Character’s pain is actor’s gain
Coster-Waldau relishes Jaime Lannister role
Game of Thrones Season finale, Sunday, HBO Canada
LONDON — This has been a bad year for Game of Thrones character Jaime Lannister. And next year will probably be worse.
When Game of Thrones reaches its fourth-season finale this weekend, Lannister is trapped between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea.
He has always treated his much-disliked younger brother Tyrion with respect, even though their father Lord Tywin despises Tyrion and wants to see him dead — which, thanks to Lord Tywin’s Machiavellian schemings behind the scenes, he may soon be.
Tyrion has been sentenced to death for being allegedly complicit in the death of his young nephew, the odious boy king Joffrey. Jaime might be arrogant, immoral and impulsive, but he has resolved to stand by his brother to the end, and the end may very well be nigh.
Readers of George R.R. Martin’s original novels know how this story plays out, but the TV adaptation — written and produced by Emmy-nominated screenwriters D.B. Weiss and David Benioff — has already diverted from the books on at least one notable occasion.
Lannister has become a fan favourite among followers of TV’s most unlikely cultural talking point, and there’s genuine disquiet as Game of Thrones readies its final act of the season.
For Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, though, the Danish-born actor who plays Jaime Lannister, this has been a very good year indeed. His scenes with actor Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion, are among his favourites to play, and there’ve been plenty of those this past season.
“It’s a great character,” Coster-Waldau says, in spite of — or perhaps because of — Lannister’s behavioural excesses. “He has an honesty about him that I think you can relate to, even though he does some questionable things.”
Lannister’s sword hand was lopped off in an episode last season. This season, Lannister — a master swordsman in his day — had to learn to fight with his other hand. That might have been a painful inconvenience for Lannister but for the actor playing him, it was a blessing in disguise.
“It’s great,” Coster-Waldau says. “As an actor you have a character who’s defined by his skills as a swordsman, and then you take away that one thing. It’s great because it creates this huge obstacle. It’s difficult for him to deal with as a person, but as an actor you live for those moments.”