Step into Westeros in Belfast thanks to a new ‘Game of Thrones’ exhibition
▶ Nyree McFarlane reports from Belfast, where a number of the show’s cast converged for the opening of an exhibition
The impact of the impending finale of Game of Thrones is immense for fans, but what about the aftermath for the people who play all the beloved characters?
Isaac Hempstead Wright, 20, has been on the show for half his life: he was just 10 when he took on the role of Bran Stark, but he’s pragmatic about the potential burden of legacy. “There are much worse things to be remembered for than Game of
Thrones. It’s quite a privilege to have that following you around, something that people genuinely loved. It’s not like we’re part of a show that everybody hates … we’re part of something that has changed the landscape of television and fiction.”
He points out that the fact he began working on it as a child means being in the centre of the whirlwind of
the TV show is really all he’s “ever known”.
“It’s actually quite difficult to remember my life before Game of
Thrones, because I was so young ... It’s a strange one thinking, ‘wow, I feel like I’ve just lived an entire life and I’m only just starting it’,” he says, adding jokingly, “so it’s all downhill from here.”
Wright was speaking in Belfast on Wednesday, at the launch of Game of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition, which opened on Thursday in the Northern Irish city that was the home base of the show’s production for 10 years. He was joined at the event by Liam Cunningham, who played Ser Davos Seaworth, one of the most likeable characters in an ocean of backstabbers.
“He was described as the moral compass of the piece,” Cunningham explains of his seafaring character, “and with a head like mine, you do play a lot of baddies, so it was gorgeous to play somebody like Davos. I always thought of Davos as representing the audience, representing some sort of sanity. I kind of felt like I spoke for the fans by being in this show in a nest of vipers.”
The highlight of exhibition is the costumes: you get to see, up close, almost every major character’s most notable outfits. And a costume can be a very emotional item, as Cunningham points out: “I’m from theatre, so I hang my costume up, I noticed a lot of my colleagues threw them on the floor,” he joked, “but I remember hanging my costume up for the last time and just taking a minute and looking at the costume because, for me, that was when I was saying goodbye to Davos.”
Cunningham said one of the most extraordinary things about filming was none of the thousands of extras who worked on the film leaked show
It’s actually quite difficult to remember my life before ‘Game of Thrones,’ because I was so young … ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT Actor
secrets: HBO is fiercely protective of the plot. “You also have to remember, these ladies and gentlemen had to keep schtum hundreds of secrets throughout the seasons. They were all fans, and they have been so discreet and didn’t want to spoil it for people, they behaved like a well-trained force. I’d have them on the CIA or MI5 any day of the week.”
Speaking of well-trained units, the battle scenes are the tense, bloody punctuation of most Game of Thrones seasons. “Bran Stark wasn’t at the forefront of much action in Game of
Thrones, thankfully,” Wright said of his character, who becomes paraplegic after a fall in season one.
The exhibition is being held in the Titanic Exhibition centre, next to a large-scale King’s Landing set that was used on the show, and just across the road from the Titanic Studios where the bulk of the interior scenes were shot. And, like Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand, it’s safe to say Game of
Thrones has helped to transform the tourism industry of Northern Ireland.
Ian Beattie, who plays Ser Meryn Trant, was also at the Belfast launch of the exhibition, and is himself from the town. “The luckiest day this province ever had was the day HBO decided to film Game of Thrones here. The impact to our economy is incalculable, and it is the gift that keeps on giving,” he says. “There’s a palpable sense of optimism in Belfast, and the show has added to that,” says Cunningham. “The place is blooming out of its dark history, and for the show to be part of that transition is glorious.”
Beattie adds that his run in the show was close to being a lot shorter than the five seasons he appeared in: “My luckiest day as an actor was when I got Ser Meryn Trant. I actually auditioned for a role in season one and didn’t get it. I was thinking: ‘They’re going to fly some actor over from England and put him up in a hotel when I live five minutes away from the studio.’ But they called me back and auditioned me for the role of Ser Meryn, and I was lucky enough to get it. The role I initially auditioned for was Jury Cassell, who died in season one, episode five, whereas five years later I’m still going.”
The Touring Exhibition at Titanic Exhibition Centre is on until September 1. Tickets from £15 (Dh72).