Sean Bean on his many deaths and ‘Thrones’ legacy
NEW YORK—Sean Bean is as famous for his rugged looks and thick northern British accent as the many creative ways in which he dies onscreen.
He’s been stabbed, shot, chased off a cliff, tossed off a satellite dish, beheaded, exploded, killed by arrows, and drawn and quartered in everything from the Bond movie “Goldeneye” to “Game of Thrones” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
For his new series, the Yorkshirebred actor shockingly makes it to the end of the season. In “The Oath,” on Crackle, Bean plays the imprisoned patriarch of a gang of rogue cops. It’s a brooding, dark and violent look at how corrosive corruption can be.
Bean, 58, talked with The Associated Press about the new series, his many deaths and why he’s pleased that he’s left his mark on “Game of Thrones” long after losing his head.
AP: This is another sinister character. What attracts you to them?
Bean: I guess when your character is in darkness or is very cerebral and contained, you don’t have to learn as many lines. (Laughs.) You just do it with facial expression. They do actually tend to be men-of-not-many words sort of characters—I quite like that. I don’t like saying too much. I don’t like too much repetition.
AP: The series is shot in Puerto Rico and had to contend with Hurricane Maria in September. The cast and crew returned to finish filming after that monster storm. Was it hard?
Bean: I was there for the first few weeks. I’d finished my scenes by, I suppose, July, something like that. I’d been gone about three weeks when I started picking it up on the news report. It was pretty bad, you know. I know it gets storms in that part of the world but I never thought it would be as bad as that. I thought about the people there who welcomed us with open arms. They’re very friendly and hardworking people and it was just a shock to think that they were there and the power was out.
AP: Is there a second season in the works and are you a part of it?
Bean: Well, I don’t die in it. Well, maybe I shouldn’t tell you. You know, everyone expects me to die, don’t they? I think there’s talk of it. I think they’re seeing how it goes down and see what the reaction is.
AP: Can we talk about your many deaths? Does it affect your choices?
Bean: I don’t mind. I remember Sean Connery once said that he doesn’t like dying in films. He doesn’t take jobs on where he dies in films. He doesn’t think it’s a good vibe or good karma. So I don’t know where that leaves me. I can understand that but I’ve done it so many times. It’s not intentional but I know I’m high up in the death table. But they’ve all been quite memorable. It’s a surprise when I survive. A quite nice surprise for me and, hopefully, for the audience as you always think I’m going to die.
AP: Actually, we’re a little shocked you managed to survive through the first season of “The Oath.”
Bean: There was talk about me dying in it but they liked what they saw, what I was doing, and I think they decided to extend his life a bit more.