TitanCon interview: Thomas Brodie-Sangster

FaB here, with more TitanCon content! (TitanContent!)

As the convention began to wind down, Phil (aka Ser Mountain Goat) quietly snuck up to me and informed me that he had Thomas Brodie-Sangster available for an interview—but only if I was willing to leave the current panel I was attending.

Me: “What, are you kidding??”

I sprinted out and left poor Marko in the dust (none the wiser I might add) and zoomed off to catch that most rare creature: the young male Game of Thrones actor, primed for an interview!

(I would catch another of those rare specimens later in the day, but that is another tale for another time!)

We met in the TitanCon “green room,” which… to be fair, was really more of an “off-white room.” Thomas was casually cool in a gray pullover sweater and green slacks, leaning back in a chair, a slightly amused but somewhat sleepy expression on his face. (He had just finished multiple hours of night shoots, I was told.) He was at the time locked in conversation with Kristian Nairn—who I totally Hodored by Hodoring away my chance at getting a Hodor interview with Hodor.

(Hashtag: Hodorfail.)

I was weirdly nervous about interviewing Thomas. For one, he’s really quiet, his eyes slightly wary—perhaps wondering who, exactly, this bizarre Lannister-shirt wearing man-child was standing before him. And two, he’s a favorite actor of my daughter, a longtime Phineas and Ferb fan. (Ergo my first question being about Phineas and Ferb!) I knew if I screwed this thing up, I would never hear the end of it at home.

Thomas appeared bemused by all the TitanCon hubbub; he’s like Jojen in that he usually sits very still in the center of things, hardly moving or batting an eye as other (louder and more talkative) people buzz all ’round, eyes keenly aware of all that’s going on around him. At twenty-three years of age, he seems quietly confident, and comfortable in his own shoes. His eyes get a certain twinkle when he is amused by something, though you get the impression he might not hesitate to offer a cocked eyebrow if a question veers too far into the realm of bizarre.

(And I think I came close!)

A little history on Thomas: dude’s been acting for a long time. He got his start at the wise old age of ten in the BBC’s Station Jim, playing a character younger than he was. This was because, let’s face it, he looks younger than he is. And when you’re a young actor, Hollywood (and the BBC) will always age you down. And so went his career, in projects like Love Actually, Tristan and Isolde, and Nowhere Boy, in which he usually played characters that appeared younger than he.

Funny now that in Game of Thrones he plays Jojen Reed, a character who acts three times his age, if not more; Jojen’s not called “little grandfather” for no reason. (Thomas calls him “Baby Obi-Wan.”) And you know what? I think Thomas loves it.

Here’s my short interview:

Fire And Blood: A gentleman through and through. What a great, thoughtful, intelligent guy!

Thanks, Thomas! This was a blast.

One more interview left: Isaac Hempstead-Wright! Stay tuned!

• Published on 10/01/2013 at 7:03 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:01 PM CDT