turning point in which King’s Landing is breached.

So … questions! What can make that kind of hole? Could it be Medieval artillery? Is it wildfire? Or perhaps dragons? If so, will they be in the side of the living … or the dead? Which sides are fighting this climactic battle, anyway? Is it going to be the North against the South? Humans against White Walkers? Or will it be a three-way battle between in-fighting human factions as well as the Night King’s army of the dead? Speculate below!

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Season 8 King’s Landing Filming SPOILERS & Game of Thrones Cast Tours Seville!

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Cast Seville Season 8

The big Game of Thrones news this week was the arrival in Seville of most of the cast for the Dragonpit scenes, though they may have been there for other reasons as well. There are a few new arrivals, including one we have been expecting for a while. This focus in Spain doesn’t mean the home front has been abandoned, however: season eight is still being filmed in Belfast … and major things are happening. Beware: spoilers below!

Before moving on to Éire, let’s catch up with Spain, where the cast hasn’t shied away from the cameras. Just as they did before in 2016, the entire cast and the showrunners attended a football (“soccer”) match in Seville. The home team won, for those who care.

Moreover, a few actors we didn’t mention in our first report have been sighted in Seville. To review, or for those who missed it, a few days ago we saw Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster Waldau (already gone!), Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Liam Cunningham, Joe Dempsie, Gwendoline Christie, Conleth Hill, the unexpected Faceless Men Tom Wlaschiha and Faye Marsay, and the Night King himself Vladimir Furdik. Since then, a few other cast members have been recognized by multiple sources: Iain Glen; Lino Facioli, Lord of the Vale; and the Mad Queen, Lena Headey:



Moving on: yesterday our sources confirmed shooting is still going on in the Paint Hall sets, and today A Red Priestess shows there have been major developments outside too, at the King’s Landing set. Compare the wall as it looked recently to how it looks now:
This is how the King's Landing set looked before today. Photo: Eric Deering

This is how the King’s Landing set looked before today. Photo: Eric Deering

Notice the hole between the towers; and the demolished towers themselves. Photo: A Red Priestess

Notice the hole between the towers; and the demolished towers themselves. Photo: A Red Priestess

The city gate has been oblitared and the towers that once protected it have fallen. Though the breach of King’s Landing is a spoiler, it is not unexpected for those who followed the first months of this set’s construction. The gate was constructed first as if to appear breached, and then covered with an intact wall and an actual gate.

Though the gate was built modularly, the towers required some additional work, as they were always built to look intact. Now there is nothing left but rubble from the wooden platforms where we speculated the scorpions would be placed (either on set or in post-production), and the towers themselves have suffered heavy damage too. Also, you may notice that it’s it’s not just the horizontal Lannister flags that are gone now, but also the vertical Lannister banners that once adorned the walls. Here, take a closer look:

The wall has been breached! Photo: A Red Priestess

The wall has been breached! Photo: A Red Priestess

The towers are in shambles. Photo: A Red Priestess

The towers are in shambles. Photo: A Red Priestess

On the front of the wall, there are no banners anymore. Photo: A Red Priestess

There are no Lannister banners hanging on the towers anymore. Photo: A Red Priestess

The Red Keep gate has also been stripped of its banners. Photo: A Red Priestess

The Red Keep gate has also been stripped of its banners. Photo: A Red Priestess

We always knew King’s Landing would fall at some point in the shoot … and now it has! This means all the scenes featuring the city walls before they fall in battle have already been shot. Since an entire city street was built here, it stands to reason that much of the conflict will take place inside the city, once the gate is breached, so don’t dispair: there’re probably many days of King’s Landing filming left—we may see something yet!

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Filming might have finished in Seville; Classic GOT location returns in Season 8!

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Bran Jon 101

We have been following the Dragonpit shoot at Itálica’s amphitheater for about a week. While most of the Game of Thrones cast enjoyed themselves in Seville, we’ve been speculating about what could unite so many characters. There is also the perhaps well-founded paranoia that some of these actors were actually there to misdirect us. But all of that may be over now, as we suspect filming in Spain may have wrapped early!

Before moving down to Spain, however, let’s catch up with Northern Ireland…

Irish Thrones reports the show is returning to a well-known Game of Thrones location. It’s been there since the beginning, as the Winterfell forests, and many times since: Tollymore Forest Park at Newcastle, County Down. What do you think we’ll see here?


Now, back to Seville, perhaps for the last time. For the last week, we have reported on many of photographic sightings of the cast, but this is a little different: it was one such cast member, Lena Headey, who shared the following photo featuring herself and Conleth Hill enjoying “a romantic evening in Seville”, and when you see it I think you’ll agree this beautiful work of art needed to be reported on with the utmost priority:

As for the main piece of news today, it’s more speculative than definitive, though the evidence is piling up: the cast may be done shooting in Itálica, three days earlier than scheduled. First of all, yesterday Sophie Turner wrote this slightly cryptic tweet:


Certainly, “a beautiful, sad, bittersweet day” sounds like a final day of filming, but the comment is otherwise ambiguous. Was yesterday Sophie Turner’s last day in Itálica; perhaps her last opportunity to film with many of her co-stars? Was it her last day in Game of Thrones—period? Or perhaps it’s not just Turner and the Itálica shoot has wrapped earlier than expected. The only possibility we can rule out is that season eight is finished with production, since we know it will continue at least for another month.

This would be an open question were it not for the evidence that Turner may not have been the only one done in Spain. Though nothing is confirmed, several local sources claim the cast, or most of it, has already vacated the Alfonso XIII hotel and left Seville. If these rumors are true, in the next hours and days we should expect several sightings of the stars who were in Seville at airports, back home and in Belfast.

Whether the Itálica shoot is finished or not, it’s remarkable how little has leaked from the entire endeavor, except (perhaps) the cast involved. There will be room to speculate for months to come, probably until we actually get to watch the series finale next year!

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Game of Thrones cast gathers for wrap party—but will season 8 filming continue?

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Historically, Game of Thrones parties can get pretty wild

Historically, Game of Thrones parties can get pretty wild (Photo: showrunner David Benioff reacts to wife Amanda Peet kissing former cast member Pedro Pascal at 2015 Emmy Awards)

Game of Thrones production is winding down in Belfast, as June is likely when it all ends. Indeed: the end is nigh! But don’t worry: it’s good news; it means we’re closer to season eight… the last season of Game of Thrones ever. Okay, maybe it’s a bit bittersweet.

I’m sure that will be the general feeling tonight—lots of laughter and tears— as the cast joins in Belfast for a party before, soon enough, everyone has to go their separate ways. Some cast members have already been sighted in the city, and more are on the way!

Throughout the day (and yesterday), a number of cast members were sighted in Belfast: Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Nikolaj Coster Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Hafþór Björnsson (Gregor Clegane).

Lena Headey was photographed yesterday in Belfast. Photo: gdpheebs

Lena Headey was photographed yesterday in Belfast. Photo: gdpheebs




That’s it! But only for now. Though the party will undoubtedly be a private affair, I’m sure by tomorrow we’ll have more photos of the cast in Belfast, hopefully all of them together.

We don’t technically know whether tonight’s party marks the official end of production or if filming will continue for the rest of June. Some cast members have definitely wrapped: according to Insider, Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray finished weeks ago (likely alongside Sophie Turner, in Seville), but it seems unlikely that they’re all done, as the King’s Landing shoot is still very much active and showing no signs of slowing down. In either case, the end is nearly here and the cast wanted to celebrate before it arrived!

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