Welcome to the 2016 Watchers on the Wall Award Preliminaries! Voting is now in session.
We’re here to celebrate the best of Game of Thrones, highlighting our favorite moments and performances from season 6. We’ve gathered up your suggestions for nominations, tallied them with the invaluable help of Greatjon of Slumber, and are now ready to kick off the difficult task of narrowing down our choices.
We’re starting today with two fun cateogries: Best Guest Actor and Guest Actress. These categories pay tribute to the shorter-term performances and smaller roles that win our hearts and catch our eyes on Game of Thrones.
The Rules: This is the preliminary round! We want to narrow this selection down to the top 5 contenders. We’re asking that you select up to FIVE nominees from each! You can choose fewer if you like, but you cannot choose more than 5 from each poll.
At the end of 72 hours (Thursday 8/25/16 at 8:00PM EDT), the five performers in each category that have the most votes will continue on to the final round.
The results will be revealed when it’s time to vote for the final winner of Best Guest Actor and Actress in a couple weeks. Debate the possibilities and vote for your faves!
*Reminder: you may choose up to five nominees in each poll, and make sure you click Vote in both polls!*
Hodor
Is it just my computer being weird, or are there no actors/actresses listed?
(I always look so forward to these awards! Thanks to all involved for all the work!!!)
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
I would say it’s your computer since we have quite a few votes already. Try refreshing/reloading.
Sue the Fury,
I’ve already refreshed. I probably need to close and reopen by browser. Thanks.
Are the actresses who play Meera and Yara in the supporting categories?
Flayed Potatoes,
Most definitely. They’re long-term cast members.
Guest here is defined as appearing in 3 or fewer episodes in season 6, and hasn’t appeared in more than 10 episodes total. More than that, and you’re bumped up to supporting or regular. Gotta draw a line somewhere.
That was fun – thanks! Some good candidates there, though some less memorable. I must say that on the guest actor it was very hard to narrow to five – on actress too, though less hard there.
Guest Actor
This might be the hardest category to pick five nominees from. There are so many worthy contenders for nomination, and no matter how many combinations of five nominees I came to, there were always a couple of worthy nominees left out.
There are two nominees I just couldn’t imagine my list without. Ian McShane did an incredible job bringing his one-episode character to life. I recently re-watched “The Broken Man,” and just how expressive he is, how much he elevates his scenes, and how much of an impact his death makes is really impressive. I also couldn’t find it in me to leave David Bradley off my list. Walder Frey is one of the most memorable villains on the show, and for good reason. Bradley did an incredible job inhabiting the character and making such an impression, and he had some great bits this year (especially his convo with Jaime in the finale).
The other three I picked primarily based on how difficult I thought their job was. Max von Sydow is an incredible actor, and I think it was his presence and charisma that really made the Three-Eyed Raven an interesting character to watch and listen to. Let’s be honest, the Three-Eyed Raven was pretty underdeveloped as a character. But I still really enjoyed the interactions with him and Bran, mostly for the unique way that Sydow delivered his lines. Pilou Asbaeck similarly had to use the little screen time he had to bring Euron to life and make him an interesting character. Even in his first scene, where I could barely see him, his voice and delivery captured my attention. Impressive work.
Robert Aramayo rounded out my list. Its amazing re-watching his scenes and seeing how much he channels Ned without imitating Sean Bean. Also, his acting in the R+L=J reveal really sells the emotional impact of that scene, to great effect. Again, he makes it because I feel that the role provided a unique challenge to the actor and he overcame it exceptionally well.
There are so many others that didn’t quite make it. Tobias Menzies and Sam Coleman in particular were hard not to list. Will be happy with almost any combination of actors that make it to the final five.
Shit! I just closed the browser and reopened it, but still no luck. This is a new laptop, though, so I probably just need to upload some Adobe or java I still haven’t added, yet.
I can’t wait to vote when I finally get my shit together. 🙂
Damn, choosing 5 actors was damn hard. Ended up with Faulkner (his one scene so far as Randyll was impressive), Kaye & Dormer (because they’re awesome), and Menzies & Russell (as a reward for the nice Riverrun storyline with both of them having a great scene with Jaime).
Guest actresses….not so hard. Only nominated three: Alexandru (memorable performance as Leaf), Essie Davis (just an excellent actress elevating a very small part) and, of course, the winner in this category: Bella Ramsey.
Always difficult to narrow down, but I’ve gone with:
David Bradley
Ian McShane
Tim McInnerny
Tobias Menzies (Runner Up)
Max von Sydow (Winner)
Kae Alexander
Ania Bukstein
Elizabeth Webster
Essie Davis (Runner Up)
Bella Ramsey (Winner)
They were both tough categories mind, and I could’ve easily picked several more of the names from both lists, but these are the five from each I’ve gone with.
Lyanna Mormont FTW!!
Hodor Targaryen,
Tobias Menzies was my top, absolutely – the others you mention either in the five or in the ‘near’ ones. Seven or eight would have done it. But Richard Dormer and Paul Kaye, for me, had to be in there, likewise Clive Russell.
I did my 5 votes per but we all know Bella Ramsey is running away with this one. For the men, I have a feeling Ian McShane or Max von Sydow will take it on reputation alone, but for me Tobias Menzes is the clear winner. His scene with Jamie in the tent was phenomenal. I don’t watch Outlander but I’ve considered it simply because I really love him as an actor. He’s criminally underrated. Those of you who have yet to watch Rome, you really should do it in the offseason. I think it’s only 20 total episodes, maybe even less (Fewer).
Actresses –
Bella Ramsay, Kae Alexander, Essie Davis, Aisling Franciosi and Cordelia Hill, though I’d have liked to include Elizabeth Webster there also.
Laura,
Fewer indeed … 😀
One of my favourite actors. And yes, his scene with Jamie was exceptionally well played.
1. Tim McInnerny as Robett Glover. I already was a fan of the actor from Blackadder and his recent stint on Sherlock, but even I could not have predicted he would’ve made such an excellent Northern Lord. His first scene is amazing enough; You can feel the sadness, the passion. But his “King in the North” speech is simply amazing. When he says he will regret not joining Jon before for the rest of his life, you completely believe him. Each time I watch the scene, I literally get chills when he says those words, with his voice almost breaking as he does. Robett Glover may be a tertiary character, but I hope he returns, because I found McInnerny’s acting to be absolutely mesmerazing.
2. Clive Russell as the Blackfish The only returning character of my five contenders, and Russell deserves it. He delivered the AFFC-based lines and the D&D originals with equal excellence. I was always enamored with Russell’s portrayal of the character, and the latter half of season six delivered a fitting end for him. The verbal sparring between the Blackfish and Jaime on the drawbridge will always be amongst the best written verbal confrontations from both the books and the show. The adaptation of the written material was particularly great, by the way. Cogman encapsulated the best of the source material and did away with anything that would’ve impeded the flow of the scene.
3. Ian McShane as Brother Ray. Although he was a Septon Meribald/Elder Brother mixture in terms of the plot and his backstory, his personality was mostly a D&D creation. His two or three speches were obviously written with a great actor in mind to portray them, and they couldn’t have done better than McShane.
4. James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly. Simply wow. I never truly got Sam until I saw him alongside his father. I thought I did; Sam had talked about his father often enough, in absolute fear. But seeing it is another story, and Faulkner did it pefectly.
5. Pilou Asbaek as Euron Greyjoy. In just a few scenes, he brought to life a character I had little to no interest in from the books, at least until the recently released TWOW chapter of “The Forsaken”, in which I started to see where George was going for the character. I don’t know if D&D are going in the same Lovecraftian direction, but I’m interested in the live-action version eitherway. His first scene in particular is chilling, and it encapsulates the character perfectly. The coronation ceremony is also amazing. The kingsmoot speech is better for Yara, but I can see what D&D were doing —He was demagoguing the hell out of it.
1. Essie Davis as Lady Crane. A revelation. Lady Stork isn’t a particularly interesting character in the TWOW “Mercy” chapter, and not even the show’s much more elaborate version might have been as amazing if it wasn’t for Essie Davis. Such charisma! She seemed to enamore Arya almost instantly, and she did me as well. She was given such amazing scenes to play, such as playing Crane playing Cersei, and being the super-honest cool mom-type to Arya, particularly once they’re in her home.
2. Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont. She simply has to win, doesn’t she? What a revelation. I think we all loved the concept of her when Stannis showed Jon the famous letter, but not even in my wildest dreams I thought we’d be able to see a personification of that headstrong Mormont sass in an 11-year old actress.
3. Samantha Spiro as Melessa Tarly. I’m not the only one, surely, who expected Sam’s mother and generally the whole family to be as fearful of their Lord as Sam. But she wasn’t. And she was so sweet to little Sam and to Gilly. And she gave Randyll what for when he got out of line. She was simply a nice surprise, beutifully played by Spiro.
4. Ania Bukstein as Kinvara. I was surprised that she only got one scene, the one many of us already knew about thanks to the leaked casting video, but I still loved the character. Sure, I wish Thoros of Myr wasn’t the only representative of R’hllor who isn’t a hot woman, but anyway, that doesn’t change that I found Kinvara quite intimidating, especially the moment Varys started to fear her.
5. Kae Alexander as Leaf. A small thankless role, perhaps, partly due to the make-up, which by the way must have been a nightmare. But still, it was memorable, somehow. She had her defining moment in the fifth episode, when she revealed the Children had created the White Walkers as a weapon of mass destruction against Men, but she had me interested since her first scene of the seasson, in episode two, in which she tried to inspire Meera.
I have to echo some of the sentiments above – choosing Guest Actress nominees was much easier than choosing Guest Actor. For the former, I went with the four I nominated previously – Kae Alexander, Essie Davis, Aisling Franciosi and Bella Ramsay. All four gave memorable performances with limited screentime (particularly Aisling Franciosi, who is on screen for less than 3 minutes and still manages to tug at heart strings when she pleads with Ned to protect her son) and Bella Ramsay’s Lyanna Mormont was the stand out for me in an episode that included the return of Sandor Clegane. Although picking five or less in this category was simple this time around, it will be harder to cut it down to a final one.
For Guest Actor, I wish I could have nominated more than five!! In the end I went firstly with Robert Aramayo (who had a really tough job given that Sean Bean’s performance as Ned in Season One was so powerful) – I hope we get to see him again in Season Seven, but I doubt it. I had to go with Pilou Asbaek as well – his Euron is compelling to watch, and again I look forward to more in Season Seven. Thirdly, I selected Sam Coleman – again someone who had a tough job, portraying an iconic character we had known for a long time. He totally nailed it, and the entire Hold the Door sequence had me in bits. For someone who only had one scene, James Faulkner was stunning as Randyll Tarly. Given that we have heard so much about this man from Sam, in the wrong hands this part could have been reduced to pantomime villain. But thankfully, GoT cast James Faulkner. Finally, I went for Max Von Sydow. His portrayal of the Three-Eyed Raven was compelling, and he has a way of forcing you to listen to his every word. I do regret not being able to also vote for Ian McShane and Luke Roberts. Or for Clive Russell and Tobias Menzies, but there was a limit of five! All four of them gave tremendous performances – and again, Luke Roberts had to play an iconic figure in Westerosi folklore with only one short scene, and he smashed it.
Yeah, Guest Actor is going to be very difficult to cut down to one person. I can’t wait to see who gets down to the final five for both!
Luka Nieto,
Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr and Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion are my runners up because I just loved them, in particular Dormer. For some reason his voice makes me all tingly, and Kaye’s as well. Their scene trying to convince the Hound of joining them for the “real war in the north” is so well written and acted by these two.
Oh Lord, picking the actors was tough. Actresses not quite so tough. And it will just get more difficult as we go along! Love the votes. For me:
Tobias
Clive
Ian
Max
Pilou “I am the storm”
I could have easily picked 10.
Essie
Bella
Elizabeth
Kae
Samantha
I’m betting it’ll come down to Essie and Bella, and that will be torture. 🙂
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Same thing is happening on my laptop & my phone. Its only when I switched the internet connection on my laptop that I got the full page with the list.
I’m still trying to figure out what exactly is causing the obstruction.
For each of these two categories, there’s one that I’d vote for above others – so we’ll see if they make the final cut which I think in one category will happen, but am much less sure about the other. For the male actors, one much above all others, then a bunch of around six or seven. For the female actors, several though one leading so at least I should have somebody to vote for in the final selection.
OT: Another interview with Kit. He cried when he found out he was nominated for the Emmys lol
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-kit-harington-final-920168
Bella Ramsey a thousand times!!!!
Male Votes:
-David Bradley (Walder Frey)
-Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully)
-Ian McShane (Brother Ray)
-James Faulkner (Randyll Tarly)
-Michael Feast (Aeron Greyjoy)
Honorable Mentions: Max von Sydow (Bloodraven–man, it was tough not voting for him!), Rupert Vansittart (Yohn Royce), Clive Russell (Brynden “Blackfish” Tully)
Female Votes:
-Essie Davis (Lady Crane)
-Ania Bukstein (High Priestess Kinvara)
-Samantha Spiro (Melessa Tarly)
-Meena Rayann (Vala)
-Bella Ramsey (Lyanna Mormont)
Honorable Mentions: Elizabeth Webster (Fat Walda), Kae Alexander (Leaf), Sabrina Bartlett (Riverrun servant/Arya’s other face)
I watch Outlander and I LOVE it!! And Tobias Menzies is even better in Outlander! But Sam Heughan is even better than Tobias! Every woman I know falls in love with Sam as Jaime Fraser in Outlander! I definitely recommend it!
Guest Actor is so, so hard to choose!! Ahhhhh!! There were so many this season! But whoever wins, they are definitely deserving of the award!
Maisie just tweeted that she just finished reading Season 7 and is teasing the hell out of it, it’s only August and she’s already tormenting us D:
She’s saying “shit gets real” Lol.
I voted for 5 actors, as I have mixed feelings and some internal debate.
I voted for 1 actress, as Grayven Reyne knows no queen, but the queen in the North, whose name is Bella Ramsey.
I went with Ian McShane and Bella Ramsey.
Ian McShane is one of my favorite actors and he always steals every scene he is in and I felt episode 7 was no exception.
Bella Ramsey was also great, HOWEVER, if they’re not careful, they can really overdo it with her in Season 7. Even at the end of Season 6 when she gives her speech I thought they might have played the trick one too many times.
Guest Actor:
1. Ian Mcshane
2. Tobias Menzies
3. James Faulkner
4. Patrick Malahide
5. Pilou Asbaek
Guest Actress:
1. Bella Ramsey
2. Essie Davies
3. Aisling Franciosi
4. Ania Bukstein
5. Sabrina Bartlett
I agree. I’m not voting for Bella just because I know everyone else is going to. Yes, she did a good job of playing a spitfire little girl but I’m not going overboard with it. She’ll end up winning simply because she is young imo. Personally I believe Essie should be praised for having to show quite a few things in very few moments and doing so wonderfully.
Sam Coleman and no one else. Never before have I felt so much from an actor who had so little screen time. He was amazing. No one else compared for me.
Picked David Bradley for best guest actor, because I could not picture a better, more despicable Walder Frey. He nailed that role and since this will be our last chance to honor his performance, there was no doubt here.
For guest actress I ended up picking Bella Ramsey. I had originally submitted Septa Unella (I can never remember the name of her actress, shame, shame), but I guess she had too many appearances and will end up in the supporting category. So, Lyanna Badass Mormont it is.
As someone on my favorite streaming site once put it: If Lyanna Mormont had had 3 dragons, the show would have been over after season 2.
Bella Ramsey will surely run away with this. Maybe it’s just because I like playing devil’s advocate, but she ranks third for me. Kae Alexander as Leaf was superb, and my favor guest actress of the season was easily Essie Davis as Lady Crane. While Bella’s performance was excellent (even more so for someone so young), it doesn’t even compare to how captivated I was by Lady Crane on screen, and the many different performative levels she provided (whereas I felt Lyanna Mormont was somewhat of a one trick pony). I also nominated Samantha Spiro as Melessa Tarly and Elizabeth Webster as Walda Frey Bolton.
Actor was, as everyone seems to agree, much more difficult. If I go with who gave me the most “feels,” it’s a toss up between James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly and Ian McShane as Brother Ray. Both performances were excellent. As someone who was NOT excited for Sam’s storyline this season, the dinner scene with his family is one of my favorites from the series.
I also nominated David Bradley as Walder Frey, Pilou Asbaek as Euron Greyjoy, and as a dark horse, Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy – I really hope we get much more of him in season 7.
LatrineDiggerBrian,
COMPLETELY agree with this. Not to discredit her performance.
Spaewife,
Agreed on Russell, he was very close in my list. Also love Kaye and Dormer, although I never seriously considered them. They were fun in their scene but I don’t think that scene alone really competed with the material so many of these other contenders had.
I eliminated Menzies and Russell mostly because they were playing characters who were already established in a previous season. So even though they were excellent, I have extra marks to Asbaek, Sydow and McShane for pretty much creating their characters. That’s maybe a BS criteria but it helped separate the worthy from the worthy. Would honestly be happy tho if Russell and Menzies got in.
Once again it was enjoyable – if tedious at times – tallying all of these names up, and so I’m glad to have been part of it.
For Guest Actor, there’s one name I come back to, and if the comments are any guide, he’s going to fall short. But Sam Coleman really was fantastic as Hodor/Wylis, and I just watched that episode again, and felt like I had to crawl into bed with a pillow and like 918 stuffed animals to feel better, yet again. He really deserves a nomination alongside a cast of interesting guest actors, which include as well…
—Ian McShane as Brother Ray, because, y’know, come on.
—David Bradley as Walder Frey; when this is all said and done, and we do a “Best Guest Actor, Entire Series,” I would imagine he’ll win the damned thing
—Max von Sydow as Bloodraven, with such an effective face, and…
—Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy, who made every scene he was in memorable.
For the Guest Actresses, yes, I have to include Bella Ramsay, a great note of spark in her scenes for sure, and then from there:
—Essie Davis as Lady Crane, in a fine job in a small role
—Ania Bukstein as Kinvara, because creepy-ass Red Priestesses are awesome
—Souad Faress as the head of the Dosh Khaleen, in a really nice role, seeming very lived in, despite a few lines only, and
—Kae Alexander as Leaf, a tough role given the makeup, but she really sells it in “The Door” in terms of how upset they were about the ravages of men across the countryside.
Yes. This. Thank you. I was writing a, “Why the hell has no one mentioned Sam Coleman???” post in my head.
And, I mean, yeah; no one else came close. Others were cool and fun, but so much of that is good casting. Coleman, a kid, acted the hell out of a seizure and the onset of an aphasia at the same time.
Top picks are Tim McInnerny and Bella Ramsay or Essie Davis.
That is incredibly sweet. He’s so humble, it probably came out of nowhere for him. I think he was well aware of the (in my opinion unfounded) criticism of his performance in the first 3 seasons. In basic terms, this is a long overdue affirmation that he’s actually good at his job. We all need that from time to time!
What about Sebastian Croft (Youngster Ned Stark)
LatrineDiggerBrian,
I really didn’t like her first scene at Bear Island. I thought they put too much responsibility on her to carry the scene and it felt unnatural as a result.
I thought her contribution to the King in the North scene was much better in comparison, and I’m still voting for her.
But I agree with you that they could reach gimmick territory if they overuse her. They may hit a natural stumbling block anyway if she’s obviously matured physically since filming ended last year.
Brenock O’Connor had noticeably aged between Seasons 5 and 6 and that’s probably why they didn’t give Olly much to do other than look moody and die.
It may turn out that they can’t give Lyanna Mormont too much to do simply for continuity reasons.
Kilgore Tully,
EXACTLY. All of the other nominees were very dialogue dependent. Sam just acted with his body and his face and even now it breaks my heart.
The guest actor segment was so good that I couldn’t find a place for Luke Roberts aka Arthur Dayne….I think we need to create a separate category just to honor some of the unsung ones….I can’t believe I’m saying this but I had completely forgotten about the sword finght b/w Arthur Dayne and Neds men…Probably the best swrod fight choreographed in TV history. Lets honor Luke Roberts in a separate category
The more I think about it, the more I’m regretting not voting for Sam Coleman (just wanted to show some love for the underrated Michael Feast!), and even though I was compelled to use my last female vote on her, I do agree with LatrineDiggerBrian and everyone concerned about Bella Ramsey potentially being a one-trick pony. She did her job well, but overall I greatly preferred Essie Davis, Ania Bukstein, and Samantha Spiro’s performances to hers.
Seven Hells, these are stacked categories! 33 nominees for Guest Actor and 16 nominees for Guest Actress, respectively. Furthermore, looking at the list, I can think of even more people who could have conceivably been there! (That’s not to say that I would have voted for any of them over any of the people who were nominated – in fact, I didn’t. It’s just an acknowledgment t of how absurdly deep Game of Thrones’ roster of talent is).
Guest Actor
Ian McShane as Brother Ray – Effortlessly charismatic, he painted a complete and captivating portrait of Ray and his worldview through his easy rapport with Rory McCann and his stirring delivery of the speech detailing his past crimes (perhaps not the speech that some wanted, but a powerful piece of oratory nonetheless). Gone too soon, but not bad for a few days’ work in a world of tits and dragons!
Robert Aramayo as young Ned Stark –Few actors cast a longer shadow than Sean Bean as Ned Stark, but Aramayo did an amazing job showing us the younger version of the man who played such an important role in the history of the series. He evoked Bean’s performance without imitating it, and captured the anger, desperation, and heartbreak that would scar Lord Stark on the most important day of his life … and haunt him for the rest of his days.
Tim McInnerny as Robett Glover – A character I didn’t expect to see, he proved to be perfect avatar for the legitimate Northern grievances against the Starks – a nice counterpoint to the idealism of the ‘North Remembers’ mantra. McInnerny sold Lord Glover’s pain and anger brilliantly, which made his later reversal, culminating in a stirring pledge of loyalty to Jon, all the more satisfying. I’m hoping we see more of him in Season 7.
James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly – The Tarly family dinner is one of my favorite scenes of the year. Cold and cruel, commanding and contemptuous, Faulkner conveyed everything one needed to know about Sam’s relationship with his father in a single exchange. I look forward to his (hopefully) inevitable return.
Max von Sydow as the Three-Eyed Raven – A living legend, he brought the requisite gravitas to this timeless character. Every piece of counsel and word of warning this ancient being delivered to Bran felt more powerful because von Sydow was the one delivering it.
Toughest Omissions:
Sam Coleman as young Hodor – I still tear up when I watch his last scene.
Dean S. Jagger as Smalljon Umber – I didn’t subscribe to the Umber conspiracy theories. But I could understand their appeal, because this dude was wicked cool. Jagger had swagger to spare. I almost felt bad when Tormund ripped his throat out with his teeth. Almost.
Tobias Menzies (Edmure Tully) – He only had dialogue in one scene, but what a scene it was! The perfect portrait of a broken man trying desperately to hold on to what remains of his resolve.
David Bradley (Walder Frey) –It’s hard to believe he only appeared in five episodes, given how large Lord Frey loomed in the fandom’s collective enmity. We’ll miss you, you magnificent, black-hearted bastard.
Also Considered: Joe Naufahu, Pilou Asbaek, Clive Russell, Richard Dormer, Luke Roberts, Joseph Mawle … and several others.
Guest Actress
Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont – Quite possibly Game of Thrones’ most universally beloved character ever. 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. This young girl is going to be a big star.
Essie Davis as Lady Crane – This character was the best surprise of the year, and Davis was, in a word, wonderful. Lady Crane’s relationship with Arya brought an essential element of warmth and vitality to that corner of the show, one I didn’t realize I was craving until Davis delivered it. If she didn’t have the Lady of Bear Island to contend with, she would win this award going away.
Aisling Franciosi as young adult Lyanna Stark – She was the centerpiece of perhaps the most highly anticipated scene in the show’s history. She upheld that great responsibility beautifully.
Elizabeth Webster as Walda Bolton – I remain stunned at how effectively she engendered such empathy for her character, a minor player from a loathed house, in so little screentime. She always conveyed Walda’s fundamental decency, which made her death scene all the more heartbreaking.
Ania Bukstein as Kinvara – A powerful and unnerving presence, it was thrilling to see her get under the skin of the normally unflappable Varys. She introduced a new perspective on the power that the acolytes of R’hllor wield. I hope we haven’t seen the last of her.
Toughest Omissions:
Kae Alexander as Leaf – Delivering a convincing performance under that much prosthetic makeup couldn’t have been easy, but Alexander worked within her character’s ageless and somewhat alien nature to convey the appropriate emotion whenever necessary.
Samantha Spiro as Melessa Tarly – Seeing her embrace Gilly as a daughter and defend her from Randyll’s bigoted remarks were awesome moments. I fear we’re done with the Lady of Horn Hill, but I’m glad we got to meet her.
Also Considered: Souad Faress, Meena Rayann, Rebecca Benson … and all the rest (yes, even the Sand Snakes).
If there is a lock on any award it is Bella Ramsey – I mean come on.
Always vote for Walder Frey. Evil Curmudgeon Perfection.
I thought the actors’ category was a bit tougher. Besides, Bella Ramsey is going to win thus anyway!
My picks are:
Robert Aremayo
Ian Mc.Shane
Max Von Sydow
Sam Coleman
Dean S Jagger
Essie Davis
Bella Ramsey
Elizabeth Webster
Aisling Franciosi
Souad Faress
I too selected five women and five men, but what I really wanted to say: isn’t it amazing how so many of these “guest roles” became invaluable parts of the GOT legacy?? There’s something about the show that made me care more for (or hate) several small-part characters than for many lead characters in other series. Walder, Benjen, Edmure, Randyll,… And I will forever miss Karsi.
Guest Actor: With all those names I expected this be harder to pick out than it was (but have no idea honestly who’ll end up winning).
-David Bradley as Walder Frey: A character that managed to become iconic with just a few episodes. Obviously the Red Wedding was a big part of that, but I don’t think the character itself would have been as memorable without an elite British character actor like Bradley. His voice was exactly what was I heard when I read the books.
-Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully- His character was to be honest kinda a joke in Season 3, so I didn’t expect Menzies to ever get much to sink his teeth into with this role even if he showed up again. I can only guess D&D respected his work on Outlander so much they decided he deserved to get a real scene to show off his chops. I love the action and effects of course, but that talk with Jaime was honestly GOT at its best for me; Just two characters having a very interesting conversation, and Menzies transformed Edmure from a joke to real character for me in that scene.
-Clive Russel as the Blackfish: Just a cool dude
-Robert Aramayo as Young Ned- Perfect casting, not just for looks but in the way he captured Sean Bean’s manners. Only had a few lines, but great delivery on all of them. ‘No, now it ends.”
-Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan- Maybe a weird choice with some of the other choices up there, but I hope to see this guy in something with a bigger role someday. Really has great villain persona for me. Made his tiny little character intriguing for me.
Guest Actresses (I think I do know who’ll win this, but it might turn out to be a good race with another option 🙂 )
-Essie Davis as Lady Crane- Was happy she got a much bigger part than I thought she’d have when she was cast. Really played off Maisie well. Lifted the Braavos storyline.
-Bella Ramsay as Lyanna Mormont- I’d call her a scene stealer, but honestly they belonged to her from the start.
-Ania Bukstein as Kinvara- Really creepy stage presence. Held her own against two of the best actors in the show. Not sure we’ll see her again
-Elizabeth Webster as Walda Frey- Wasn’t a big fan of her scenes this season, but they were so unpleasant in part because Elizabeth made this silly background character so damn likable. Had a haunting end.
-Sabrina Bartlet as Arya’s other Face- You knew something was up with her, had no idea what right up to the end.
I’m a betting man and I’m making Bella Ramsey 1/2 favourite with lady Crane second at 3/1
Closer in the male guest. I’d put van Sodow at even money with Sam Coleman and Ian Mcshane at 2/1
Max Von Sydow and Bella Ramsay to win or I’ll eat my shorts
I see you’ve started with the best.
– David Bradley: The king of black comedy.
– Richard Dormer: That voice…
– Patrick Malahide: He started as a petty, pathetic bully. And he never changed. Not even when all was lost and he was about to die.
– Max von Sydow: Runner-up. Every word he said should be on a bumper sticker.
– Clive Russell: Winner He didn’t play the Blackfish. He was the Blackfish.
BEST ACTRESS:
Ania Bukstein, Essie Davis, Bella Ramsey, Samantha Spiro, Elizabeth Webster.
For Actor, there was so much to chose from:
I went with
Sam Coleman – without saying much, he broke my heart
David Bradley – Been a couple of years and he hasn’t lost his touch as creepy Walder Frey.
James Faulkner – he did an excellent job of freaking me out, that dinner scene had so much tension.
Clive Russell – I mean, the blackfish!
And Paul Kaye – Cause I love Thoros!
For the Women – it was easier to choose.
Bella Ramsay – no explanation needed
Essie Davis – she was amazing. I want her to win.
Samantha Spiro – Sams mom was sooo sweet, and her little scenes she had made me love her.
I don’t remember all of the actor’s real names and I’m too lazy to go look again but votes went to:
Robbett Glover-Powerful performace, made big impression 1st time seeing him
David Bradley-Born to play Walder Frey
Clive (Balckfish)-he’s simply cool
Edmure Tully-made scene with Jamie moving and sympathetic
Young Ned-pulled off an important and what must have been tough scene to do
Lady Crane
Lyanna Stark-How could I not vote for Jon’s mom?
Serving girl (Arya’s face)-I loved the way she said “They’re here my lord”
Kinvara-almost chose Walda Frey-just went with who had more impact with me for the story
Lady Mormont-I didn’t completely get all the hype surrounding her but for sure this young lady is very talented and played the character with much gravitas
Wun Wun and Lyanna for the win.
I think that as people took to Birgitte Hjort Sorensen last year they have taken to Bella Ramsey this year. Admittedly, she was given good material to work with but I admire her being able to memorise and convey convincingly – the speech about the “King in the North” and the dialogue with Sansa, Jon and Davos in the recruiting supporters scene – at such a young age. She’s going to be in a BBC remake of “Worst Witch” next year so we’ll have more idea of whether or not she’s the Hayley Mills of her generation then.
As people have already remarked the male category is difficult to make choices from. Sam Coleman as young Hodor did make me think “the pity of it all”.
I can’t heap enough praise on Robert Aramayo. When I heard they were going to create a young Ned Stark, I was sure it couldn’t work. But every time I watch the scene in the Tower of Joy, I’m amazed at how thoroughly I believe he’s young Ned. In the same way, Sam Coleman was amazing as Young Hodor. When I watch that final scene of “The Door”, crying like a baby, his performance cuts to the heart of the tragedy and poignance of Hodor’s story. Both of these tiny roles were the key to huge moments of emotional resonance, and wow, they and Nina Gold delivered so beautifully.
I also voted for Clive, Max, and David… I think! It was so hard to leave out Ian, Faulkner or Edmure that now I forget who I chose.
As for the actresses, Essie Davis and Bella Ramsey were easy choices. Then I chose the remaining three based on small emotional moments that moved me: Elizabeth Webster as the unfortunate Walda Frey Bolton, Aisling Franciosa for the iconic bed of blood scene, and Kae Alexander (Leaf ) mostly for her final moments when she realizes she must trade her life and the survival of her race as penance for the huge boo boo of creating the White Walkers.
It’s so nice to be able to show appreciation for all of these actors and actresses. They were all fantastic. This is one of those things GOT does so well, fleshing out so many wonderful small characters.
I thought that would be easy because there are 5 actors and 5 actresses to vote for. Surprisingly, had I had to choose only one of each, I wouldn’t have hesitated to name Ian McShane and Bella Ramsey. Now, after having voted, I feel I have made no justice to Joseph Mawle, David Bradley, Tobias Menzies, Dean S. Jagger, Clive Russell, Ania Bukstein, Samantha Spiro and Rebecca Benson… and others…
So, besides Ian McShane, I voted for Max von Sydow – they are both titans, as great as the one in Braavos. I consider James Falkner to be very close to them. And I also voted for Robert Aramayo and Sam Coleman to celebrate young rising stars.
Besides Bella Ramsey, my votes went to Essie Davis, Elizabeth Webster for their subtle performances and to Aisling Franciosi and Cordelia Hill, who embodied the Lyanna I had so much longed to see.
Laura,
Please watch Outlander, even if you will only for Tobias 🙂
BG Actor
1 James Faulkner
2 Ian Mc Shane
3 James Coleman
4 Clive Russell
5 Max von Sydow
BG Actress
1 Kae Alexander
2 Essie Davis
3 Souad Faress
4 Samantha Spiro
5 Elizabeth Webster
Love this category, love to reward the people on the edges since this show has such a magnificent ensemble cast. Seriously, only The Wire levels with Thrones on this. Anyway, here it goes:
Guest Actor:
– James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner WAS Randyll Tarly. Really, right now I cannot see anyone else play Sams abusive father. The show had already had its share of dominating asshole-patriarchs, but Faulkner added another layer of terror and a hint of stupidity that made his demeanor all the frightening. That’s how I interpreted his take on the character. Anyway though, I think all can agree that he was awesome.)
– Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully (Menzies was great in S3 as buffoonish Edmure, but it was this season that he really got to shine. You could see the broken lord struggling with his counsious and honor in the Riverrun scene, and his scene with Waldau was pure gold. Waldau is a good actor, but Menzies outshone him here. And I’m Danish even haha)
– Ian McShane as Brother Ray (I liked this character so much. In the middle of the show’s perhaps most busy season, they still find time for a little vignette about a former soldier turned peace-loving preacher. I love the showrunners for that, and even more for giving this tiny role to a well established and very skilled actor, who of course knocked it out of the park.)
– Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy (Did so much with so little. Shout out! We need more Aeron in season 7, we need him named and we need Michael Feast to have a little bit more to work with. Like Faulkner as Randyll, Michael Feast WAS Aeron and embodied the stoic, fanatic priest from the novels. The Kingsmoot scene is on my top 20 for the season, not because of Eurons speach at the moot itself but because of Aerons as he’s drowning Euron. That whole sequence was visually so great and Feast absolutely owned the delivery.)
– Max Von Sydow as The Three-Eyed-Raven (This one, I gotta admit, is an honor nomination. Sydow was great, don’t get me wrong, his delivery of the two words ‘Leeeave Me!’ just before dying is enough to earn the Nom. Still, yeah I know I like The Academy and it’s a little soft and fake on my side, but I’m rewarding the showrunners here for getting Sydow, and I’m rewarding Sydow for taking the role… And for The Seventh Seal and Pelle The Conquerer and more. Sue Me!)
Picked Wun Wun, Randyll Tarly, and Balon. I guess I wasn’t that excited by the guest actors this season.
Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont! I loved her.
Ian McShane/ Max von Sydow and Bella Ramsey, for me 🙂
Joe Naufahu killed it in a foreign language, I didn’t know I could laugh so hard at jokes made in dothraki.
The Smalljon was such a revelation, I would have liked to see him for more talking scenes.
Luke Roberts was a really good incarnation of The Sword, and the TOJ scene was all the better because of him.
Ian McShane was a bubbling, shining, delight of a septon.
Max von Sydow’s part was not so much about what he said, but about the reassuring presence and the deep energy he brought to his scenes.
As for the girls…
Bella is the uncontested queen, followed by Essie Davis (… she really had me wishing she would not die, stupid, stupid me…), Elizabeth Webster (who made me really feel for a Frey family member), Ania Buckstein (gorgeous and creepy, but she made me really feel for poor Varys…) and Souad Faress (very compelling as an older, disenchanted and down to earth priestess who commands all the respect the khals are capable of showing a woman).
But almost everybody was excellent, and there were so much more great performances!
Guest Actress:
– Kinvara: Loved how she spooked Varys.
– Lady Crane: Solid performances
– Vala: A small scene, but I liked it.
– Mrs. Bolton: One of the shoe-ins.
– Lord Mormont: The guaranteed winner.
Guest Actor:
– King Greyjoy: “I am the storm”
– Dead Greyjoy: Nobody could’ve played Balon other then P. Malahide.
– Brother Ray: The guaranteed winner.
– Father of a Dick(on): Winter has come to the reach.. Dat stare!
– Ian Whyte as Wunwun: Give props where its due. This guy has done a lot of work on many of Thrones’ most iconic scenes (as Wunwun, Giant#2, Whitewalker and the Mountain2) and even if it is mostly vfx.. There’s still a lot of work that goes into getting the movements exactly right.
If I could have voted for Bella 5 times….for a little girl, she’s freaking awesome as the Lady of Bear Island. Walda, adult Lyanna, Lady Crane and Kinvara back up Bella, in no particular order.
Lord Frey has been the most despicable character since his introduction. As much as I love Max (and I love Max!), I’m hoping David takes the lead. Edmure, Randyll and Wun Wun round out the men for me; all powerful performances. Ian McShane is a natural for GoT….he BELONGS in this series and I’m sorry his character met such an untimely death. His “Brother Ray” didn’t really put him into my top 5 though. He should have been cast as someone else because I could watch Ian paint a fence!
On another note, I found out yesterday that you need to clear your browser history in order to see current content. Yesterday, my WOTW opened at August 4th!! Clear out the history (don’t have to include passwords or anything else), close and reopen the browser and you should be good to go!
Best Supporting Ser: I can’t think of another actor who could have presented more strongly the gravitas demanded by the role of the Three-Eyed Raven than Max von Sydow, who has the rare gift of making the formidable look easy.
Honorable mentions: Joseph Mawle, Clive Russell and Joe Naufahu.
Best Supporting Lady: Bella Ramsey. Like duh.
Honorable mentions: Essie Davis and Elizabeth Webster.
Really tough categories, so many good performances in these smaller roles this year! Especially in the guest actor category, I had to eliminate a few actors who I’m very fond of unfortunately (guest actress was somewhat easier).
Guest Actors
5: Ian McShane
4: Clive Russel
3: James Faulkner
2: Max Von Sydow (Runner-Up)
1: Tobias Menzies (Winner)
Guest Actresses
5: Kae Alexander
4: Ania Bukstein
3: Elizabeth Webster
2: Bella Ramsay (Runner-Up)
1: Essie Davis (Winner)
Well, unsurprisingly, “Guest Actress” is too short and “Guest Actor” is overstuffed.
Guest Actress:
*Lyanna Mormont
*Lady Crane
*Walda Bolton
Then just for the heck of it, Ornella the Lhazareen and child Lyanna Stark.
Guest Actor:
*Euron Greyjoy
*Walder Frey
*Edmure Tully
*Brynden Tully
*Young Hodor
There were many other good guest actors though, best male guest actor is a tough competition this year.
Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont is obvious winner, but as for the male actors, dunno, split vote.
Why can’t I vote for Eline Powell as the actress Bianca?
Because, as we explain in the post, we take fans’ suggestions for nominations- you can see that here https://watchersonthewall.com/2016-watchers-wall-awards-now-accepting-nominations/
And she wasn’t nominated by anyone.