Our focus today in the Watchers on the Wall Awards is a pleasure: having the opportunity to recognize the work of the stellar performers who guested on Game of Thrones in season six.
We’re used to applauding the performances of the show’s stars, the headliners we see week after week. But now it’s time to turn our attention to the talented actors who give it their all in short-term roles, showing up for an episode or two or three to steal our heart (and break it when they get killed off, as most of them do). The guest performers of Game of Thrones keep the show vivid, and their characters, no matter how briefly onscreen, can shape lives, save them and change the world of Westeros.
Our Guest Actress Finalists are:
- Kae Alexander as Leaf
- Essie Davis as Lady Crane
- Aisling Franciosi as young adult Lyanna Stark
- Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont
- Elizabeth Webster as Walda Frey Bolton
To see the detailed voting results from round 1 of the Guest Actress Award, visit HERE.
Our Guest Actor finalists are:
- Robert Aramayo as young Ned Stark
- Sam Coleman as young Hodor
- Ian McShane as Brother Ray
- Clive Russell as Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully
- Max von Sydow as the Three-Eyed Raven
You can see the complete results from round 1 of Guest Actor voting HERE.
Final round rules: To choose winners, cast your vote in each category in the polls below. In the finals, unlike the preliminaries, fans have one vote to cast in each category. At the end of 72 hours (Tuesday 9/13/16 at 5PM EDT), the performer in each category with the most votes will be the winner! The results of the poll will be revealed during the live Watchers on the Wall Awards ceremony, which will take place in early October. Specific date to be announced in the near future!
This is probably the toughest list because so many of these “guest” actors were wonderful this year. Hell, most on the list had pivotal scenes that elevated the entire season.
Bella Ramsey and Clive Russell… But OMG Amazing list!
Every one of those nominations deserve an accolade, a very hard choice but:
Bella gets my nod for the female and for the males after agonising between Clive Russell and Ian McShane, Ian just shades it for me.
I have to go with Essie Davis, The big highlight of the Braavos storyline. Bella Ramsay was great of course but the character was too one dimensional to beat Essie.
These people were all great this season.They did amazing work with what they were given.I went with Bella but Essie Davis was great too.Honorable mention to Aisling.I choose Ian McShane but the others also nailed their parts
This was surprisingly difficult, but I ended up going with Bella and Ian. There really were far too many great guest performances this year.
I went with Ramsey and Coleman. Both performances were outstanding- and they more than held their own despite the lack of experience due to their age. Especially Ramsey. Essie Davis was superb, but to be fair, she’s had a few more years to hone her craft than Bella Ramsey has.
I had a real trouble choosing best guest actress. I’ve been deciding between Bella Ramsey, Essie Davis and Aisling Francosi and at the end, I choose Bella for Lyanna Mormont’s speech in Winterfell. For the best guest actor, I’ve been deciding between Ian McShane and Robert Aramayo and I chose the latter one for the scenes in the Tower of Joy.
Voted for Lady Sassy Bear and Bloodraven
Essie Davis, Clive Russell.
Though Bella Ramsey was a hoot to watch, it was sort of an ‘Isn’t she amazing for a 10-year-old?’ kind of experience for me. Comparable line readings from an experienced, adult actress would’ve read as wooden, in my view. Whereas Essie Davis put so much technique into her limited screentime that I immediately understood why people think she’s a wonderful actress, even though I’d never seen her in anything before.
As great an actor as von Sydow is, he had so little to do that I don’t feel like he earned my vote. And McShane’s attempt to make Brother Ray into a comedic character struck me as just the wrong tone. Clive Russell, on the other hand, absolutely WAS the Blackfish for me, both in this season and his previous appearances: a crotchety old warrior who does not suffer fools gladly, but has a softer side that made me believe the fondness of the attachment between him and Catelyn. His death left me feeling sad that Arya and Sansa never got the chance to get to know their greatuncle.
Essie Davis & Robert Aramayo. Two amazing performances.
I was very impressed by how much Robert Aramayo reminded me of Sean Bean. He didn’t try to copy him. On the contrary, he brought something new to the character we know and love, something that made me love Ned even more than before. The scene in 6×10 with Lyanna is my favorite of the entire show and I attribute the excellence of it almost solely to young Ned’s heart-wrenching performance. He gets my vote.
Essie Davis reminded me of my mum. Lady Crane was a gentle, smart and good hearted beautiful woman that made Arya remember who she truly is. I wish we could see more of her.
It was between Essie and Bella but honestly I just enjoyed the hell out of Lyanna Mormont so, she gets it.
It was a toss up between Young Ned and young Hodor, again, these performances okay affected me personally more than the others. I picked Ned.
Bella and Ian. Close seconds – Essie and Clive. Really loved Sam as well.
I went for Bella and Robert- very easy decisions for me to make! Didn’t Bella’s ” North Remembers” speech earn her a standing ovation? I hope that Jorah at some point makes it to the north and meets Lyanna!
Robert had huge shoes to fill and particularly in the ” Promise me Ned” scene (along with Aisling) he did a terrific job – I definitely think there’s the potential next year for another young Ned flashback or two , I hope we see him again!
I voted for him too because he had the most pressure to fill the shoes of a beloved character/actor.
Huh. Would not have guessed this final list. Thought Menzies had a better chance of getting in than Russell (tho Russell was very good and deserving). Kinda sad that the red priestess from S6E5 didn’t make it this far, she was easily one of my favorites.
Oh well. My choices for the top spot are pretty much unchanged. Everyone in Guest Actor was great, but McShane was able to create this really interesting and endearing character in just one episode. Many of the other nominees either didn’t have that challenge, or just weren’t given enough moments to really measure up against him.
Guest Actress is difficult between Ramsey and Davis. Ramsey’s performance is impressive regardless of her age – her timing and delivery were excellent. Commanding the attention of the audience in a scene with three way more central characters could have felt forced, but she felt real to me. Davis’s work was more subtle, and crucial. Arya’s character arc would not have worked if it weren’t for those scenes and their excellent chemistry.
After writing that, I am even less sure about who to vote for there. I’ll have to think about it more.
I enjoyed all of the performances of all of these actors which made choosing just two difficult.
Ultimately I chose Bella Ramsey and Ian McShane. Bella because she commanded, and stole, her very first scene on a set with seasoned and well-loved actors. A difficult thing to do, which she made look effortless, and, at such a young age, makes such an accomplishment even more vote-worthy.
Choosing a best actor was a more challenging choice as all of these actors were exceptional in their roles. However, after some contemplation I chose Ian McShane, as I found his performance flowed so naturally as Brother Ray, that I forgot I was watching Ian McShane. Also, I think it’s more difficult to captivate an audience with the more mundane scenes that McShane had, which were essentially having a casual conversation with The Hound, as compared to the other actors in this category, who had more serious and dramatic material to work with.
I went with Ramsey (I’ll be interested to see what kind of total percentage she gets) and Russell.
I know Lyanna Mormont will probably win, but for me it’s gotta be Essie Davis as Lady Crane. A revelation for me. Such a sweet, real character.
As for the boys, I have to go for Clive Russell as Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully. He embodied the character perfectly in season three, I thought, but it was surpassed in season six. Just perfect.
Although every actress in the category was wonderful, it was, hands down, Bella Ramsey for me! She just took the role and made it her own.
As for the guest actors … I love Ian McShane and have for years. The same goes for Max Von Sydow. That being said, I just had to go with Clive Russell as the Blackfish!
I voted for Bella Ramsey and Clive Russell.
IDK if it was just the strong writing/scenes or Bella’s acting, but her speech to Jon Snow and later on at Winterfell were pretty freaking amazing.
Really hope we see her again next season!
lol I went with Lyanna M and Young Ned 🙂
It is really tough to think that Essie Davis will loose! Her performance (for me the best guest actress so far) was so subtle and delicate while at the same time it gave you a sense of irony and danger. It played on so many levels. Her role was a piece of fine and detailed work instead of yet another one dimensional and deliberate badass moment. So she gets my vote.
Clive Russell gets my vote too. He was the Riverrun plot!
Wow, I didn’t expect Aramayo to get to second round. Neither did I expect Bukstein to not make it.
Anyway, Russell and Webster.
Best Guest Actress: Essie Davis
The Guest categories are really strong this year; Nina Gold deserves mucho kudos for the way in which she finds amazing actors for parts with so little screentime. And all five finalists in Guest Actress gave fantastic performances. When we think of the Freys, the first image that comes to mind is that of Lord Walder presiding over the Red Wedding, and they are one of the most hated families in Westeros. It is, therefore, testament to Elizabeth Webster’s performance that she made me actually care about someone born with the family name Frey. Her clumsy attempts to make Sansa feel welcome at Winterfell through to her horrific death showed her range and made her the only Frey I shall miss. I loved the depiction of the Children of the Forest, and Kae Alexander gave an amazing performance as Leaf. Even under the prosthetics she wore, Alexander conveyed a sense of desperation and emotion that told the story her lack of lines could not. Her death scene was heartbreaking – as the rest of the Hold the Door sequence was – and stunningly portrayed as Leaf sacrifices herself to aid Bran and Meera.
For me, it came down to three actresses – Aisling Franciosi, Bella Ramsay and Essie Davis. Aisling Franciosi had less than three minutes of screentime, but her performance as Lyanna really got me in the gut. She had a lot to live up to, given that the mystery of Jon Snow’s mother had been built up since 101, and she totally nailed it. Her performance as Lyanna cannot be underestimated, and I found it really tough to discount her. For me, Guest Actress is a category that deals with magnificent performances with limited screentime and Aisling Franciosi as Lyanna personifies that. Bella Ramsay brought to life a character that had been mentioned once in season five, and embodied the person behind the raven scroll message that was read out in season five. For someone who needed to essentially upstage seasoned actors, Bella Ramsay delivered and then some. I loved her performance and look forward to seeing more of Lyanna Mormont in season seven. Also – not related to her performance – my heart pretty much skipped a beat when Jon Snow said “Lady Lyanna” to her. I actually yelled at the TV – “that’s his mother’s name!”
Ultimately, I chose Essie Davis. I was completely unaware of her when she was cast, and I still haven’t seen anything else she has been in. But, her performance as Lady Crane was stunning. I went with Essie Davis as a result of the variety and emotion required in her scenes, and on which she completely delivered. I loved all the scenes she shared with Arya, and essentially she played two characters – Lady Crane and the character of Cersei that Lady Crane portrays.
Best Guest Actor: Robert Aramayo
The Guest Actor category was even harder for me to make a final selection in than Guest Actress. Clive Russell’s performance as the Blackfish in season six reminded me just how disappointed I was that we didn’t see anything of him after the Red Wedding. The Blackfish is one of my favorite book characters, and Clive Russell completely did the part justice. And I have really big standards! I loved his scenes with Nikolaj and Gwendoline.
Three actors who appeared in season six alone – and gave amazing performances – were Ian McShane, Sam Coleman and Max Von Sydow. As a book reader, I have to admit that the first time I watched The Broken Man, I was disappointed. I was waiting for The Broken Man speech from A Feast for Crows and didn’t get it. That said, when I re-watched it with the knowledge that this speech hadn’t made it into the episode, I enjoyed it a lot more. And Ian McShane’s performance along with it. He was only in one episode, but he made a huge impact.
Max Von Sydow was a huge name for GoT to bring into the show, and he lived up to the hype more than I could ever have hoped. He played the Three-Eyed Raven with a sense of pathos that I felt was appropriate for the part. Max and Issac played off each other so well, and the chemistry they had worked amazingly – particularly in the flashback scenes. Every word he said had so much meaning, and I really, really hope that he takes home that Emmy. Sam Coleman is an actor that I hadn’t encountered before GoT, but I really wish that I had. His performance – as a younger version of a well-loved character (something I will address again below) – broke my heart into pieces. He had a limited amount of screentime to establish the character of “Wylis” and it was stunning to watch.
In the end, I chose Robert Aramayo. I loved Sean Bean’s performance as Ned Stark, and one of the things I loved about his performance is that I really couldn’t imagine any other actor playing that part. That said, when I watched season six, I really could see Robert Aramayo as Ned Stark. Not the Ned that Sean Bean played per se, but the Ned that became the character Sean Bean portrayed. The Tower of Joy scenes were among my favorite from season six and a huge part of that is down to Robert. His portrayal of Ned ticked all the necessary boxes and then some, and I really, really hope that we get to see his interpretation of Ned again at some point in the future. The second ToJ sequence with Aisling Franciosi was stunning, and the acting from both of them was on point – for such a short sequence, both of them embodied the parts they were playing in such a way that you could do nothing else but applaud them for their work.
Tough list to choose from,
Bella Ramsey and Clive russle <3
Also, fot those that care and want to know
The Creative Arts emmy winners will be announced tonight.
http://deadline.com/2016/09/emmy-awards-2016-winners-creative-arts-night-1-list-1201816862/
if you guys want to find out who the winners are live/how many awards Game of thrones racks up XD
For me it was a three way tie for actor: Sam Coleman as young Hodor
Ian McShane as Brother Ray Clive Russell as Brynden “The Blackfish” Tully. Thought Coleman did an amazing job in a couple of very short scenes. The other two, well Russell has always been a fav of mine, but being a fan of the book, I was thrilled to see McShane bring the ‘Broken Man’ to life. So I guess thats my choice
For actress its between Ramsey and Davis. I love seeing young actors get started and thrilled how well she did, but there wasn’t much range there yet. Essie on the other hand gave us a full rendering of her character in a short time, and was essentual to Arya’s rejection of HOBW. So its Essie for me.
Guest Actress: Essie Davis
Close Second: Bella Ramsay
This one was agonizing. Bella Ramsey is far more than a precocious girl who memorized a few awesome speeches (and they were truly awesome). If you listen to Ramsey talk about the way she approached her role and read the awed reviews of her co-stars, it’s clear that she possesses a maturity and understanding of her craft far beyond what one would typically expect for an actress of her years. We knew from her letter in the previous season that Lady Mormont was strong-willed, but to see Ramsay embody the character with such confidence in such critical moments was even more memorable than I might have hoped.
And yet, for me, Lady Crane was the best surprise of the year. Essie Davis was simply wonderful in the role. Lady Crane’s relationship with Arya brought an essential element of warmth and vitality to Arya’s storyline, especially during her break from the House of Black and White. The scene in which the older woman lays Arya down to rest (after discussing what might be west of Westeros) and gently strokes her hand as Arya closes her eyes is one of my favorite low-key scenes of the season. In that moment, I was powerfully reminded of just how young Arya still is, and just closely Lady Crane resembled the mother she had lost back across the Narrow Sea. She was marked for death, and Arya couldn’t save her a second time. But ultimately, Lady Crane saved her, both in body and in spirit. That’s a powerful legacy for the character to leave.
If Davis didn’t have the Lady of Bear Island to contend with, she would win this award going away. As it is, she gets my vote … by slightest of slight margins. No matter who wins between the two, I’ll be happy.
(And if you can tolerate horror films, go watch Essie Davis in The Babadook. Her performance in GoT finally inspired me to check out that movie, and she’s amazing in it.)
Guest Actor: Ian McShane
Close Second: Robert Aramayo
This one was slightly easier. Robert Aramayo evoked Sean Bean’s performance without imitating it, and captured the anger, desperation, and heartbreak that Ned Stark suffered on the most memorable day of his life. Clive Russell received serious consideration as well. But ultimately, Ian McShane’s effortless charisma was enough to carry the day. He painted a complete and captivating portrait of Ray and his worldview in a single episode, and his rapport with Rory McCann was phenomenal.
Very sorry for posting this Here but Game of thrones Won its First emmy of the Night for Creative arts
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Game Of Thrones • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead; 360 Television and Startling Television
Nina Gold, CSA, Casting Director
Robert Sterne, CSA, Casting Director
Carla Stronge, Casting Director
1 Emmy down so far for Game of thrones XD
Matthew The Dragon knight,
Considering that many of the actors we’re celebrating in this thread just joined the cast this year thanks to Nina Gold and her team, I’d say it’s a highly fitting to post such news here! 🙂
Hopefully it’s the first of many wins tonight, with more to come next weekend! (And as I type this, I see GoT just won its second and third Emmys of the evening, Non-Prosthetic and Prosthetic Make-Up, respectively).
Jared,
Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Game Of Thrones • Battle Of The Bastards • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with
Bighead, Littlehead; 360 Television and Startling Television
Jane Walker, Department Head Makeup Artist
Kate Thompson, Makeup Artist
Nicola Mathews, Makeup Artist
Kay Bilk, Makeup Artist
Marianna Kyriacou, Makeup Artist
Pamela Smyth, Makeup Artist
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special
Game Of Thrones • The Door • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead;
360 Television and Startling Television
Jane Walker, Department Head Makeup Artist
Sarah Gower, Special Makeup Effects Assistant Department Head
Emma Sheffield, Key Special Makeup Effects Artist
Tristan Versluis, Key Special Makeup Effects Artist
Barrie Gower, Prosthetic Designer
We just Won two Jared 😀
3 awards already 🙂
Lyanna Mormont and young Hodor for me 🙂
Game of thrones won two more Emmy awards for creative arts XD
Outstanding Costumes For A Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Game Of Thrones • The Winds Of Winter • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead,
Littlehead; 360 Television and Startling Television
Michele Clapton, Costume Designer
Chloe Aubry, Assistant Costume Designer
Sheena Wichary, Costume Supervisor
Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More)
Game Of Thrones • Blood Of My Blood • The Broken Man • No One • HBO • HBO Entertainment in
association with Bighead, Littlehead; 360 Television and Startling Television
Deborah Riley, Production Designer
Paul Ghirardani, Art Director
Rob Cameron, Set Decorator
5 awards in total XD
Game of thrones is Murdering the competition in creative arts XD
OMG guys 5 EMMY AWARDS already! Amazing!
Will all to Lady Lyanna (er, Mormont specifically, but obviously those are all good actresses), I have to vote for Essie Davis. It’s close, but the difference maker for me is that Lyanna was very clearly written to be a scene stealer. Still required a great young actress to pull the role off, but I’m more impressed by how Davis made her character interesting very quickly, before even it was apparent she would have a notable part to play in the actual story.
Guest Actor wasn’t so hard to narrow down, to be honest. Clive, Ian, and Max to me all felt like they gave very business as usual performances. Which is to say, they’re all cool dudes, but I don’t think they did anything really recognition worthy and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think they made any interesting acting choices in the limited time they had with their characters this season. Now, my vote went to Aramayo, who didn’t necessarily make “interesting choices” either, but he had by far most daunting task of any actor from either list: To believably step into the shoes of a legendary actor/iconic role for one of the most important moments in the whole series. He pulled off Young Ned fantastically, he really acted how one imagines a young Sean Bean would have in the part.
OT: Woo, Amy Poehler finally wins an Emmy!
Haven’t yet made up my mind. It is between Essie and Bella. Part of me says Bella because she captured my heart. If I’m honest I will go with Essie based on acting ability. Bella still lack the nuisances of a fully developed character that comes with seasoning.
Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Game Of Thrones • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead; 360
Television and Startling Television
Rowley Irlam, Stunt Coordinator
and Game of Thrones won for Visual Effects
Game of Thrones has 7 Emmy awards so far
I went with Bella and Ian. It was a close one with Robert Aramayo though. I really liked his Ned. Kinda felt guilty not voting for young Hodor! >_<
Ian and Essie, easily for me – not to say it’s not a great pool of course.
I’m already bummed to think that Essie may not win. Her performance was superb. Bella did wonderful as well, but I agree with what others have said – she was written to be a scene stealer, the role is a bit one dimensional, and part of the wonder is because of her age (in my opinion). Great performance, but nothing compared to Lady Crane I feel.
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Game of Thrones won its 8th emmy award Folks 😀
Game of thrones tied with the eight awards it won last year for creative emmy awards.
Game of Thrones also has more to win tonight 🙂
Game of thrones Beat its Creative arts record, bagging 9 Emmy awards tonight, Bless the Lord of light 😀 <3
“Game of Thrones” won 26 Emmys over the course of its first five seasons, tying it with “Hill Street Blues” and “The West Wing” as the most awarded drama in Emmy history. But after tonight’s Creative Arts victory for Best Drama Casting “Game of Thrones” officially stands alone as the Emmys’ biggest drama.
‘Game of Thrones’ is now the most awarded drama in Emmy history <3
YEEEEEES 😀 I’m so happy. Let’s hope it beats its other record next week too!
Okay so did GOT just win like 7 Emmys tonight??
Also, the cast are watching boxing together! Kit is there too! Not sure where it is!
Dee Stark,
9 Emmys Dee 😀
Dee Stark,
9 Emmys won tonight, the most out of anyone 😀
Matthew The Dragon knight,
Rhaenys Stark,
OMG amazing. What else is being announced tonight ?
My runners up for Best Guest Actress: Kae Alexander and Bella Ramsay. Even under all of the make-up, Alexander’s performance was brilliant as she illuminated the wisdom and sorrow of the Children of the Forest. In much the same way Bella Ramsay’s age did could not diminish the intensity that she brought to the role of young Lyanna Mormont.
Best Guest Actor runners up: Ian McShane who created a deeply memorable character in a matter of minutes who will most likely case a shadow over the rest of the series. Clive Russell was amazing and I am wishing that the Blackfish escaped.
Dee Stark,
Nothing for Game of Thrones
We lost Guest actor, hairstyling, and Sound editing tonight.
Next Week are the Big Awards!!!
Writing, Directing, supporting actor and actress, and Drama Series 🙂
Matthew The Dragon knight,
Okay perfect!!! Thank you. I hope we get them ALL next week oh pleaseeeee
Matthew The Dragon knight,
Thank you for sharing all of that – not surprised, but am thrilled that others see the amazing work that goes into this show week after week, season after season. And it just keeps getting better
ash,
no problem, always thrilled to hear when the hardworking folks behind game of thrones gets Recognized for all their hard work, their blood, sweat, and tears that go into making game of Thrones the show it is. Always happy to keep you guys updated on awards and everything 🙂
Don’t forget, next Sunday we have the Supporting actor and actress award, Writing, Directing, and best Drama.
Bella and Ian got my vote 🙂
I voted for Bella Ramsey as best guest actress. That kid stole every scene she was in. Unfortunately, none of the men listed were memorable for me, not even actors I normally love, like Von Sydow or McShane. I ended up going with Sam Coleman as young Hodor, as I at least recall him fondly.
Same.
I voted for Bella Ramsey and Ian McShane. Essie Davis and Sam Coleman were a close second.
Usually I get all long-winded in categories like this, but I think you covered everything I would have said, Jared. You were especially on-point with the fact that Essie added a special dimension and warmth to a story line that was sometimes up and down in logic but never lacking in excellent acting from the participants, particularly Essie and Masie.
I haven’t seen The Babadook, but I did start watching Essie in her series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
Any of you who have become fans of hers because of her performance in GoT will love this series.
For actor, it was McShane. Couldn’t wait to see him and he didn’t disappoint in the least. I could watch that episode over and over – in fact, I have already re-watched the entire season and know I will do it again before next season starts.
“Do you like pretending to be other people?”
Best Guest Actress: Essie Davis
“It’s never too late to come back.”
Best Guest Actor: Ian McShane
In completely unrelated news, I saw the trailer for Underworld: Blood Wars tonight (yes, I love these – Kate Beckinsale is a major girl crush, and these started long before sullen teenagers and sparkly vampire dudes were a ‘thing’, ugh) – and who else is in it but Charles Dance, Tobias Menzies, and James Faulkner. YAY!!!! ?
Bella Ramsay and Ian McShane for me. Honourable mentions for Davis, Aramayo and Russell.
Firannion,
In agreement with you 🙂
Bella Ramsey and Clive Russell.
I wasn’t in doubt regarding female guest actress, but Ian McShane came in a close 2nd as guest actor.
Bella Ramsey was fantastic! If she hadn’t been so phenomenal, Essie Davis would have gotten my vote. She was spectacular.
I’m very happy to give Clive Russell my vote here. He was great as the Blackfish in s.2 as well, and I’m excited to be able to recognize it. Ian McShane is my second choice. Short but memorable (as he always is) in his role.
Bella. Even though you could argue she was helped by the show-stopping material she got, I can’t think of many young actors/actresses that could have pulled it of in such grand style. I hope we get to see more of her character next season so that she can show us a wider range of enotions. Essie and the others would be deserving winners as well btw.
As for the male contenders. Hm… difficult. Robert (and to a lesser degree Sam) had to fill a an already well-defined role, which can be difficult but at the same time lends a clear framework. Max and Sam to my feeling got less material to show off their acting chops, while Clive and Ian got great material. For his interactions with Jaime and Brienne, I eventually voted Clive, but if he wasn’t a clear front runner I might have gone with Ian. And on another day maybe with one of the other three 😉
Essie and Ian. Bella was a runner-up, Davis did a remarkable amount more with less to work with.
Essie and Clive
For ME that was an easy choice.
While I thought Ian did a good job and he’s an iconic actor, I did feel like his appearance in the series was a little “out of place.” It was a bit like watching Ian playing Ian playing a character on GoT. That might sound odd, but I don’t quite know how to explain it. Clive became the Blackfish – it’s as simple as that.
I said it before, I’m not going overboard about Bella. Don’t get me wrong, she did great, but it was a handful of lines that required her to act like a confident, spunky little girl. Essie’s part was rather major and she needed to do a lot in her screen time to make the viewer understand why Arya would make the choices she did.
Wish it could be Bella and Essie as the top 2 with no men.
Tough choices this time, mostly because neither of my favorites made it in there 🙁
In the end I voted for:
– Bella Ramsey, because she was a perfect Lyanna Mormont and if she had been the one with three dragons this show would have been over by season three.
– Max von Sydow, because he actually managed to make a century-old wizard who’s stuck in a tree look like a three-dimensional character.
I totally get what you’re saying. There are some actors who seem to specialize in playing new variations on ‘their character’ no matter what vehicle they’re in. And they do it so well that audiences adore them, and they often come to be regarded as ‘iconic’; but it also means that there are types of roles and even whole genres that become poor matches for them. Jack Nicholson comes immediately to mind as one example; and from an earlier cinematic era, Humphrey Bogart. We love them because no one could do what they do as well as they do; but that doesn’t mean that we’d have wanted to see them cast as, say, members of the Three Musketeers. I have never seen Deadwood, but I get the strong impression that McShane is that sort of actor.
Seriously “loughing out loud” over this comment 🙂
Bella for me …as for a young girl, she really stepped up to the plate.
Robert as Young Ned took my other vote as I was totally unconvinced that anyone could play young Ned Stark and make me believe I was really watching Lord Eddard given Sean Bean’s stamp on the role….but he did, he really did. For me he managed to make me forget he wasn’t young Sean Bean. Hats off to him for a perfect job.
Young Ned and Lyanna M for me. Wanted to vote for my favorite character’s mom, Lyanna S. But Mormont stole the show.
Kae Alexander and Clive Russel. Wish he had more to do.
Still hoping he might not be dead, just escaped, but that’s certainly a fool’s hope.
Sad when they just bring characters back to kill them off in 3 minutes. Especially when they’re alive in the books and will most likely have a big role to play.
How is Kinvara and Walder Frey not in the finals!? Not even Wun Wun…
Oh well, of those that did get to the finals, Ian McShane and Bella Ramsey easily take the win. I still love the Blackfish though. And he did fight gloriously, he did not make a fool of himself, I’m sure.
As an aside, I have to thank you (including Greatjon of Slumber) for providing the preliminary numbers. I really like to see how well my picks fared in the end.
Rhaenys Stark,
Ditto! My thoughts and votes EXACTLY
Essie and Ian
Breaking it all down here, late to the party:
The Ladies:
A big fan as usual of Elizabeth Webster. Kae Alexander was very effective as Leaf. I liked Aisling Franciosi, though didn’t really feel she got much in the way of screen time, and was rooting more for Ania Bukstein.
I think Bella Ramsay is going to walk away with this one, but I went with Essie Davis, because she really made Lady Crane feel like an important character and decent human being, and was very strong in her rendering of Cersei’s vow for revenging Joffrey’s death. If she wins, great. If Bella wins, which she likely will, that’s fine too.
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The Men:
Hard choice. Robert Aramayo was a splendid choice as young Ned Stark, and of course it’s always nice to see the Blackfish again.
Max von Sydow brings his usual amazing presence to any role, and I’ve loved him ever since I was a boy and first saw him as Ming in Flash Gordon. Ian McShane was great as Brother Ray, because he’s Ian McShane.
But the only one here who made my heart hurt was Sam Coleman as Wylis/Hodor. He’s so terrific in the role, and really deserves all the kudos. I hope he wins.
Another difficult one….
Essie and Bella but I went with Bella
Max and Clive….I went with Clive