Through the Night with George R.R. Martin and Sibel Kekilli

Sibel and George

If there was ever a question who is the biggest nerd among A Song of Ice and Fire enthusiasts, that should be settled now- it’s still George R.R. Martin. It’s all about the dioramas, people, and the dragons.

Recently, the author appeared with Sibel Kekilli on Durch die Nacht mit… (Through the night with…), a program on the French-German TV network ARTE. The TV show’s format is to feature two famous people and to follow them through one evening, in this case following Martin and Kekilli around Santa Fe from his private home to the Cocteau Cinema for a showing of Kekilli’s star-making film Head On.

Along the way, we explore Martin’s home, and hear him and Sibel speak frankly on a number of subjects both personal, religious and political. There’s a good amount of tequila and comic books in the mix, too.

Check out the interview:

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

90 Comments

  1. These two hang out a lot, it’s cute. If George weren’t married I’d wonder if something was going on there.

  2. No creepier than GRRM going on about wanting a Swedish girl.

    I’m pretty sure they were tanked by halfway through the video.

  3. I like when GRRM points out his writing room and Sibel asks for permission to visit, then he hesitates and says “It’s a mess” and redirects her to more dioramas. Damn, I was hoping for a rogue cameraman. So close! 🙂

  4. Thanks to her and Tom Wlaschiha, we could say that they have a Lorathi accent. Lorathian accent?

  5. Maester of Ceremonies,

    Yeap. Our sample size is shitty (only two characters), but we can safely argue that Lorathi have a German accent in the show, given that Sibel Kekilli and Tom Wlaschiha are German and speak with their own German accent for the only Lortahi characters in Game of Thrones. Also, a fun fact from the GoT wiki: “Just as Germany is one of the northernmost regions of continental Europe and borders the cold waters of the Baltic Sea, Lorath is one of the northernmost of the Free Cities and borders the cold waters of the Shivering Sea.”

  6. Ha, saw that yesterday evening on TV by mere coincidence… it was so funny… and Sibel’s english accent is really hilarious 🙂

    Luka Nieto,

    But Sibel’s accent isn’t really german… it’s just weird ^^

  7. It’s nice that he has friendships with the cast. You hear stories of writers who keep a distance when their creations are adapted for tv or film.

  8. minty,

    Well, she has Turkish roots, but I assumed she German accent had stuck. Maybe it’s a mix of both. I’m not good with accents.

  9. minty,

    I don’t know, at least for me it’s German enough. Not everybody has the same accent just because he or she was born in Germany. As you know, we have a lot of dialects here and that shows. 😉

    Luka Nieto,

    And that too.

  10. Luka Nieto,

    No it’s very much a German accent she’s got going on there. Having heard a lot of Germans speaking English (due to being German) I can confirm it. I can’t place whereabouts in the country the accent is from but I’ve the same accent from Germans speaking English so many times.

  11. Well George is kind of a creepy person. I mean, ultimately I think he’s harmless, but his books are kind of weird. Especially given the ages of some of the characters and what they do. I get the similar time period it’s supposed to be happening in, but it doesn’t make it any less creepy.

  12. I don’t see why being a straight man with a sex drive makes him a “creep”, even if he’s getting on in years. Yeah the “I always felt like life owed me a date with a young Swedish girl” comment isn’t the greatest, but he was drunk, and I don’t see any other problem.

  13. GRRM will visit a literary festival in Hamburg (Kekillis place of residence) in June and have a discussion with a literary critic in front of an audience of 3000 people. I wonder if visiting Hamburg was her idea?

    Plus, he’ll read something from a “secret manuscript” (TWOW chapter)?

  14. Abyss,

    Ok maybe you’re right 🙂 She doesn’t have any turkish accent when she speaks german (why should she if born in Germany anyways) but it is just some english words that she pronounces weirdly. 🙂 Maybe she didn’t learn english at school but later in her life. Or it is just a language that doesn’t come easy to her. It’s the effort that matters – and she still got the part in Thrones. 🙂

  15. minty:
    Abyss,

    Ok maybe you’re right She doesn’t have any turkish accent when she speaks german (why should she if born in Germany anyways) but it is just some english words that she pronounces weirdly. Maybe she didn’t learn english at school but later in her life. Or it is just a language that doesn’t come easy to her. It’s the effort that matters – and she still got the part in Thrones.

    As she said to Tyrion: Her accent is “foreign”.

  16. I really enjoyed this video thank you. I always found their relationship heart-warming, it’s a pity Shae had to go, I really love Sibel, I just wish people would be more gentle with her… I remember following her on facebook and right after the season ended she had to leave because people kept on sending her really rude messages.

    I really hate it when people can’t differentiate the character from the actor and/or in Sibel’s case judge people for what they did in the past. People can be really cruel.
    Well, I love you Sibel!

  17. A Man Grown,

    There’s a search function on his blog. Takes a little futzing, but it works. When it comes to GURMsanity, I don’t have to make stuff up.

    Usually.

  18. Cumsprite,

    Wasn’t accusing you of lying, I wanted to see the context.

    If the Shae audition tapes involved nudity, his reaction isn’t that surprising, it’s just not something people generally admit publicly.

  19. Jim:
    Well George is kind of a creepy person. I mean, ultimately I think he’s harmless, but his books are kind of weird. Especially given the ages of some of the characters and what they do. I get the similar time period it’s supposed to be happening in, but it doesn’t make it any less creepy.

    There is nothing “creepy” about it. You’re bringing your own subjective mores to the books. It is a work of fiction. Storytelling is full of these things since the dawn of time. From Homer to Dante’s Inferno to the work of Shakespeare.

  20. Cumsprite,

    You mean you actually do make stuff up?! You’ve made me laugh with your “usually”.
    (And Mr. Sprite.. Could you be more pacific? You better not post that gif you like so much!!!)

  21. Jim: Well George is kind of a creepy person. I mean, ultimately I think he’s harmless, but his books are kind of weird. Especially given the ages of some of the characters and what they do. I get the similar time period it’s supposed to be happening in, but it doesn’t make it any less creepy.

    I suggest you don’t read any Bret Ellis!

  22. It’s funny how the joke about GRRM being lazy/creepy etc has became truth in the minds of some people. He seems like a jolly guy with some off-colour jokes, nothing creepy in it.

  23. Of course Martin would break with the Catholic Church over a food issue. 😉

    Thank you for posting this – I really enjoyed it. Actually Martin is good tour guide. I liked the variety of subjects he and Sibel discussed and seeing clips of her early work. The comic book store and cinema were my favorite parts.

    Balerion The Cat:

    I really love Sibel, I just wish people would be more gentle with her… I remember following her on facebook and right after the season ended she had to leave because people kept on sending her really rude messages.

    I really hate it when people can’t differentiate the character from the actor and/or in Sibel’s case judge people for what they did in the past. People can be really cruel.

    I really like Sibel too, and her portrayal of Shae. I don’t get how some people are unable to separate the character from the actor (like that story Martin told about Lena Headey). This isn’t real, it’s just a show!

    Hopefully as time passes this stuff will die down for Sibel.

  24. If GRRM trips your threshold for “creepy”, I can only imagine how dull your Thanksgiving dinners must be. Try this: spend ten minutes in a public place. I’ll bet a hundred hypothetical golden dragons that somebody will say/do something creepier than anything GRRM has ever been caught saying. GRRM is not creepy by the standards of real life in 2015… more like, let’s say, a delightfully saucy ol’ scoundrel.

  25. Harma Dogememe,

    To be honest if anyone is giving out creepy vibes it’s Sibel , but she’s hot so that’s impossible .
    But seriously it seems like the girl has a huge crush on George

  26. Their forbidden sexcapades must be so naughty.
    I’m picturing nothing short of GRRM in full Tyrion regalia (it’s too short; hides nothing) sauntering over to “Shae” and giving her his Hand of the King. He spends 12 minutes reciting witty Tyrion lines in bed to get in the mood. The Myrish swamp must be approached carefully, lest the fat pink masts break in the wind.

    Then the choking starts, but it’s all part of the game, so don’t fret.

  27. Renly’s Peach,

    You made it. I laughed out loud. I’d also say it’s not an impossible scenario, except for the fact that George is married if I’m not mistaken , so that claim would be a bit rude towards all involved 😛

  28. KrakenDaughter: but she’s hot so that’s impossible .

    haha… amazing how that works.

    BMI + personal hygiene * how expensive your car and/or haircut looks = y, where y is the width of the line between harmless flirting and being imprisoned for obscenity.

  29. He’s from another generation. My father-in-law is much the same…

    Renly’s Peach:
    Their forbidden sexcapades must be so naughty.
    I’m picturing nothing short of GRRM in full Tyrion regalia (it’s too short; hides nothing) sauntering over to “Shae” and giving her his Hand of the King. He spends 12 minutes reciting witty Tyrion lines in bed to get in the mood. The Myrish swamp must be approached carefully, lest the fat pink masts break in the wind.

    Then the choking starts, but it’s all part of the game, so don’t fret.

    Speaking of creepy… 😉

  30. Harma Dogememe: haha… amazing how that works.

    BMI + personal hygiene * how expensive your car and/or haircut looks = y, where y is the width of the line between harmless flirting and being imprisoned for obscenity.

    Not at all. I’m extremely good looking, drive a nice truck, AND I am creepy.

  31. For those of you who are interested in Birgitte Hjort Sørensens involvement in the show, she just now did an interview here in Denmark in debate program. There were a few things of notice.

    First of, she said that fantasy is not a genre, that she is overly familar with or particularly interested in, and so it was actually the show creaters who sought her out, because, as she says: the showrunners are huge fans of Borgen, which for those, who dont know it, is a Danish political drama, which has become quite popular outside Denmark as well.

    Secondly, and a bit more informative, Hjort Sørensen corrected the interviewer, when he said that she was cast as merely a wildling. Sørensen said that she is ‘a wildling chieftainess’. This impilies that her character is in charge, a ‘wildling leader’, as supposed to just a wildling warrior.’

    On another note, another Borgen actor actually already appereared in GOT. In season one, Kahl Drogos closest bloodrider (I think his name was Qothor), the one whom Jorah had to kill in order to save Dany. The actor, Dar Salim, played the calm and calculated but sympathetic leader of the Envionment Party, in Borgen.

    Sorry, just trying to raise the flag for my country. Nikolaj Coster Waldau FTW obviously! 🙂

  32. Damphairshouldbeinthesow,

    Did she mention her character’s name, by any chance?

    I can’t bring myself to add a page for the character in the wiki with the temporary name ‘wildling chieftainess’ only for it to be replaced in a matter of days or weeks. It’d be great to have a name. Or maybe she doesn’t have one? I hope she does. Other invented wildling leaders have names, such as Loboda.

  33. Felt Pelt,

    admittedly, I am at Work, and came into the interview a bit late, so I’m not completely sure, that she said anything about the show, before that. But I dont think so, because it felt like, they had just started talking about thrones. The program itself was about Danish Actors involved in politics. I think she was there, mainly because of her involvement in Borgen. But she also said, that once she became involved in Thrones, she was surprised at how imensely big and incredible he production is.
    She did not mention a name as far as I heard, and nothing specific about the character itself, other than what I wrote. Sorry

  34. She posted the known Picture of her as her character on twitter with the following comment: ‘Excited & proud to play a wildling chieftainess concerned with the future of her people’.

    Sounds kinda like Mother Mole kinda thing, doesnt it?

  35. Damphairshouldbeinthesow: First of, she said that fantasy is not a genre

    Not that it’s all that important, but are you sure what she meant wasn’t that fantastic is not a genre? Even that is very debateble, but there’re at least some that would make that point. Fantasy most certainly is a genre.

  36. Abyss,

    No no. She didnt say that fantasy is not a genre. My sentence was longer than that. she said that fantasy is not a genre that she is overly familiar with or paticularly fond of… Haha she didn’t propoe that fantasy wasnt a genre

  37. Abyss,

    I think Damphairshouldbeintheshow simply slipped an extra comma in there. He meant to write: “she said that fantasy is not a genre that she is overly familiar with or particularly interested in.”

  38. Finally watched the programme. Their relationship is really sweet.

    Also, random thought of the moment: while admiring some of the great Eastwatch-by-the-Sea artwork out there, I’ve been wondering —will we see Eastwatch in Season 5?

    On the one hand, we haven’t heard a pip about it, including any related casting, such as Cotter Pyke (conversely, Denys Mallister has been cast, and going by the reports from the premiere, the Choosing will be fought between him and Alliser Thorne, instead of between Mallister, Pyke and Janos Slynt.) On the other hand, Jon’s definitely going to Hardhome by boat, so he simply has to go through Eastwatch, that much is certain.

    The question is: will we get to actually see it? If Sam is going away some time this season as he does in AFCC, which Sam’s chat with Gilly in “The Wars to Come” may imply, this could be where Jon and Sam part ways, so it doesn’t have to be filler, it can be justified to be shown as part of the story. I’m sure they’re strained enough in terms of CGI budget this season, so creating a place as relatively inconsequential as Eastwatch may be overkill, but… I just wanna see it. The Eastern End of the Wall at the Sea itself, with a cool castle by the coast. It’s just something that would look cool on-screen, especially with the show’s budget nowadays.

  39. Luka Nieto,

    Exactly. I allways fuck up the English comma. I use them as I would in Danish. I’m sorry. The Danish language is filled to the brim with commas. Really would be fun though, if she WAS actually arguing that fantasy was not a genre. Great way to introduce herself to this show haha

  40. Damphairshouldbeinthesow,

    There’a a scene in season 5 where

    wildling leaders argue about what to do/the situation going on. It’s possible she is one of the leaders in this scene but does not have an assigned name, similar to Murray McArthur’s character.
  41. Damphairshouldbeinthesow,

    Don’t be sorry. I should have known what you meant with or without the comma, the sentence was pretty clear. I just read to fast and showed once again that English isn’t my first language either. 😉

  42. Hodor’s Bastard,

    No it’s meant as it is. I want him to appear inside a sow. And nor just any sow. I have this great original theory that Euron is actually Dario Naharis and Aeron is actually Pretty Pig. And I really hope D and D include that subplot, subtle though it is. It’s kind of similiar to the frey pie situation. It’s corrected now though 🙂
    Hodor’s Bastard,

  43. An old fat rich nerd showing an ex-hardcore porn actress his toy collection. It’s bizarre and quite amusing to be frank.

  44. I first saw Sibel Kekilli in Gegen die Wand, she’s wonderful in it. I never thought she lived up to that performance on GoT, and I don’t quite know why, maybe it’s harder to act outside of your native language. It took me awhile to even recognize her with the nose job too – power to her if she wanted to do it, but I think she was so much more beautiful before.

    It’s always bothered me how people continue to make a big deal out of how she did porn, I hope people see this and realize she acted in other things before GoT!

  45. I wasn’t expecting to, but I really enjoyed this.

    Sibel seems like a really fun person to hang out with. Very genuine and down-to-earth, too.

  46. I don’t think Sibel’s attraction or love for GRRM is in any way shape or form sexual in its nature. She sees him as a fatherly, or grandfatherly figure.
    My question is, how does GRRM’s wife feel about that little night out on the town?
    The video is really fun, I quite like George’s personality. He seems like a very intelligent, witty, humorous person. Sibel’s a sweetheart, a very attractive sweetheart.

  47. Josh:
    Shes a pornstar anyway haha i doubt she minds.

    She’s not anymore and she definitelly minds. Not sure what are you laughing about

  48. Cian,
    I must admit I was rather touched by those final minutes in the bar when Sibel gave GRRM that picture of them together on the set. What a cool, comfortable outing. “Istanbul is Constantinople!”

  49. Please, let the man have some fun with a friend. Sure he’s not interested. He’s not a stereotypical old dirtbag…

  50. Definitely a really nice video, shows the personality of both really well and how nice they are as persons. One thing I learned and that is what GRRM does with his spare time, damn that’s a lot of dioramas. Love the Viking ship one especially. Sibel looks awesome, almost likes it a totally different actor than the one on the show, I guess the make-up department did their job well then, like Hannah Murray’s transformation and of course Gwen’s.

  51. Damphairshouldbeinthesow:
    Secondly, and a bit more informative, Hjort Sørensen corrected the interviewer, when he said that she was cast as merely a wildling. Sørensen said that she is ‘a wildling chieftainess’. This impilies that her character is in charge, a ‘wildling leader’, as supposed to just a wildling warrior.’

    Harma. Can she be Harma, please?

    Rygar: Not at all.I’m extremely good looking, drive a nice truck, AND I am creepy.

    I like your style.

  52. There’s nothing “creepy” about having hopes or regrets about a romantic or sexual life, and how they may manifest in biographical particulars, you petty creeps.

  53. Sibel definitely has a decent turkish accent when she speaks german, even though she was born and raised in Germany. But its nearly unhearable, even for a german native speaker. She only has this specific way of rolling the “R”-sounds, which don’t exist in German.

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