Actor relishes role’s dimension
A compelling mix of honesty and excess, Nikolaj Coster- Waldau talks of Tyrion, true love
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.
Lord Tywin blames his youngest son for the death of their beloved mother, who died while giving birth to Tyrion. When Game of Thrones resumes its story, 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 unlike the rest of his power- mad family he has no real use or desire for power.
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 favourite to play, and there’ve been plenty of those this past season.
“Tyrion is the only other person he’s able to trust,” Coster- Waldau said, earlier this year. “They’ve spent a lot of time together this season. A lot of things happen. Tyrion hasn’t many friends. His sister just wants him dead, right? It’s classic mythology.
“And for us, as actors, it’s been very interesting to explore. It’s difficult to talk about because I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s definitely a huge part of the season story.”
In the world of Game of Thrones, as conceived by Martin and refined by Benioff and Weiss, Lannister is neither hero nor villain, or even an anti- hero, but several shades of grey between.
“It’s a great character,” Coster- Waldau said, 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.
“He does stupid things with his sister, for example, which I think for most of us is a pretty disturbing thought. But you can’t deny the fact that he actually loves her. It’s one of the few true love stories in this world, at least from his point of view. That doesn’t make him a good person necessarily, but you understand him better.”
Lannister’s sword hand was lopped off by would- be kidnappers in an episode last season.
This season, Lannister — a master swordsman in his day — had to learn to fence 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 said. “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.
“Physically, it was nightmare at the beginning because I had to have my arm down my left leg and my stump up here, but now it’s fine.”