The cast of Game of Thrones is loaded with talent, from the big names leading the show for years, to the smallest feature players who fill a scene with life and are never seen again, to the guest stars in-between. This week at the Watchers on the Wall Awards, we’re celebrating the best guest performers of Game of Thrones on season 7. They may grace our screens for less time than the stars, but they leave a big impression on fans nonetheless. Our readers have narrowed the finalists down to five in each category, but it’s still a tough choice!
Our finalists, as chosen by our readers, are-
For Best Guest Actor:
Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy
David Bradley as Walder Frey (Arya)
Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose
Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion
Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr
For Best Guest Actress:
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand
Aisling Franciosi as Lyanna Stark
Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont
The complete results from round 1 voting in these categories can be viewed here!
Final round rules: To choose the winners, cast your vote in each category in the polls below- make sure you vote in both polls! In the finals, unlike the preliminaries, fans have one vote to cast in each category. At the end of 72 hours (Wednesday 12/20/17 at 12PM ET), the performer in each category with the most votes will be the winner! The results of the polls will be revealed during the live Watchers on the Wall Awards ceremony, specific date to be announced in the near future!
Hodor!
Richard Dormer & Bella Ramsey
Huh. I could be wrong but a lot of these nominees seem to overlap quite a bit with the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category.
I don’t think of any of the male nominees as guest actors except for Ebrose. I think of the others as supporting actors, but meh, whatever. Not sure who I’ll vote for yet.
Kind of the same with the actresses too, but again, meh, whatever. I’ll vote for Tyene simply because of her “death” scene. The others did next to nothing this season.
David Bradley and Bella Ramsey.
Easiest vote of the season. Jim & Bella
Best Guest Actor: Pilou Asbaek
I thought Pilou did a fantastic job this season showing us the many sides of Euron Greyjoy. The look on his face when he crashed down onto Yara’s ship in Stormborn is the brand of craziness I’d always imagined he would have in battle. His scenes in the Throne Room at the Red Keep were amazing, and his performance full of intensity and humor.
Best Guest Actress: Aisling Franciosi
Although she’s lacked screen time, she has absolutely made the role of Lyanna her own and her performance has been fantastic. She’s shown us so much of who Lyanna was in the little we’ve seen of her over the last two seasons. I loved that we got to see both wedding day Lyanna and ToJ Lyanna (though briefly) in The Dragon and the Wolf.
I went with Bradley out of the men, just because that scene was a great final showcase for him (and it’s funny how they managed to give Bradley such a role after his character died, in a sense allowing him to go out on top).
Ramsey wins by default among the women, as the only one to get a role with any substance. Franciosi was basically an extra, and the Sand Snakes did a few stunts (Laurenti Sellers got some solid nonverbal acting in, at least).
Mr Derp,
The difference between Supporting and Guest is a matter of semantics, and opinion. So some actors do qualify under both. To qualify as guest, actors could only have appeared in so many episodes and these people all qualified. I think people forget sometimes how few episodes characters like Thoros and Beric have been in, they disappeared for years.
A few observations before I vote…
In the Preliminary Round, there were roughly 5,500 total votes for Guest Actor, and only 3,000 total votes for Guest Actress. Did some voters think there weren’t five worthy nominees for Guest Actress…or is that a signal the incumbent is going to win in a landslide, i.e., many voters made one selection, “Bella Ramsey”, and clicked “Vote”?
Thekinginthegreatwhitenorth,
Agreed
AUGH. Much as I love Pilou, I have to go with Richard Dormer. He really was a presence this season, and just that flaming sword scene alone….yup. Conversation with Jon, banter with Sandor, bond with Thoros, etc.
Guest actresses were almost all barely there, imo. Aisling is fine but the only real new scene was standing and mooning at Mop-gar. Bella not much more. I just can’t like the SS, but I’m going to go with Jessica Henwick as she’s the best of the bunch.
Alba Stark,
“Best Guest Actress: Aisling Franciosi
Although she’s lacked screen time, she has absolutely made the role of Lyanna her own and her performance has been fantastic. She’s shown us so much of who Lyanna was in the little we’ve seen of her over the last two seasons. I loved that we got to see both wedding day Lyanna and ToJ Lyanna (though briefly) in The Dragon and the Wolf.”
………………………….
Quick Questions:
About that Tower of Joy scene in “The Dragon and the Wolf” (with apologies in advance if I’m late to the party and this has already been hashed out):
• Wasn’t the footage of the S7e7 ToJ scene of Young Ned & dying Lynanna already filmed last season, and partially used in the S6e10 ToJ scene? They didn’t bring back Robert Aramayo (young Ned) and Aisling Franciosi to film the few words of dialogue we couldn’t hear last season, right?
• I am confused. In the final episode of S6, Bran visited the ToJ and eavesdropped on dying Lyanna’s conversation with young Ned. We, the audience, didn’t hear some of Lyanna’s whispered words; however, I thought Bran had. From Bran’s revisit to the ToJ in S7, we now know Lyanna was telling Ned (about Baby Jon) ”His name is Aegon Targaryen.”
Does that mean that when Bran visited the ToJ in S6 (to witness an event the 3ER obviously felt it was critical for Bran to know about), and observed his Aunt Lyanna imparting something to Ned with her dying words, Bran didn’t bother to listen?
I don’t get it. When Sam conferred with Bran in S7e7, Bran at first said Jon’s last name is really “Sand.” Shouldn’t Bran have already known that Jon was legitimate because his name was Aegon Targaryen, not “Jon Snow” or “Jon Sand”?
I guess my question is: Is Bran such a space cadet that he didn’t give a sh*t that whatever Lyanna was using her last breath to impart to Ned might be important?
Ten Bears,
I think that’s because almost no-one likes the sandsnakes. While all the selected male actors are amazing.
I’ll say it again, Indira should have been in the Guest category. Not only did she qualify but she would have actually been worthy, unlike the remaining offerings. Of course Bella probably would have beaten her anyway even though she did essentially nothing.
Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
My understanding is that the footage is from last season, just with the addition of Jon’s birth name. I loved seeing that scene in contrast to the wedding one – the young bride in love and the way her dreams came crashing down to earth.
My interpretation of things was that Bran didn’t catch that part of what she was saying (he heard what we, the audience, did) and just assumed Ned hadn’t changed his nephew’s name entirely. The name isn’t much of an issue to Bran as he’s figured out who the baby is. The name only really becomes an issue when Sam tells Bran about Lyanna and Rhaegar’s marriage.
Also, Bran tells Sansa in The Queen’s Justice that he needs to learn how to see things better and that everything is fragments. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that he’s still learning. I think I made the point on another thread recently that Bran does seem to understand Jon’s heritage is important – as you say, the Three-Eyed Raven wouldn’t have shown him the Tower of Joy otherwise – he doesn’t know why. And perhaps he thought the identity of Jon’s parents was the only thing he was meant to know.
Pigeon,
Richard Dormer, for all the reasons you cited.
Second place for me: Jim Broadbent. (For me. Pilou/Euron is a clown; the character belongs in a second-rate Marvel movie, not GoT. “Swing with Olly”, I say.)
Bella Ramsey, almost by default. She shut down weasel Lord Glover yet again. And I liked her “knit by the fireplace” retort.
Honestly, I wish the show had given some decent screen time and meaty dialogue to the guest actresses. Meg Parkinson, who didn’t make the Final round, was cast as Alys Karstark to utter “Now and always.” That’s it? Three words?
I liked nominee Rosabell L-S as Tyene; all I remember about her from S7 is one word: “Mama.”
And as I wrote above, I assume Aisling filmed her ToJ scene last season; though her wedding scene was nice, a snippet of Lyanna reciting marriage vows with Rhaegar was over in a flash.
End Mini-Whinge, except….
Lyanna looked beautiful in the wedding scene. But damn it, didn’t anyone tell Rhaegar to shampoo and brush his hair? What was with that stringy hairdo? I thought Rhaegar was supposed to be this silver-haired Adonis who was getting married to his beloved wild beauty from the North, not auditioning to play Kurt Cobain in a TV movie.
– Actual End of Mini-Whinge –
I really couldn’t vote for Ramsay or Aisling, they didn’t have all that much to do. I could never tell the dif between two of the sandsnakes. But Rosable played her very short moment in time with incredible skill, showing a taste of the actress she is.
All the men were ok, but the one who made a diffence in his scenes was pilou. I don’t like his character but he certainly knows how to play him. Yeah he’s a clown but his actions set the stage for other actors. Maybe a bad reason but there we are.
David Bradley for the men, though, Richard Dormer was this close> . < .
None of the guest females kicked my gears this past season.
Ten Bears,
Hehehe. Aye, Ten Bears, your lips are moving and you’re complaining about something😁
Completely agree with you. Especially about Alys Karstark, et al. Also mopgar. I lay the blame squarely at the directors. Those crucial scenes seem to be filmed directly as the script draft is worded, with little or no interpretation – or lazy interpretation. I’m watching the s7 DVD and cannot believe how much Taylor cocked up episode 6, for instance. Anyways…
Beric (because that voice and “Death is the enemy”) and Aisling because she nails the dying Lyanna (even though it’s s6 footage)
I can speak only for myself, but I did not vote for guest actress now either. I consider a guest is a guest, and neither of these ladies were “guests”. If the category was “minor parts” or something I would have voted for Tyene Sand, I guess.
At least in the men category there was Jim Broadbent, so there you go.
Examples?
New info on the Targaryen hair budget:
https://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-kglssa/images/stencil/500×659/products/39073/107718/96441__33067.1431202048.JPG?c=2
The poor ladies, hardly enough screen time for us to differentiate them. Lyanna Mormont because she briefly held the screen twice. Men: David Bradley–what a cheeky farewell. Runner up: the ever-reliable Jim Broadbent.
Pigeon,
😂🤣 Well that drained my sinuses in a hurry…
Adaephon Ben Delat,
Wait.. I didn’t suggest that “Taylor cocked up episode 6” – though I could have. Because from interviews, in his own words, he was aware of time passage incongruities* but didn’t really care; and purposely tried to manipulate the viewers into believing that Arya and Sansa might really try to kill each other.**
So yeah, maybe you’re right that directorial decisions contributed to “cocking up” things.
* Specifically, southbound Eastwatch ➡️ Dragonstone SOS raven ➕ northbound Dragonstone ➡️ Frozen Lake Daeny & dragons.
** If his idea of how to create suspense was to transform Sansa and Arya into unrecognizable characters or leave their intentions ambiguous, it didn’t work for me.
RealSansa: “Only a fool would trust LF”
FranticSansa: (Runs to LF; entrusts him with info) “What should I do, LF?
RealArya: “I know Cersei made you write that letter”
PsychoArya: “You’re a traitor. If I cut off your face and wear it I can pretend I’m you.”
Adaephon Ben Delat,
“Hehehe. Aye, Ten Bears, your lips are moving and you’re complaining about something.”
Well, obviously my whining about Rhaegar’s bad hair day was mock indignation.
However – and I am not trying to be a Social Justice Warrior – the paucity of meaningful Guest Actress roles was glaring, especially compared to the rich dialogue and ample screen time of Richard Dormer, Jim Broadbent, Paul Kaye, and David Bradley.
Without at least a few lines and scenes, it’s difficult to get emotionally invested in a character. In S5e8, though Karsi (Birgitte H-S) was in less than half an episode, she made such an indelible impression and easily won this category because we got to “know” her first in the Jon-Tormund-Chieftans pow wow. I did not feel the same way about any of the Guest Actresses this year. (I voted for Bella because in my book anyone who calls out Lord Glover gets fifty points right off the bat.)
Right. See above.
Pigeon,
I love, love, love this 😀
Now, onto the extremely serious matter of the vote !
I can only echo the point brilliantly made by previous posters : the male category is an embarrassment of riches, the female category… ain’t. No offense to the actresses, of course; they are all talented people who did their best with whatever (little) they were given.
Bella Ramsey is immensely promising but I suppose I have some sort of Lyanna Mormont fatigue, if that is possible. Her schtick, which Ms. Ramsey does very well, is unfortunately getting old for me. During her “I am going to learn how to fight” rant, I did not know whether I was supposed to laugh or roll my eyes… She is 9 and pocket-sized; with or without six months of half-baked training, she is not going to defeat a Wight let alone a White Walker !
Jessica Henwick and Keisha Castle-Hughes are talented ladies ! But there was not much for them to do this year. Though the last image of their dead bodies was haunting, to be fair.
Aisling Franciosi… Brilliant woman but she was there for about 30 seconds, looking amorously at some bleached-hair man, and that was about it.
So I went for Rosabell Laurenti Sellers. In her final scene, without a word spoken, she expressed her character’s feelings perfectly : defiance, panic, horror, mourning and love. Good job masterfully done !
The male category was tough !
Jim Broadbent was excellent but then, he always is. His character did not leave that much of an impact in the story overall so I unfairly eliminated him.
David Bradley is an international treasure and should be worshipped. He made Walder Frey in a way no one else could have. But I have voted for him so many times already that I decided to spread the wealth ^^
Richard Dormer is great and Beric had a surprisingly high (for him) number of scenes this season. His exchange with the Hound, in particular, was beautiful. But I’ll vote for him next year (I refuse to believe he died on the Wall !)
Paul Kaye… I should vote for him. My head and my heart tell me to. Thoros’s last stance took me by surprise in how much it moved me and that was all on Paul Kaye. He gave the character soul, warmth, humour and resolution. I should vote for him but…
Pilou Asbæk ! My head and heart belong to Paul Kaye but my guts yell Pilou’s name ^^ It takes a special spark to play a character who is crazed. Not crazy but crazed. Iwan Rheon has it, Jack Gleeson has it and now, Pilou has it ! For me, Euron went from “meh” in season six to, in season seven, “what the bloody hell ?!?” Suave at the palace, mental at sea, Euron was a horrific joy to behold so I voted for him. In spite of his Renaissance fair costume 😉
ACME:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Euron and Scabior (from Harry Potter) should start a band.
https://78.media.tumblr.com/1bc0a62a4b2ae2be27babb7a4ef69543/tumblr_o2njx0uhOO1thu2vbo1_500.gif
Toss up between Beric and Thoros for me. Always a BwoB devotee. I flipped a coin. Not a fan of Euron’s revamped silliness this season, except I enjoyed his role in ending the Sand Snake’s misery. Kudos to Cersei for her role in nullifying the SS as well. Gave my vote to Tyene to soothe the misery.
Broadbent is never less than wonderful in anything he does.
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand. The reason for this vote is simple: I actually liked the Sand Snakes. I realize that dissing the whole Dorne thing is fashionable, but seriously, the bad girls of Dorne were the best at vicious comic relief.
For Best Guest Actor: Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy
For Best Guest Actress: Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
Reason: Left the biggest impact on me this season (out of the given nominees)
Bella Ramsey could just stand there and win, I voted for Jessica Henwick, thought she was more deserving.
Riverhawk2055,
Is it/was it confirmed that Jim Broadbent isn’t going to be in S8? Because I really appreciated his understated performance in S7. He didn’t try to chew up the scenery. In fact, when he first appeared I did not recognize him at all. Maybe it was the haircut – and no glasses.
Jim Broadbent was my clear favorite among the lads. Among the lasses, not one impressed me at all.
Ten Bears,
You really simplified their conflict. It was far more complicated than that.
As a wise man once said, there’s two kinds of people: those who can stomach a cartoon villain, and those who have taste… (Not sure whether Pilou and/or D&D are to blame, but the result is the same, I couldn’t vote Euron) In the end, I went with the Archmaester, who was portrayed with great subtlety by JB.
On the female side, I voted Bella Ramsay. Not sure she’s a better actor than some of the others, but she certainly was the most fun to watch, while at the same time remaining genuine.
I got your mock tone, Ten Bears. I meant that Sandor jibe as a friendly dig in the same. If it came across otherwise, I apologize to you.
About Taylor and s7e6, enough said. IMO his attitude, as you say – “didn’t really care”, is just inexcusable.
Podeswa, unfortunately, could have framed the Rhaegar reveal much better to not only avoid the confusion some viewers experienced, but also to let the thing “breathe”.
Seems I’m also guilty of confusion (sorry) in previous comment, so no more whinging from me – well, until next time, hah.
Guest Actor: Pilou Asbaek
Guest Actress: Rosabell Laurenti-Sellers
The rebirth of glam rock, at long last ! ^^
Male definitely David Bradley
Female…. there really is no one I want to vote for, but I chose Bella Ramsay. She didn’t have much to do, but shes the best character/performer from that group of choices.
Best guest actor – Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose
Best guest actress – Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont
Best Guest Actor: Jim Broadbent as Archmaester Ebrose
Best Guest Actress: Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand
Best Guest Actor:
A coin toss between David Bradley (Walder Frey) and Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion). Actually, all five nominees were outstanding.
Best Guest Actress:
Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Tyene Sand).
Best Guest Actor: Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion a.k.a. The Lightning Lord a.k.a. The Greatest Character in the Entire Show (I’m exaggerating. But only slightly 😉 )
Close Second: Pilou Asbaek as Euron Greyjoy
Best Guest Actress: Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont (As amazing as she was last year when she deservingly won this category, I felt compelled to vote for Essie Davis’s wonderful and essential performance as Lady Crane. Consider this a make-good as she likely repeats).
Close Second: Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand