Birgitte Hjort Sørensen talks playing Karsi and filming the Massacre at Hardhome
Among the many delights to be found in “Hardhome,” the latest episode of Game of Thrones, was watching Birgitte Hjort Sørensen tear up the screen as Karsi, a wildling chieftain who took part in what HBO would like us all to call “The Massacre at Hardhome.” Karsi had never appeared on the show before, nor was she a character from the books, but viewers seemed to quickly connect with her steely determination and dedication to her children.
The role of Karsi represents something of a perfect storm for Sørensen, who’s currently up on the big screen as Kommissar, an antagonistic a capella singer, in Pitch Perfect 2. The two roles couldn’t be more different, but if it gets Sørensen into the public eye, it’s a good thing. The Danish actress recently talked to The New York Times about her moment in the spotlight, landing the role of Karsi, and what it was like to film the Massacre at Hardhome.
Sørensen first got exposed to Game of Thrones through fellow Dane Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister). She knew the show was popular, but is still surprised by how passionate it makes people. “It seems like it should be, and I might not have the right here, quite a nerdy show, but it reaches so many people very broadly,” Sørensen said. She probably has the right word.
As for the filming the massacre itself, Sørensen talked about how director Miguel Sapochnik kept all the performers in the right emotional headspace. “It was about protecting the family,” she said. “It was never just about killing off some guys.” Karsi’s protectiveness of her children was one of the reasons she connected so strongly with audiences, so credit to Spochnik for keeping that foremost in her mind and to Sørensen for getting it across. Sørensen also talked a little about Karsi’s “maternal streak” as displayed during the moment when she put her children on a boat before turning back to face the army of the dead.
I don’t think she really knew exactly what was coming. But she knew there was a good chance she would never see them again. You say “maternal” and certainly she was in that moment. But I was quite pleasantly surprised that this was a role where gender really didn’t matter. I didn’t feel I was “the woman chieftain.” I felt like we were all on the same team together.
Sapochnik revealed previously that the role of Karsi was originally conceived for a man, so Sørensen’s comments about gender not mattering to it are interesting. If anything, the success of Karsi’s character makes the argument for flipping the gender of more roles on the show. The Song of Ice and Fire novels have a long history of featuring rich female characters who are defined by things beyond their gender, and it’s good to see that Game of Thrones is able to follow in its footsteps when coming up with original characters.
Finally, Sørensen weighed in on rumors that her character might appear in the season finale. Basically, she denies them, saying that, to her knowledge, she only shot the one episode. That’s probably for the best. Considering what happened to Karsi at the end of “Hardhome,” it’s doubtful we’d be rooting for her if she made a return appearance.
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