Allen and McElhatton on Reek & Ramsay in season 4
When audiences last saw Theon Greyjoy in season 3, he was a captive of the Boltons, and had been stripped of his name, freshly dubbed “Reek” by Ramsay Snow.
According to Alfie Allen in two new interviews, when we encounter his character this year, we’ll find the former Theon is still a changed man. “It’s Reek now,” Allen tells IGN. “He’s definitely Reek. To the point now where I have to correct the directors- it’s Reek.”
The actor fields questions from Twitter, and identifies the moment when Theon is castrated as the crucial point for when he loses sight of himself and becomes Reek. He acknowledges that developing Stockholm Syndrome is a possibility for his character in the future, saying he could “definitely see that happening.”
The most surprising fact fans learn from the IGN interview is that Alfie Allen has never seen or heard “Dick in a Box,” despite the endless references to the song in connection with a certain prop from season 3.
The subject of Theon’s castration and its effect on his psyche was touched upon in Allen’s interview with Hitfix as well. “But it was interesting because to me, it’s Theon’s only weapon, really. It’s like his only point of authority is in the bedroom,” the actor explains. “Everywhere else in his life, he doesn’t really have any decisions to make for himself because they were made for him. So to have that taken away from him really strips him down to nothing.”
He also discusses with Hitfix the need for a positive relationship with Iwan Rheon during the intense shoot, saying, “I think to be in that position for so long with each other and be working those very very long hours with each other, we needed to be friendly, and we needed to really trust each other. Working one place, it can get very depressing, especially in that sort of surrounding.”
The actor who plays Ramsay’s equally dangerous father Roose offers insight into the Bolton family dynamic in a new interview with Zap2it.
Michael McElhatton says, “The one thing Ramsay craves more than torturing people and maiming them is the love and respect of his dad, and I think that’s played out. I think that’s really interesting. […] Later on, it’s very moving actually. There’s a scene and you go, ‘Oh my god,’ even though it’s totally weird and quite epic. There is something about a child craving and needing the love of a parent, and the parent not giving it to them.”
McElhatton adds, “He’s very, very wary of him, he knows he’s psychotic, but he is his son. I think that will probably play out as the seasons go on.”
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