Isaac Hempstead-Wright talks Bran Stark, the Red Wedding, and more
Isaac Hempstead-Wright recently spoke with Reveal.Co.Uk at a press junket for the Game of Thrones Season 3 DVD release.
Isaac discusses his character Bran Stark, and why he hasn’t become as hardened as his sister Arya. He also reveals what it’s like on set after losing fellow castmates, and that sometimes the writers play jokes with the scripts.
On Bran
“I think Bran has an interesting storyline in as far as he delves into the mystical elements of the show. The show is great about not being so completely unrealistic. With the magic, it’s almost like in our world, where most of the characters are as skeptical as we would be. It’s nice to be one of the little elements tapping at the magic door and you never really know what will happen with it.”
On why Bran hasn’t hardened as much as Arya from series one to now
“I think because Bran is so totally reliant on other people he can’t afford to be the Arya type of, ‘I don’t trust anyone, I want to kill everyone.’ He has to place his faith in other people and has to be a vulnerable, I’ll take your word for it kid. He has also grown up, in a sense, that he can’t really be absolutely trusting because half his family have been slaughtered through being too trusting. I think in seasons to come he’ll start to take on a bit more responsibility for himself.”
On whether he wishes Bran could be more of a fighter
“I always kind of wished I could be a sword fighter and stabby like Arya, but with Bran I feel that while he might not be the most exciting character for some, he’s a true character in the sense that he is disabled and there is nothing he can do about it. I think that in itself is an interesting obstacle to overcome just as much as an enemy with a sword.”
On what he’s learned from his character
“You can realise that you might be being a bit petty about something one day and then you look at Game of Thrones and think, these people are really suffering. Even though it’s fantasy and fictional, it’s not that far away from the truth around the world. There are plenty of people suffering similar horrendous fates and it makes you think, ‘I’m sitting here in this wonderful film set, extremely lucky, but not that far away there are people suffering hugely.'”
On the Red Wedding and atmosphere on set after characters die
“I think we all knew it would happen. [Exec producers] David and Dan especially knew they would have to kill off some of their favourite characters. For me, it was more about losing two people we’d been working with for four years and having fun with, and knowing we wouldn’t see them again in this context. Everyone says the first thing they do when they get a script is flick through it to make sure they aren’t dead. Dan and David play jokes with the script. Alfie (Allen, who plays Theon) once got sent a script where I jump out and stab him and kill him. He sent me a text saying, ‘You killed me!’ It was just a joke though.”
For more from Isaac, including what it has been like to grow up on set, and whether he’ll continue acting after Thrones, visit Reveal.Co.Uk!
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