Paddy Considine Cast in Lead Role in House of the Dragon!

Paddy Considine

All hail King Viserys- no, not the ill-fated one we saw on Game of Thrones. HBO’s spinoff, House of the Dragon, has announced its first casting via Entertainment Weekly!

EW confirmed today that English actor Paddy Considine will star in HOTD as King Viserys. This makes him officially the first actor cast in the new show, set to land in 2022.

EW provides this character description:

“King Viserys Targaryen is chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”

Considine is a fantastic actor, one who will likely be familiar to you, even if you don’t know his name offhand. He was in HBO’s The Outsider, Peaky Blinders, Hot Fuzz, and a whole lot of great British films. He’s a smart choice for this show, and I’m excited to see where he’ll go with the role.

EW also confirms some other roles, as rumored over the last few months:

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen: “King Viserys’ chosen heir, a dragon rider who grew up expecting to become the first ruling Queen of Westeros.”

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Queen Alicent Hightower: “Viserys’ ambitious second wife and Rhaenyra’s stepmother, who had three children of her own with the king.”

Aegon II Targaryen: “Princess Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother who challenges Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, igniting a civil war.”

Prince Daemon Targaryen: “Rhaenyra’s uncle, an experienced warrior.”

Another cool tidbit from EW’s report is that the writing team has added Sara Lee Hess to the HOTD writing-producing team. She worked on Bloodmoon, the first prequel spinoff of Game of Thrones led by Jane Goldman. That one wasn’t picked up, alas.

Here’s to Paddy Considine, and to many more castings!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

93 Comments

  1. Now this is some good and encouraging news. He is an excellent and versatile actor. Last I saw him, was ironically in the excellent HBO miniseries “The Outsider”, based on the Stephen King novel by the same name. Though in a secondary role, he was solid as always.

    If you want a closer look at his acting abilities, I’d recommend, from his extensive list of credits, Jim Sheridan’s 2002 movie “In America”. Alongside the amazing Samantha Morton and the always excellent Djimon Hounsou (maybe they should both be cast in the series as well!), Paddy Considine shines in a small, but intimate and poignant movie.

  2. Thank you for this great news, Sue! Let us all hope this new series continues to attract top talent, just as the original did.

    Mr. Considine delivered one of his most enjoyable performances, to this film lover at least, in “My Summer of Love,” wherein he played a Christian fundamentalist preacher. Late in the movie, he has his one and only scene with Emily Blunt. I’ll avoid spoilers, but please believe their one scene together made the entire movie worthy of a watch — and it was already doing just fine on that score. (In addition, it may well be the only feature-length film set entirely in England with sunny weather throughout.)

    Again, thanks for passing along this great news!

  3. “King Viserys Targaryen is chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man…”

    A “warm, kind, and decent man”? I guess it’s safe to say he’ll be killed off before the end of S1. 😈

    ”Considine is a fantastic actor, one who will likely be familiar to you, even if you don’t know his name offhand. He was in HBO’s The Outsider, Peaky Blinders, Hot Fuzz..”

    Wait… “Hot Fuzz.” Wasn’t Sandor in that movie?

    🐓 🐓

  4. Adrianacandle,

    Dear Book Readers (and those familiar with Targaryen lore):

    With the five roles announced thus far and described in the above post by Sue…

    King Viserys Targaryen
    Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
    Queen Alicent Hightower
    Aegon II Targaryen
    Prince Daemon Targaryen

    Q. Isn’t there a way to pinpoint the approximate time frame and chronology of events?

    Q. If so. might there be a way to determine
    other characters who were contemporaries of the five characters identified thus far who would likely show up in the series?
    Paramours, allies, rivals, foils, family members, vassals, etc….
    (I mean, the show can’t be all Targ vs. Targ vs. Targ, can it?)

    P.S. Yes, I know, I could probably research the Wikis and GRRM’s Targaryen encyclopedias to find out for myself. I just thought some of you might know these details off the top of your heads.)

  5. Ten Bears,

    Somebody can probably answer this better than me but I think the approximate timeframe for this story will be somewhere between 103-131 AC? (So a century after Aegon the Conqueror. The main ASOIAF story is so far set between 298-301 AC). It’s sort of hard to know what secondary characters will be featured in this story because I’m not sure whose story they’ll be focusing on the most.

    As for other non-Targaryens featured, Princess Rhaenyra is the daughter of Viserys I and Aemma Arryn. She was the object of desire by quite a few sons from different families if I have my information correct: Lannister, Blackwood, Bracken, Tully, Oakhart, Tyrell, Tarly. A marriage was also considered between herself and her half-brother, Aegon II but her first husband is a Velaryon (Laenor) while her second husband is Daemon Targaryen, her uncle. However, the children she has with Laenor are rumoured to have been fathered by Harwin Strong, who was also rumoured to be Rhaenyra’s lover. Daemon, himself, was married to a Rhea Royce and a Laena Valaryon before Rhaenyra.

    Other families too are featured as various factions start to clash but if you want to know more, I can happily screencap pages if you like! But I’m not sure if you want to be spoiled…

  6. But no Aegon The Conqueror?! I needs to see him!!!

    Anywho, a bit off topic …was watching the meh “Clash Of The Titans” (2010)…and only now realized that both The Hound and The Onion Knight were in the movie…LOL…

  7. Yaaay! He was fantastic in the Outsider. Him and Cynthia Erivo were standouts for me. And of course, he was hilarious in Hot Fuzz: “Angel! Don’t go being a twat now!” He’s got range which makes excited about his casting news.

  8. Ten Bears:
    “King Viserys Targaryen is chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal. A warm, kind, and decent man…”

    A “warm, kind, and decent man”? I guess it’s safe to say he’ll be killed off before the end of S1. 😈

    ”Considine is a fantastic actor, one who will likely be familiar to you, even if you don’t know his name offhand. He was in HBO’s The Outsider, Peaky Blinders, Hot Fuzz..”

    Wait… “Hot Fuzz.” Wasn’t Sandor in that movie?

    🐓 🐓

    Yarp!!! I love that movie so much. 😆

    “The greater goooood….”

  9. Pigeon: I glanced at your comment, and no word of a lie – I thought you’d written “…and circled the characters of incest”. I was imagining one giant circle. 😆

    LOL! Well… “characters of incest” wouldn’t be wrong! ;D

  10. Damn. Haven’t really explored this part of lore much yet. Does anyone have any guesses of who else may appear in the series (other houses)?

  11. Pigeon,

    We need a laugh sometimes, Pigeon, although I’m not for one moment suggesting incest is a laughing matter but in the context I think it’s okay to have a chuckle.

    Changing tack, when I was compiling my list on the forum (which is still ongoing though it hasn’t ‘gone on’ for a while now) about GoT actors in other shows I once mentioned Paddy Considine in something because I had confused him with Patrick Malahide who played Balon Greyjoy. Grandmaester F mentioned my mistake and I was able to correct it – posts on the forum can be edited. Well Mr Considine has made it to Westeros now albeit not into the main series GoT.

  12. Pepi,

    I would think House Lannister will be included. In Fire and Blood, it mentions that a Lannister is Lord of Ships during King Viserys’s reign. Also I think the ancient Blackwood-Bracken conflict will maaaaybe be included? Especially since they took opposing sides in the Dance of Dragons. But mostly I’m hoping Balerion the Black Dread makes an appearance since Viserys I was his rider. Given how much money GoT made, I’m hoping they shell out the big bucks to give Balerion some screen time.

  13. I’m guessing season 1 will spend a lot of time building up to the big issue of who gets to rule. Then season 2 will be a back and forth of political issues. I mean, they can’t just get to the meat of Dance or the show will only last 1 or 2 seasons. They have to stretch it out. Fire & Blood is not a story heavy book so it leaves a lot of room for TV show writers to add material.

  14. Dark Sister,

    Balerion dies before Viserys becomes king and he never rode another dragon. So, I doubt we will see the Black Dread in this series. There will be many other dragons though. Way more than three.

  15. CT Wahoo,

    Viserys I was Balerion’s last rider. He only rode him 3 times before Balerion finally died. I think Fire and Blood gives a brief description of the first ride from the Dragon Pit. But you’re right, because it was only a few times when Viserys was younger (and given Paddy’s casting) they’ll probably feature his later years so Balerion may not be feautred. But definitely excited for those other dragons too.

  16. It would seem the age of the actor cast as Aegon II will be the biggest clue regarding the approximate period that the season will cover. Aegon is in his early twenties when the Dance begins. If they want to keep the same actor in that role for the duration, then the first episode will likely take place just a few years before the Dance. An actor in their early 20’s can convincingly play a late teen, but not an early or pre-teen.

    If they go with someone younger, then they may start out with the tournament in year 111 where Rhaenyra and Alicent wore the black and green dresses that established the “black” and “green” designations for where one’s allegiance lies. But, Aegon would have only been 4 or 5 years old then and they’d need to have at least two actors playing Aegon as he ages up. If they fast forward 10-12 years from that point as the start, they could keep the same actor for Aegon but they’d leave out a lot of stuff where the enmity between the Rhaenyra and Alicent builds. Will be interesting to see which way they go.

  17. CT Wahoo,

    Then again, in the TV show they may condense events and that tourney could be shown as taking place later and feature all the main players. Changes are bound to be made. I’m already anticipating the show ageing up the kids, since they have some meaty stuff in the Dance.

  18. Adrianacandle,

    ”I think the approximate timeframe for this story will be somewhere between 103-131 AC? (So a century after Aegon the Conqueror. The main ASOIAF story is so far set between 298-301 AC)…

    …. As for other non-Targaryens featured, Princess Rhaenyra is the daughter of Viserys I and Aemma Arryn. She was the object of desire by quite a few sons from different families if I have my information correct: Lannister, Blackwood, Bracken, Tully, Oakhart, Tyrell, Tarly. …

    • Oh! My bad. For some reason I thought the prequel would be set in Old Valyria, prior to Aegon the Conqueror. I got the place and time frame wrong.

    So, conceivably there could be ancestors of some of the characters and families we “met” on GoT, like the Lannisters, Tyrells, etc., and descendants of some of the historical figures name-dropped in GoT, e.g., Visenya Targaryen and her “Valyrian Steel sword she called Dark Sister” and Rhaenys (?) Targaryen [in Arya’s S2 chat with Tywin]; or possibly the Faceless Men forerunners/founders of Braavos described by Jaqen 2.0 in S5 or S6.

    • You know, if done so it doesn’t come off as a cheap gimmick, HotD could even have a cameo by an aged up or “aged down” GoT character, or the GoT actor playing his or her ancestor 170-200 years ago.

    Star Trek: The Next Generation’s pilot episode paid homage to the original series in a similar manner:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCe6d6F-Hdo

    ………..
    “…. Harwin Strong, who was also rumoured to be Rhaenyra’s lover.”

    A Harwin?

  19. Ten Bears,

    • Oh! My bad. For some reason I thought the prequel would be set in Old Valyria, prior to Aegon the Conqueror. I got the place and time frame wrong.

    So, conceivably there could be ancestors of some of the characters and families we “met” on GoT, like the Lannisters, Tyrells, etc., and descendants of some of the historical figures name-dropped in GoT, e.g., Visenya Targaryen and her “Valyrian Steel sword she called Dark Sister” and Rhaenys (?) Targaryen [in Arya’s S2 chat with Tywin]; or possibly the Faceless Men forerunners/founders of Braavos described by Jaqen 2.0 in S5 or S6.

    Yeah, exactly!

    And when stuff heats up in preparation for the Dance, each faction does try to treat with major noble families so some Stark ancestors might pop up 🙂

    Other people in this thread have been giving some great information on what this prequel may look like too.

    You know, if done so it doesn’t come off as a cheap gimmick, HotD could even have a cameo by an aged up or “aged down” GoT character, or the GoT actor playing his or her ancestor 170-200 years ago.

    Yeah! Pigeon and I were discussing how perhaps Harry Lloyd could feature as one of Viserys’s Targaryen ancestors… 🙂 He wasn’t on GoT for that long so I think it could work!

  20. So is this about Aegons Conquest or the DOTD? Originally I heard casting was for Aegon Reynera and Visenya, do they expect to fit both into 10 episodes? I would prefer at least a few seasons for each, don’t like the idea of jumping around a lot, connections to characters and character development need to take place over multiple seasons.

  21. loco73,

    I LOVED In America. Jim Sheridan’s films are gems, and as you noted, the cast is uniformly excellent.

    This is wonderful news!!!

  22. loco73,

    Oh yes, not to disparage their work. They were both fantastic too – the whole cast was. I’m just an unabashed Cynthia fan ever since Bad Times at the El Royale, and Paddy (without spoiling toooo much for those who haven’t seen the show) was essentially playing two roles. So they just stood out to me even though Ben Mendelsohn was leading the cast.

  23. Adrianacandle:
    Ten Bears,

    Yeah! Pigeon and I were discussing how perhaps Harry Lloyd could feature as one of Viserys’s Targaryen ancestors… 🙂 He wasn’t on GoT for that long so I think it could work!

    The more I think about it, the more it MUST HAPPEN. Lol. 😜

  24. Pepi,

    I think they will change book lore so every major house from GoT can appear. There are too many Starks and Lannisters fans to keep them in the background.

  25. MJ:
    Originally I heard casting was for Aegon Reynera and Visenya, do they expect to fit both into 10 episodes?

    Those were fake casting calls that fans made. Just like in good old days when we had casting calls for Young Griff and Arianne Martell.

  26. Pigeon,

    Adrianacandle: “Yeah! Pigeon and I were discussing how perhaps Harry Lloyd could feature as one of Viserys’s Targaryen ancestors… 🙂 He wasn’t on GoT for that long so I think it could work!”

    Pigeon: “The more I think about it, the more it MUST HAPPEN. Lol. 😜”

    …….
    • If the show is a success, it probably should happen. The Targaryens were notorious for their incest & inbreeding, right? With that recirculated gene pool, it should be no surprise that descendants would closely resemble their ancestors.

    • Let’s see… What other GoT characters would we like to see reprise their roles (aged up or aged down*), or, like Harry Lloyd, appear as their GoT characters’ ancestors?

    • I’m trying to think of other TV shows and movie sequels or prequels (or flashback scenes) in which
    an actor** played his or her original character’s scion or ancestor.

    * Especially after seeing the amazing special effects in Ant-Man that aged down Michael Douglas for a flashback scene of his character Dr. Pym’s younger self, and how productions have refined the use of prosthetics, makeup and technical wizardry to age up characters into geriatric versions of themselves, it shouldn’t be surprising if HotD taps GoT actors for cameos.
    As recently as ten or twenty years ago, TV and films would simply use wrinkled face masks and thinned hair, or add streaks of grey hair, to age up characters. Sometimes the result was kind of…cheesy. These days the results are much better, and actors who are able to modulate their voices and change their posture can also help to “sell” the transformation.

    To varying degrees of success, for example:

    The movie “Amadeus” switched back and forth between old, decrepit Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) the narrator in the present, reminiscing about his younger self’s interactions with Mozart in the past.

    – One of the time-shifting segments in the film “Cloud Atlas” portrayed the characters played by Tom Hanks and Halle Berry

    meeting and teaming up for an expedition (and defending each other against marauding cannibals) on a poisoned world in the “present,” and concluded with their older selves, now a couple, relocated to another planet, tending to their grandchildren in the future.

    . I liked that movie the second time around.

    Some of the other tricks, e.g., using the same cast members to play the same or different characters in other timelines, with interchangeable genders and ethnicities, were ambitious – but not always as successful.

    Note: I thought Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in “The Matrix” and Liv Tyler’s elvish father in “The Lord of the Rings”); Hugh Grant; Tom Hanks; Halle Berry; and Jim Broadbent (Maester Ebrose in Game of Thrones) were really good in their respective different roles in “Cloud Atlas.” Hugo Weaving

    was scary good as a possibly imaginary pseudo-devil; and was a total hoot as a Nurse Ratched-type asylum overseer. Hugh Grant was also excellent as the warlord of the cannibals, among other characters. And Tom Hanks played an array of good guys as well as bad guys throughout the interrelated timelines spanning hundreds of years.

    – The movie “Little Big Man” traced Dustin Hoffman’s character from a young man to an old geezer. The facial prosthetics back in those days (the 70’s?) weren’t so hot; geriatric Dustin Hoffman looked more like a Star Trek alien than a wizened septuagenarian.

    ** P.S. Is the use of “actor” as a gender neutral term becoming generally accepted, as opposed to “actor” and “actress”? If not, it ought to be…

    • So… back on topic… Who else from GoT besides Harry Lloyd would we like to see again – so long as HotD can avoid cheap stunt-casting?

  27. Adrianacandle,

    (Re: My 10/6/20, 5:03 reply)

    ***
    • Adrianacandle: “…. Harwin Strong, who was also rumoured to be Rhaenyra’s lover.”

    TB: “A Harwin?”

    ——
    You do know where I was going with this, right? (One of my favorite book passages out of the handful I’ve read… I believe it’s from an Arya chapter in A Storm of Swords, in which she’s with the BwoB. As I think we discussed recently, that passage was not adapted to the show; instead, it was replaced by BwoB prisoner Sandor, once his hood was removed, recognizing “the Stark bitch” in S3.)

  28. Ten Bears: You do know where I was going with this, right? (One of my favorite book passages out of the handful I’ve read… I believe it’s from an Arya chapter in A Storm of Swords, in which she’s with the BwoB. As I think we discussed recently, that passage was not adapted to the show; instead, it was replaced by BwoB prisoner Sandor, once his hood was removed, recognizing “the Stark bitch” in S3.)

    Oh, yes, I’m sorry. I totally missed this. My brain’s been a bit doped up on anti-anxiety meds so there are times after I post, I completely pass out.

    Yes! I know what you mean — where Arya is begging Harwin to recognize her:

    “Harwin?” Arya whispered. It was! Under the beard and the tangled hair was the face of Hullen’s son, who used to lead her pony around the yard, ride at quintain with Jon and Robb, and drink too much on feast days. He was thinner, harder somehow, and at Winterfell he had never worn a beard, but it was him-her father’s man. “Harwin!” Squirming, she threw herself forward, trying to wrench free of Lem’s iron grip. “It’s me,” she shouted, “Harwin, it’s me, don’t you know me, don’t you?” The tears came, and she found herself weeping like a baby, just like some stupid little girl. “Harwin, it’s me!”

    Harwin’s eyes went from her face to the flayed man on her doublet. “How do you know me?” he said, frowning suspiciously. “The flayed man… who are you, some serving boy to Lord Leech?”

    For a moment she did not know how to answer. She’d had so many names. Had she only dreamed Arya Stark? “I’m a girl,” she sniffed. “I was Lord Bolton’s cupbearer but he was going to leave me for the goat, so I ran off with Gendry and Hot Pie. You have to know me! You used to lead my pony, when I was little.”

    His eyes went wide. “Gods be good,” he said in a choked voice. “Arya Underfoot? Lem, let go of her.”

    “She broke my nose.” Lem dumped her unceremoniously to the floor. “Who in seven hells is she supposed to be?”

    “The Hand’s daughter.” Harwin went to one knee before her. “Arya Stark, of Winterfell.”

    So it looks like Rhaenyra’s lover and the familiar face Arya recognizes both share the same name 🙂

  29. Ten Bears: So… back on topic… Who else from GoT besides Harry Lloyd would we like to see again – so long as HotD can avoid cheap stunt-casting?

    This is a great question. I think somebody like Harry Lloyd is perfect because while he’s memorable, he wasn’t on the show for long and I think it’d be easier for him to become associated with a new character in the ASOIAF/GoT universe without the character of Viserys bogging him down so much.

    If any Lannisters/Tyrells/or Tullys were featured in this new prequel, perhaps the actors who played Lancel, Loras, or even Edmure Tully might be featured? 🙂 I mean, it’s not like Tobias Menzies is a stranger to playing identical ancestors/descendants… 😉

  30. What about Sean Bean as a back in the day Stark. I know he’s a ‘big name’ but he was in just the one season of GoT.

  31. Young Dragon: Sean Bean’s in another show called Snowpiercer, so the timing may not work out.

    Oh, that’s right! (I’m really excited for that!)

    But perhaps it might be possible for a few cameo roles? 🙂

  32. Adrianacandle,

    Let me throw this out there… Bear with me…

    I am not sure if and how Rhaegar Targaryen’s physical description was detailed in the books.
    However, from book excerpts (eg describing giggling girls when Rhaegar took off his helmet to reveal long flowing silver hair) and ASOIAF artists’ illustrations, I got the impression that unlike a burly, bearded stocky fellow like Robert Baratheon, harpist and reluctant warrior Rhaegar Targaryen more resembled a long-haired lead singer from a 1980’s hair metal band. (Not that he was “pretty,” just not as rough-hewn like Robert.)

    Was this a prototypical “Targaryen” look?
    Do the Fire and Blood or other companion books contain physical descriptions (and ages) of the Targaryen characters thus far identified in the casting news for the prequel?

    Seeing the name “Daemon Targaryen” made me flash on…. Damian Hurley:

    https://pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/damian-hurley-son-of-elizabeth-hurley-rex-ftr.jpg?w=620

    He’s Elizabeth Hurley’s son. He looks a lot like her. He’s certainly got the flowing hair thing going on.

    (For that matter, they ought to cast Elizabeth Hurley on the show.)

  33. Ten Bears: Was this a prototypical “Targaryen” look?
    Do the Fire and Blood or other companion books contain physical descriptions (and ages) of the Targaryen characters thus far identified in the casting news for the prequel?

    Yeah, I believe Rhaegar had the typical Valyrian look (silver-gold hair, eyes some shade of purple). Viserys I and his daughter, Rhaenyra, son Aegon II Targaryen, and his other children have the traditional Valyrian look as well.

    I can’t find a description for Alicent Hightower but she’s depicted as dark-haired. Daemon Targaryen, Viserys I’s brother, also doesn’t seem to have a physical description but is illustrated as having the Valyrian look.

    (And wow, Elizabeth Hurley’s son does look a lot like her! I thought it was her at first!)

  34. Ten Bears,

    I didn’t see the spoof show (I thin it was called ‘The Royals’) that Elizabeth Hurley starred in about an alternate fictional British royal family) but somewhere online somebody was asking if anybody knew if the poor young man who fled naked from Buckingham Palace escaped. It was a scene from the parody show but some of the QAnonsensy people thought it was real!!! Getting more serious, Elizabeth Hurley’s son is like her. Although I’m from the sceptered isle* I’ve not seen many things featuring E Hurley though she was in “Sharpe” which starred Sean Bean. Someone from the Spanish class I attend (or did pre-Covid-19 – he hasn’t attended the Zoom meetings) told me I should watch “A Very British Scandal” starring Hugh Grant (who did date EH back in the day) if I get the chance.

    Fan casting is fun but as long as the actors are decent I don’t mind whether they are known to me or not. I’m glad to see my fellow countrymen and women get a chance in this show (supposing the casting crew are going after English accents again) but I don’t mind if people from other lands are cast as long as they are convincing. I could forgive Peter Dinklage and N Coster-Waldau having the occasional slip because they had the acting chops. I wouldn’t have thought of Paddy Considine but I can see him being suitable as Viserys. I haven’t read any of the Targaryen ‘histories’ – I hope against hope for the finishing of ASOIAF but I haven’t liked the pre-released chapters from THOW all that much to be honest. Just my view and people are free to disagree.

    * I’ve seen it jokingly called the sceptic isle or the septic isle (the latter was by an Irish person).

  35. Above I should have said TWOW not THOW.

    Ten Bears,

    Well I’m an old fogey and I’m going to continue to say “actress”. Some of the gender neutral terms irritate me (maybe it’s my age and a predisposition to be slow to change). Mind you, sometimes when I’ve looked up words I’ve had a surprise. It was a while ago so I don’t have the link but I think the original French word for an actor may have been gender neutral but the French later introduced “actrice”. “You guys” for women makes my teeth itch but I’ve been told that the original sense of the word was gender neutral. I also hate being called “Dude”* but I discovered that the term originally came from Mrs Dudders who was of course female. (If Wikipedia can be relied upon?).

    To try and improve my vocabulary I get a word today emailed to me by Dictionary.com. In one of their recent emails they said that ‘them’ as a term for one person could be traced back to the 1300s. I didn’t know that.

    Getting back to the subject of the thread, I read somewhere that Charlie Hunnam had been approached to play a part in season 6 but he was busy with something else. I wondered if he had been considered as a cameo to play Rhaegar.

    * It’s going back 50 – oh, maybe even 60 years – but there were a couple of comics for girls I used to read “Bunty” and “Judy”. I can’t remember which one but there was one comic strip called “Dixie of Dude Ranch”. From what I remember which isn’t much Dixie used to have to rescue the city slickers from their own stupidity, or from mountain lions or mustangs or snakes.

  36. My previous post was getting rather long. “Dixie of Dude Ranch” was of course a British take on what an American “dude” ranch would be like. There weren’t any robots on Dixie’s ranch from what I remember – thinking of “West World”. Dixie could ride as well as Arya Stark and stand up in the saddle I think and throw a lasso I think. Like I say it’s very long ago.

    I’ll have to look at the descriptions of the other characters and see if I can think of competent thespians (there’s a gender neutral word!!) who might suit the parts. Fan casts SOMETIMES get picked. Some people suggested Gwendoline Christie for Brienne and Alexander Siddiq for Prince Doran – though his was a wasted talent really. In the casting description for Doran I seem to remember him being described as a strategist (I may be paraphrasing as am going from memory) so I have wondered if the original plan was to write show Doran as a closer match to his book counterpart.

  37. Who else from GoT besides Harry Lloyd would we like to see again – so long as HotD can avoid cheap stunt-casting?

    What other GoT characters would we like to see reprise their roles (aged up or aged down*), or, like Harry Lloyd, appear as their GoT characters’ ancestors?

    Personally I think an obvious choice to re-appear in HotD (in a major recurring role this time) is the actor who played GoT’s Arthur Dayne, Luke Roberts. I’m not sure if he should necessarily play one of Dayne’s ancestors — Adriana no doubt knows whether the Dayne clan played a major part during the HoTD era — but it would be great if he was cast in a suitably significant role. Some people here may remember me praising Roberts’s fantastic performance in the final two seasons of “Black Sails”, where he played the story’s main antagonist, the real-life historical British governor Woodes Rogers. The guy is a phenomenal actor and extremely charismatic.

    As we saw on GoT and Black Sails, Luke Roberts is a superb swordsman too. Sails also showed he can play characters who are very poised, urbane and charming (he had a very similar voice/speaking style to GoT’s Jaime) but can also be tough as hell when necessary, including brutal physical fighting. So maybe he’d be a good choice to play Daemon Targaryen, for example; at 43, Roberts is the right age too.

  38. This is the first confirmed cast for HotD. I was wondering if we will see any of the cast of GoT. It would be odd, but interesting to see.

  39. Dame of Mercia,

    ”… Fan casting is fun but as long as the actors are decent I don’t mind whether they are known to me or not. I’m glad to see my fellow countrymen and women get a chance in this show (supposing the casting crew are going after English accents again) but I don’t mind if people from other lands are cast as long as they are convincing.
    ***
    I haven’t read any of the Targaryen ‘histories’ – I hope against hope for the finishing of ASOIAF but I haven’t liked the pre-released chapters from THOW all that much to be honest….”

    I acknowledge that fan-casting is an idle exercise. As a latecomer to GoT and non-book reader, I did find it entertaining to read GRRM’s blog entries and fan comments posted back in 2011 or 2012 when the show was casting characters from the books.

    Back then, GRRM’s excitement was exhilarating. He was intimately involved in pre-production and casting. He took the time to pose riddles to the fandom about actors and actresses who’d been signed in advance of formal announcements.

    He was good at hyping little-known and unknown actresses and actors, especially the three main child actors who’d go on to become household names. GRRM assured his fans they’d be just as pleased as he was by the promising young kids, despite their lack of any acting experience. With nothing to go on but small thumbnail photographs, fans reacted that the unknown Sophie, Maisie and Isaac looked just like they’d pictured Sansa, Arya and Bran when reading the books.
    In retrospect, considering how easy it would have been to whiff on casting children with no real acting experience, it’s a real credit to GRRM, Nina Gold, and the showrunners that they were able to pluck these 11 or 12-year old kids out of obscurity.

    Similarly, GoT was able to spot relatively unknown actors for other roles, like the smiling Porridge Oats pitchman with the billowing kilt who’d become the grumpy Hound.

    I’d bet that there are lots of talented but under-the-radar actresses and actors fans can propose, who will become stars if HotD is successful. (Lots of ASOIAF book fans’ nominees actually wound up being cast for GoT.)

    Along with many of us, I’m sure you are aware of actors and actresses who’ve given impressive performances in other shows and films, and yet are not household names, or seem to have disappeared. (Ageism could be one of the reasons; to its credit GoT did a great job hiring accomplished, mature actors and actresses instead of signing current recognizable “flavors of the month” and aging them up.)

    I for one have an informal mental list of actresses who I thought were phenomenal in some of my favorite TV shows and movies, and yet seem to have been relegated to small roles or no roles after they hit age forty or fifty. That sucks.
    There are also many other actors and actresses who had the misfortune of starring in a TV series
    that got cancelled in its first season or in a never picked up pilot; or took roles in little-seen indy films, or in movies that went straight to video or were never released at all because of botched distribution deals and other “business” reasons unconnected to the quality of the film.

    I don’t need or want to see familiar faces from cookie-cutter Hollywood “tentpoles” and “franchises.” I am always on the lookout for underappreciated performances, which is why I welcome other commenters’ recommendations of shows and movies (and music) with which I’m not familiar – such as those you have identified.

    • Another thing: For whatever reason, here in the U.S. there’s a dearth of shows and films from the UK. I read and hear about so many great shows from overseas and yet, unless they’re on BBC America, I never get to see them – or the actors in them. (There were scores of GoT actors I had never seen before, and learned after the fact had extensive resumes in popular, long-running British TV shows and movies.)

    • I have not read any Targ histories either. I don’t plan to, unless GRRM finishes ASOIAF and I can read those first. HotD should stand – or fall – on its own merits.

    • As for the “pre-released chapters” from TWOW that you said you didn’t like “all that much,” the only one I’ve read is “Mercy” because I saw it posted on GRRM’s blog, started reading the first paragraph, and found that I couldn’t stop until I had finished it. (It didn’t hurt that “Mercy” was written in the voice of the alter-ego of my favorite show! character. 👸🏻)

    Anyway, please don’t hesitate to engage in fan-casting. I am interested in your suggestions.

  40. Dame of Mercia,

    ”Fan casts SOMETIMES get picked. Some people suggested Gwendoline Christie for Brienne and Alexander Siddiq for Prince Doran – though his was a wasted talent really.”

    Exactly!

  41. Dame of Mercia,

    ”Well I’m an old fogey and I’m going to continue to say “actress”. Some of the gender neutral terms irritate me (maybe it’s my age and a predisposition to be slow to change).”

    I hear ya! I’m old school: I still prefer to use the term “actors and actresses” instead of the collective “actors,” although it’s my understanding that many actresses themselves now prefer the gender-neutral “actor.”

    What really irks me is the recent trend of using the plural “their” instead of the singular “his or her.” It’s grammatically awkward and ambiguous.

    (King Stannis! Where are you now when we need you to defend the lexicon!)

  42. Ten Bears, the link was too long to copy but according to Dictionary.com an impersonal ‘they’ dates back to the 1300s (which was news to me).

    From Dictionary.com:-

    “Has someone ever asked you to refer to them as they instead of he or she? Or, are you hedging because you can’t possibly refer to one single person as they? Well, what if we told you that they has been used to refer to just one person since at least the 1300s?

    And what if we also told you themself is perfectly acceptable—and in many instances, absolutely respectful? In fact, forms of singular they have become so acceptable (and respectable) that our lexicographers overhauled our entries for they, them, their, theirs, themselves, and themself as part of our biggest dictionary update ever at Dictionary.com.

    How can they be a pronoun for one person?
    Language teachers instruct us on the basic pronouns. Those are the words in a language that can be subbed in when nouns (people, places, or things) aren’t up for playing … or when it just takes too much time to say the full noun form.”

  43. Ten Bears,

    I think DoObia Oparei who played Areo Hotah could have been better used as well. Whether it was because of time constraints that the showrunners changed/curtailed the Dorne plot I don’t know. I’m also puzzled that they had to make Ellaria ‘bad ass’ and vengeful. I rather liked book Ellaria’s stance where she had suffered but had not lost compassion. The book Sand Snakes didn’t try to hurt Myrcella and book Ellaria certainly didn’t either – nor did she disrespect Prince Doran.

    I think BBC America has some British shows – including ones from British stations other than the BBC.

    I’ll have to think before I put out any fan casts for HOTD. On the thread about Heleana Targaryen I’d suggested either Liv Hill or Ria Zmitrowicz who played sisters in a somewhat harrowing drama “Three Girls” about grooming gangs in the UK. I’d heard that that was on Netflix but British Netflix and American Netflix can differ.

  44. Dark Sister:
    loco73,

    Oh yes, not to disparage their work. They were both fantastic too – the whole cast was. I’m just an unabashed Cynthia fan ever since Bad Times at the El Royale, and Paddy (without spoiling toooo much for those who haven’t seen the show) was essentially playing two roles. So they just stood out to me even though Ben Mendelsohn was leading the cast.

    LOL…I know you are not disparaging their work. Never thought that for a minute…is just that I think that sometimes because of the way Ben Mendelsohn comes off when on screen , low key and laid back, some may not notice the quality of his acting and his talent. I personally think he is one of the best actors around.

    Just like you are an unabashed Cynthia Erivo fan (she is a helluva singer as well) so I am with Mendelsohn. Ironically, my respect and appreciation for him grew after I saw him as Orson Krennic in “Rogue One A Star Wars Story” (one of my favourite movies). He could have taken the paycheck and just phoned in his performance. Instead he created what is, I think, one of the most memorable and effective villains in the “Star Wars” franchise. That mid-level, psychopathic/narcissistic bureaucrat, cog-in-the-machine with aspirations of greatness character was fantastic. Everytime I watched Mendelsohn in that role, he kept reminding me of someone else’s performance…until I realized that it was Raph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in “Schindler’s List”, and I mean that as a (terrible) compliment…

    PS Jason Bateman also deserves recognition for “The Outsider”. Not only did he act in it, but directed the first two episodes.

  45. loco73,

    ”PS Jason Bateman also deserves recognition for “The Outsider”. Not only did he act in it, but directed the first two episodes.”

    Ever since GoT ended and the Covid Sh*tshow began, I have not been watching or following TV much. I never heard of “The Outsider.” Is it any good? Has it been renewed for another season(s)?

    I did not know Jason Bateman was in it, or that he had directed episodes. Jason Bateman stars in several shows on my “To Watch List” – and in two of my all-time favorite movies:

    • On “To Watch List”:

    – Ozark (2017 – 2020): 30 episodes
    (+ Director of 10 episodes, and series
    Executive Producer)

    – Arrested Development (2003-2019):
    84 episodes

    (I’ve heard these two shows are excellent, yet I’ve never watched a single episode.)

    • from “Favorite Movies List”

    ✅ Juno (2007)

    ✅ “The Switch” (2010) (starring Jason Bateman + Jennifer Aniston)*

    * Based on their on-screen chemistry in “The Switch,” I may check out other movies Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston did together, e.g.
    – The Break-Up (2006)
    – Horrible Bosses (2011)
    – Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)

  46. Dame of Mercia: Well I’m an old fogey and I’m going to continue to say “actress”. Some of the gender neutral terms irritate me (maybe it’s my age and a predisposition to be slow to change). Mind you, sometimes when I’ve looked up words I’ve had a surprise. It was a while ago so I don’t have the link but I think the original French word for an actor may have been gender neutral but the French later introduced “actrice”.

    Me too.
    Acting is one of the few professions where it matters whether you are male or female. When a casting director is looking to cast a male role, they will be looking for a male actor (99.999999% of the time). And a female actor for a female role. So it seems unhelpful to cast aside the useful differentiating term “actress”.

    I found this when speculating on a possible casting for another show. It was a younger version of a character from an earlier series, so definitely a man. Looking up “Scottish actors” I was annoyed to be presented with lists that were full of females.

    As for “actress” being a newer term, that is natural, since in earlier times the theatre was a men-only world with all the roles, regardless of sex, being played by men and boys.

  47. loco73,

    (Continued from 8:56 pm above, re: Jason Bateman)

    If anyone’s interested, “The Switch” (2010) is about two platonic best friends and confidantes: uptight Wally (Jason Bateman) and the more open-minded Cassie (Jennifer Aniston).

    Two relatively spoiler-free clips from early in the movie are embedded below.

    Note: I tried, but could not find a clip of a really lovely voiceover speech by Jason Bateman’s character during the opening credits, over scenes of a bustling (New York?) city. As I recall, he says something about

    how everybody’s so busy rushing around to get somewhere, that too often they never stop to say things they should say when they should say them.

    )

    After that, the first scene is the two friends meeting for lunch in a diner:

    • Cassie tells Wally she’s decided to have a baby as a single mom via a sperm donor. [2:36 long]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDRcCeWRVRA

    • At “insemination party” thrown for Cassie by her friend Debbie (Juliette Lewis)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFofgS_iQ0Q

    For some reason the movie didn’t make a splash when it was released. Perhaps because the plot synopsis looked boring or formulaic.
    I loved it. My brothers loved it. My sister loved it, and she’s a notoriously tough critic – even more impatient and cynical than I am.

  48. loco73,

    Yes, totally agree! Mendelsohn is phenomenal in Rogue One. And Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List is such a haunting and memorable performance. An accurate comparison. I feel like General Tarkin can also be compared to Fiennes’s Amon. Also, thanks to handy dandy IMDB and Wikipedia, Jason Bateman did receive a nomination for a The Outsider as a “Guest Actor”, but the miniseries did not receive any other award nominations. What a shame. It had some tough competition. I’m personally a fan of the miniseries that did end up winning: The Watchmen.

  49. loco73,

    I haven’t read the Targaryen ‘histories’ and won’t so I don’t really know the descriptions of the characters therein (other than given out in casting calls or information from the blue-ray extras for GoT background. Could we find a part for Raph Fiennes – I’m without a TV at present (though I can sign into the iplayer and watch on the laptop) – and the last two things I saw him in were Truly Terrible:- ‘Flash Forward’ and ‘Camelot’ where the leading villainess lady’s accent jarred (wasn’t that taken with Arthur either though his accent was okay). That’s going back a bit. Jared Harris (son of Richard Harris) is a decent actor though again not having read the books I’m not sure which character he might suit.

  50. Dame of Mercia,

    I looked at BBC America’s website and there didn’t seem to be that many shows available – when I looked before, which admittedly was pre-pandemic and quite some while back I seem to remember them having several.

  51. Adriana, if you read this, going off-topic (I know that is my wont but the mods haven’t sent me to the naughty step yet….) with my current laptop the default search engine is Microsoft Edge – the home page for that changes frequently and today I found myself looking at Pyramid Lake which it turns out is in Alberta. It looked really beautiful. We don’t really have wildernesses in the UK in the same way as the north American sub-continent, though of course we do have national parks.

    Belatedly, I have had a set of cheap and cheerful plastic lucets delivered (three of equal size) so I intend to have a go at making a braid. I made a pair of slacks a few months ago (though they are hanging in the wardrobe at present because I couldn’t get the right and left leg hems even). I thought a braid as a tie at the front might be a nice bit of decoration (even if it was a false tie – no drawstring, instead elastic is doing the hard work).

  52. Dame of Mercia,

    Oh yeah, Pyramid Lake! That’s near the Jasper area, I think! I’ve been there one birthday when my dad took me to take near-infrared photos! Alberta’s landscape can be quite boring until you hit the northern forests or the Rockies to the west and then it can get pretty, I think 🙂 It’s a bit odd driving from Calgary to Banff and beyond because the mountains seemingly rise out of nowhere from the flat flat prairies. It’s quite nice! And sometimes, the water is this nice teal colour from the silt as a result of friction between the glaciers and the underlying rocks 🙂

    I also think a braid would be a nice touch on a waistband! I don’t think I’ve ever used a lucet before, only a kumihimo disc, but I’d like to try!

  53. Adrianacandle,

    Well a lucet is kind of like French knitting – sometimes called corking – or what is done on a Knitting Nancy only with two prongs instead of four. When I did French knitting as a little girl my Dad knocked four nails into a cotton reel (they still had the old-fashioned wooden cotton reels then). The only thing was that it was a problem to think of what to do with the string the French knitting provided. We did some French knitting as school when I was about 7. I think the strings were sometimes curled up and sewn into round mats to put under cups/mugs. Some people do use knitting looms for making socks or even larger items but I think at my age I’m accustomed to knitting using needles so I’ll stick to the needles for bigger items – not that I’ve knitted anything for a while.

  54. Dame of Mercia,

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lucet or French knitting in action! I think I’d like to see this on YouTube!

    My mum used to have a knitting machine but she always preferred knitting with needles. One time, in trying to sell knitting to me, she did this demonstration: “You can knit while sitting on a bench! [Sits on couch, knits] You can knit while standing! [Stands against wall, knits] You can knit while dancing! [Does a jig while knitting]” Mum really loves to knit…

    I could never get into it but I did like making friendship bracelets with embroidery thread! I remember making my dad angry when I’d take a large safety pin and pierce it through the carpet to provide an anchor for a seven-strand friendship braid (using the tension created when you pull up on the strings to make a tight braid, looping each strand around a finger — four on one side, three on the other). I wonder if a lucet would have served me better? 🙂

  55. I may follow Sigbrynja Tutorials videos but there are several videos by various content creators on YouTube. https://youtu.be/grWikNSt5Ak I wouldn’t mind having a go at a kumihimo (sp?) braid. I think a k—–o disc can be fashioned from card. It would have to be sturdy card though but I could probably buy one on Ebay if push came to shove. I also saw ‘medieval finger weaving’ on a channel by a lady called Morgan Donner (that has to be anchored down though – the finger weaving, not Mrs Donner, who is quite slim), which is really braiding rather than weaving per se. I didn’t make it clear but the knitting looms for making socks (or even blankets) are of course. I have my weekly zoom meetings with a couple of classes (well the French conversation is more practising though the Spanish is a class) but dabbling at some crafts at a level where I am probably a ‘Jill of all trades mistress of none’ might help stop me going nutty during the quarantine.

    Just thinking, in the forthcoming HOTD there could be characters doing (or acting out doing) medieval crafts. I enjoyed GoT (including season 8) but I never saw a female character using a spindle during the entirety of the series.

  56. Dame of Mercia,

    Thanks for the link! I watched a bit and now have a better idea of lucet braiding!

    You can get a foam kumihimo disc for quite cheap from your country’s Amazon (I found some here!) The catch is that they can get worn out after a few braids (ie. they won’t hold the strings as well so your tension is compromised) but I think yarn/beading laces will be easier on the disc than horsehair, which can be quite abrasive.

    If you do pursue this, I can recommend some links to tutorials showing you have to do a basic braid, a spiral braid, a round braid, etc. I may photograph my own attempts with horsehair when I get a new camera card if you’d like to see! 🙂

  57. Ten Bears: 🧵 🧶

    There’s definitely a risk for this song popping into my head when I’m beading or stitching XD (especially rage-sewing when I’ve screwed something up and have to tear out all my stitches to re-sew… “silver threads and golden needles cannot fix this heart of mine…”)

    Also, good song to send to my mum!

  58. Dame of Mercia:
    Ten Bears,

    Ha, ha, you managed to work in a GoT connection.

    Of course! 😎

    • Not only that, but the sewing scene in S1e1 (link below) made an indelible impression on me. It introduced Arya and Sansa – and established their differences. It was photographed beautifully. (Watch as the camera rotates around Arya’s head and listen to the sound editing, showing Arya glumly stitching (as Septa Mordane compliments Sansa), and increasingly distracted by the sounds of the boys’ archery practice outside.)
    It preceded the scene that got me “hooked” on the show when I was seconds away from clicking off the remote: Arya zinging the arrow into the bullseye. 🎯

    S1e1 Sewing: at 0:00 – 0:30

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uazzYl5brJg

    Septa Mordane to Sansa: “Fine work as always. Well done!”
    Sansa: “Thank you.”
    Arya: 😡

    • Especially for a non-book reader like me, this introductory sewing scene was also an efficient setup for the Jon-Arya scene in the next episode, concluding with the sword-naming: “Sansa can keep her sewing needles. I’ve got a Needle of my own.”

    • That, in turn, was the start of the recurring sword-naming motiff:

    Jon S1e2: “Some of the best swords have names, you know.”

    Ned S1e3: “A blade with a name?”

    Jamie & Brienne S4, “Oathkeeper” + Joffrey’s lame name for the sword he was gifted

    S4e1 Arya: “He’s still got it.”
    Sandor: “Got what?”
    Arya: “My sword. Needle.”
    Sandor: “‘Needle.’ Of course you named your sword.”
    Arya: “Lots of people name their swords.”
    Sandor: “Lots of c*nts.”

    • Sansa’s sewing skills became a means of expressing her character and its transformation, e.g., S4e7 and e8, sewing a new outfit as LF confronts her about covering for him, and then blowing him away when she appears on the staircase in her new “Cat 2.0” outfit.
    I also liked the custom Stark cloak Sansa made for Jon in S6: that said a lot about her accepting him as a Stark.

  59. Dame of Mercia,

    Also….

    • In a way, Needle itself became a character in GoT, e.g., for the emotional connections it represented after Arya was separated from her family. I felt that the show did a good job of this without the benefit of the internal monologues in the books, e.g., “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile.”

    • Mainly for the sake of nostalgia, I enjoyed rewatching this short S1e2 featurette, “Forging Needle.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKNLRoBa6Fo

    (OMG! Look at little Maisie at 0:50. How time flies… 🗓 ⏰ 🦅)

  60. Ten Bears,

    I don’t think I have ever realised you can hear the sound of arrows while the boys practise outside, TB. The scene of the boys shooting the arrows set up so much in retrospect – Cat gives Jon a dirty look before we even realise that Jon is allegedly her husband’s bastard and of course there are the points you have mentioned.

  61. Ten Bears,

    “The Outsider” is based on Stephen King’s novel by the same name. It is meant to be a limited series (miniseries)…but these days who knows? There have been a few occasions when HBO (and others) adapted some material as a miniseries, only to bring it back for a second, unsolicited, season. Look for that to “Big Little Lies” for example. I personally hope that “The Outsider” remains a miniseries and nothing else. Though the showrunner, Richard Price, said that he wouldn’t mind continuing the story if Stephen King writes some new material, and an expansion or follow-up made sense.

    And yes, me personally I enjoyed the miniseries (and the novel). While watching, I found at times it gave off vibes of “True Detective” Season 1 and 3, and I mean that as a compliment. The whole play on grief, loss, time, the presence of evil as a kind of malignant rot and infestation that destroys everything in its path, much like a spreading pestilence etc. It is a slow-burn type of story, though there is also an odd stillness to it, mixed in with a feeling of foreboding and unease throughout.

    There are changes from the novel to the miniseries, but in the context of an adaptation they really made more sense than I initially thought they would.

    So give it a try and see what you think. Obviously, just because I liked it doesn’t mean you will…LOL…there is no such guarantee!

  62. Dame of Mercia,

    Hmmmm, maybe…and this is off of the top of my head, I am not even sure if the series will even cover these characters…Ralph Fiennes could play Baelor (The Blessed) Targaryen, while Jared Harris could play Maegor (The Cruel) Targaryen. Those are the first two characters that came to mind when thinking about them as actors.

    I also only have a limited knowledge of each of the members of the Targaryen dynasty, so those more like impulse suggestions…

  63. Ten Bears: Of course! 😎

    • Not only that, but the sewing scene in S1e1 (link below) made an indelible impression on me. It introduced Arya and Sansa – and established their differences. It was photographed beautifully. (Watch as the camera rotates around Arya’s head and listen to the sound editing, showing Arya glumly stitching (as Septa Mordane compliments Sansa), and increasingly distracted by the sounds of the boys’ archery practice outside.) It preceded the scene that got me “hooked” on the show when I was seconds away from clicking off the remote: Arya zinging the arrow into the bullseye. 🎯

    Septa Mordane to Sansa: “Fine work as always. Well done!”
    Sansa: “Thank you.”
    Arya: 😡

    • Especially for a non-book reader like me, this introductory sewing scene was also an efficient setup for the Jon-Arya scene in the next episode, concluding with the sword-naming: “Sansa can keep her sewing needles. I’ve got a Needle of my own.”

    •That, in turn, was the start of the recurring sword-naming motiff:

    Jon S1e2: “Some of the best swords have names, you know.”

    Ned S1e3: “A blade with a name?”

    Jamie & Brienne S4, “Oathkeeper” + Joffrey’s lame name for the sword he was gifted

    S4e1 Arya: “He’s still got it.” Sandor: “Got what?”Arya: “My sword. Needle.”Sandor: “‘Needle.’ Of course you named your sword.” Arya: “Lots of people name their swords.”Sandor: “Lots of c*nts.”

    • Sansa’s sewing skills became a means of expressing her character and its transformation, e.g., S4e7 and e8, sewing a new outfit as LF confronts her about covering for him, and then blowing him away when she appears on the staircase in her new “Cat 2.0” outfit. I also liked the custom Stark cloak Sansa made for Jon in S6: that said a lot about her accepting him as a Stark.

    Perhaps the Stark girls could have adopted their own “words”… “Stick them with the pointy end”. It could have been like the Lannister’s “a Lannister always pays his debts” that weren’t their actual words but a popular saying. OOH, also another great extra “words” for the Starks could have been… “Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe”.

    It took me awhile to realize that Sansa’s large ring necklace and chain on her dress symbolized her needlepoint needle. She transformed a symbol of her subservience into a symbol of her strength and power. Bravo to Michele Clapton for an amazing accessory. I loved Sansa’s armored looks. And as we know Arya had a needle of her own In the books and the show, “needle” was a major factor that helped pull Arya back to herself. It was her connection to Jon and so much more. I love this line from the books… Arya had so many names for herself in the books besides Arya!
    “Who are you?” he would ask her every day. “No one,” she would answer, she who had been Arya of House Stark, Arya Underfoot, Arya Horseface. She had been Arry and Weasel too, and Squab and Salty, Nan the cupbearer, a grey mouse, a sheep, the ghost of Harrenhal…but not for true, not in her heart of hearts. In there she was Arya of Winterfell, the daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn, who had once had brothers named Robb and Bran and Rickon, a sister named Sansa, a direwolf called Nymeria, a half brother named Jon Snow. In there she was someone…but that was not the answer he wanted.”

  64. Tron79,

    Perhaps the Stark girls could have adopted their own “words”… “Stick them with the pointy end”.

    I already proposed alternative “words” + sigil for Arya, in my 2:45 pm comment today under the prior post, “George R.R. Martin discusses his least favorite scene from Game of Thrones; it’s probably not what you think”

  65. Tron79,

    FYI re: Sansa & Arya; GoT Pilot Wrap Party

    Insider.com Oct. 6, 2020

    https://www.insider.com/game-of-thrones-benioff-weiss-pranked-sophie-turner-maisie-williams-2020-10

    The ‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners tricked Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams into thinking they weren’t allowed to attend the wrap party because they were underage

    • Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams were pranked by “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who told the duo they weren’t allowed to come to the pilot wrap party because they were underage.
    • In the new behind the scenes book “Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon,” Benioff said: “We told them they were going to have a special underage wrap party at McDonald’s. They started crying.”
    • Turner and Williams, who played Sansa and Arya Stark respectively, eventually got to the real wrap party — but cried there too as they thought they might never see each other again.

    Journalist James Hibberd’s new “Game of Thrones” behind the scenes book “Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon” has revealed a bunch of practical jokes and pranks the cast and crew played on each other — the cruellest of which involved Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.

    Turner and Williams joined the cast of “Thrones” as Sansa Stark and Arya Stark when they were just 13 and 12 years old, respectively.
    Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss took advantage of this after they had finished filming the pilot for “Thrones.”

    Benioff said: “We told Maisie and Sophie that since they were underage, they couldn’t come to the pilot wrap party. So we told them they were going to have a special underage wrap party at McDonald’s. They started crying.”

    Turner and Williams eventually got to the real wrap party, but the tears didn’t stop there: “They came to the real wrap party and cried through that — because they thought they might never see each other again.”

    The cast and crew were unsure if the pilot was ever going to actually be picked up and turned into a series or not, so they didn’t know if they would see one another again. Thankfully, the show did get picked up and while Turner and Williams didn’t appear on screen together in “Thrones” after season one up until season seven, the two quickly formed a close friendship off-screen.

    In a 2019 interview with Conan O’Brien, Turner said that she and Williams would kiss in the middle of filming a scene just to see how people would react.

    “It’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ so incest is so normal that they were just like… ‘That’s fine,'” Turner said. “It was probably the most tame thing that happened on the show, actually.”

  66. Ten Bears:
    Tron79,

    Perhaps the Stark girls could have adopted their own “words”… “Stick them with the pointy end”.

    I already proposed alternative “words” + sigil for Arya, in my 2:45 pm comment today under the prior post,“George R.R. Martin discusses his least favorite scene from Game of Thrones; it’s probably not what you think”

    Aha!! I will go back and look.

  67. I have mentioned this before but here is Tracey Ullman as Angela Merkel with Mother Tarley taking the mickey out of….everyone….and the song 99 Red Balloons. I didn’t like the song back in the 1980s but I like the sketch. In case the humour doesn’t travel the song begins at 3.59 or thereabouts. Tracey Ullman doesn’t particularly just target Germans. She takes the mickey out of lots of folks including Camiknickers I mean Camilla Parker=Bowles. https://youtu.be/GVn_zcLJGNQ

    There is a slight GoT connection with the Mother Tarley actress but if Ten Bears or anyone can think of a song/tune with a stronger GoT link they are at liberty to mention it of course.

  68. Dame of Mercia,

    ”There is a slight GoT connection with the Mother Tarley actress but if Ten Bears or anyone can think of a song/tune with a stronger GoT link they are at liberty to mention it of course.”

    Well, there is no obvious GoT link I can think of. Nevertheless, here’s Tracey Ullman’s Top Ten hit…

    ——
    “They Don’t Know” (1983) – Tracey Ullman (cover of 1979 original by Kirsty MacColl)
    music video (3:00 long)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9un119lq4c


    “They Don’t Know” – Tracey Ullman, Top of the Pops 1983 (lip synch, 2:47 long; ✂️ missing first ten seconds of the song)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBE_FKTrt_Q

    I believe Tracey Ullman also used her recording of “They Don’t Know” as the theme song for her TV show.

  69. Ten Bears, the lady playing the assistant in the two clips (dark navy business suit) is indeed Samantha Spiro (Melessa Tarley).

  70. I’m going to ask a silly question here but I thought House of the Dragon would follow Fire & Blood, so casting Viserys as an adult doesn’t fit with this – at least for S1. Does this mean instead that we are getting only the Dance of Dragons which I believe follows on from Viserys positive reign as king. In other words we completely skip Aegon’s conquest and rule.

    As for the actor I vaguely recognise him from Hot Fuzz but otherwise little knowledge of him.

  71. mau:
    HYPE IS BACK BABY!!!!!

    I still have some mixed emotions, on one side after reading Fire & Blood I feel this spin off could be really good if done well however on the other side I’ve started watching Better Call Saul and it’s just not the same. I really enjoyed Breaking Bad (not as much as GOT) and love some of the throwbacks to the original series, it really does feel that it’s in the same world but it lacks the grip that I had with the original show and I am cautious HotD could go the same way.

  72. Thanks that’s a little disappointing as there is so much more material in Fire & Blood they could cover. I can’t see the Dance of Dragons needing more than two or three seasons assuming it’s an 8-10 episode run.

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