Quick hits: Dothraki update, Sophie on Sansa, Sam shortlisted

Here are a few pieces of newsworthy items gleaned over the week:

• Sai Emrys and David J. Peterson kindly responded to a previously published open letter in Scientific American where they were asked to include certain linguistic features in the Dothraki language, so that their learnability can be tested in case fan communities decide to learn and speak the language. To tell it in very few words, the creators’ position is that it is too late to do what they were asked, and that such an experiment would also infringe on the artistic integrity they are pursuing while delivering the newly constructed language to the producers who comissioned it. In the examples they provide, fans can find new Dothraki fragments, and the morphology of the language is discussed in some detail as well.
• Sophie Turner answers a number of questions on her Formspring account (disabled since, though), some on acting and the series more in general, and some interestingly detailed ones about the role of Sansa and her take on it.

How did find out you got the role of Sansa?
I find out when I was on holiday in France and my mum woke me up by saying “good morning Sansa” I looked at her she nodded and then i just burst into tears haha.

What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you playing Sansa?
It will probably be all the crying scenes because that’s when the emotion has to come through… or when she is in love, i really need to act then :)

What are you looking forward to the most about playing Sansa?
it would have to be the emotional journey she goes through. I can’t wait for the last book to be written to find out who she really is and who she becomes. :)

Sansa is one of the most hated characters in ASOIAF. How do you feel about her?
I really like Sansa, because she seems like she has so much to learn and so I really like reading her chapters and seeing how she develops. I know not many like her. But you have to give her credit, especially when she is at the hands of Joffrey :)

• Last, but perhaps most exciting, is what George R.R. Martin wrote in his latest Not A Blog post, concerning the role of Samwell Tarly:

We’re casting Sam right now for the TV show. Two excellent young actors stand out above the rest. A damned hard choice.

Hear Me Roar: Not too bad for a weekend summary. Good to hear they are down to two actors for at least one role. I believe they are really close to casting Samwell, only waiting for GRRM’s input before they decide. Stay tuned for some long-awaited casting progress and more excitement in the coming week.

• Published on 06/06/2010 at 12:43 PM CDT
• Last updated on 06/06/2010 at 5:28 PM CDT