Monday, April 8, 2013

Ciarán Hinds on Playing Game of Thrones’ Mance Rayder By Jennifer Vineyard (VULTURE)



Ciarán Hinds was worried when he was cast as Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones that fans might revolt — at 60, "I'm probably a bit older than some people might have thought of" for the King Beyond the Wall, he says. But since there was no script for season three when he was offered the part and he hadn't read the books, he was unaware of just how large the role would be, until his goddaughter clued him in. Now that he's shot scenes in the first three episodes (plus a reaction shot in a later episode), Hinds is starting to get caught up on theGoT phenomenon, Jon Snow theories, and what's in store for the wildling army, which he chatted about with Vulture.
Were you a big Game of Thrones fan prior to coming aboard the show? Had you read the books? Were you aware of the phenomenon?
No to all of the above. Well, I was aware of it, because it's filming in my hometown, Belfast, so when I met with them, they asked, "Do you know this?" And I said, "Well, I know of it." So they gave me a pile of DVDs to watch. I'm halfway through series two.
There's been a lot of anticipation for Mance ...
And then it's only me! There you go. You go, "Oh! It's only him." I haven't had the chance to read the books — they're mighty books; they're big tomes — but I'm hoping to begin them this summer. Actually, when we were filming in Iceland, where I'd never been, it was like being in the Winter Olympics, just like a blizzard in late November, and it was rugged work. You shoot between nine and five, because of the light, and we'd have evenings clear because it was dark.

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