Winter watch
Liam Cunningham heightens suspense for season seven of ‘Game of Thrones’ by dropping just the right amount of cool clues on what’s ahead
BANGKOK, THAILAND – Despite that Liam Cunningham of “Game Of Thrones” wasn’t sure in the beginning if the hit show would be able to stand the test of time or not, let alone penetrate pop culture the way it has, he was always confident of the material.
“It’s beautifully written (that’s why) I knew it was going to be good,” the 56-year-old Irish actor, who joined the show in season two, told Bulletin Entertainment and other Asian media. “I’ve been acting long enough to know that when I first read the script.”
Now on its seventh season, the HBO series based on the best selling fantasy book by George R.R. Martin is on the final stretch of chronicling an epic struggle for power in a vast and violent kingdom.
This time, Daenerys Targaryen has finally set sail for Westeros with her armies, dragons and new Hand of the Queen, Tyrion Lannister. Jon Snow has been named King in the North after defeating Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and returning Winterfell to House Stark. In King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister has seized the Iron Throne by incinerating the High Sparrow, his followers and her rivals in the Sept of Baelor. But as old alliances fracture and new ones emerge, an army of dead men marches on the Wall, threatening to end the game of thrones forever.
It may sound like Greek to those who don’t watch the show. But to the millions of people worldwide who do, it’s clear: Winter is definitely here.
So, where does Ser Davos Seaworth (name of Liam’s character on the show) a.k.a “The Onion Knight” pick up? We never got to ask Liam the question as he opened our interview with a grin and the words “I was alive at the end of season six – that’s all I’m going to tell you.”
But fortunately, the actor touched on the subject in another press junket in London.
“We left him at the end of season six with Melisandre banished and Jon Snow his new boss almost by accident. Now, with Melisandre’s banishment, I think Jon realises that there’s value in this guy. What’s interesting is, even though Jon is King in the North, he hasn’t made Davos a Hand or anything like that. Their relationship’s not official,” he was quoted to have said.
It’s easy to “forgive” Liam if he was careful not to divulge too much detail when we spoke with him. As he put it, one of the things that make the show wonderful is the surprises.
Indeed, the actor just doesn’t want to spoil for anyone the show he also described as “constantly surprising, scary, dangerous, and sometimes very difficult to watch.”
“There are very few shows that challenge you as a viewer and it’s amazing the way this show draws
your emotion,” he said.
Hint, hint?
Then again, Liam should’ve known better that avid fans will try to find out all they can about the show way before the airing of its pilot episode today. From Hollywood Reporter and MTV, to Entertainment Weekly and The Independent, everyone’s been dropping hints on why season seven is a must-watch. Will Ed Sheeran really make a cameo? Were 20 stuntmen really set on fire in one of the battle scenes? Is it true Jon snow will experience a huge shift? Who will win the game and claim the Iron Throne?
Ah, we just have to watch the show. Right, Liam?
“HBO put a lot of effort in assuring that the quality of the show is very high,” he said. “The people involved try to make it the best that they possibly could.”
We do know the titles and synopses of the first three episodes. These are: “Dragonstone” (episode number 61/Jon organizes the defense of the North. Cersei tries to even the odds. Daenerys comes home); “Stormborn” (62/Daenerys receives an unexpected visitor. Jon faces a revolt. Tyrion plans the conquest of Westeros); and “The Queen’s Justice” (63/Daenerys holds court. Cersei returns a gift. Jaime learns from his mistakes).
“One thing I would say about this year is we spent the same amount of time shooting seven (episodes) as we normally do 10. It’s more cinematic as a result. We’re shooting on locations and on huge sets that have to be built,” he let on in London.
“The ambition is enormous; the vista is going to be tremendous – to the extent that if you look at the Battle of the Bastards last year, that was 24, 25 days shooting for a 20-minute sequence. This year we’ve used that kind of cinematic aspect throughout. It felt more like we were making movies than TV.”
Now that’s a lot already coming from Liam. In his interview in Bangkok, he said that whenever he is asked by friends why they should watch the show, he opts to point them to an online video.
“I usually show them a YouTube video of people’s reactions towards the Red Wedding episode. The video is quite famous, it’s six minutes long and then they will see people horrified and screaming and that’s when I say, ‘That’s why you should watch this show.’”
As the first of seven episodes of the seventh season airs today at 9 a.m. exclusively on HBO same time as the US, with a same day primetime encore at 9 p.m., let Liam’s words excite you even more.
“With this being the penultimate season, it’s ramping up. The situation with the Night’s King and his cronies is coming to a head. Westeros is possibly going to be destroyed, possibly going to be ethnically cleansed.” Good morning. (“Game of Thrones” will also be streaming on HBO Go)
We’re shooting on locations and on huge sets that have to be built. It felt more like we were making movies than TV.