Kit Harington Reveals He Cried During a Read Through of Final Game of Thrones Episode

People
Alexia Fernandez
October 20, 2017

JOHN PHILLIPS/GETTY

Kit Harington is no longer clueless.

The Game of Thrones actor revealed on BBC’s The One Show Friday that he bawled as he and his cast mates sat down for a read through of the final episode of the hit HBO show.

“We had a read through last week in fact, so I know everything now,” he said.

While the final episode won’t air until the series comes to an end with the eighth season in 2019, the actor said he couldn’t help but get emotional.

“I cried at the end,” he said. “You have to remember that eight years of it — no one really cares about it more than us.”

READ MORE HERE: http://people.com/tv/kit-harington-knows-game-of-thrones-ending/

Almost 10 years after its finale, Ray Stevenson revealed what the original Rome ending and final Titus Pullo scene was supposed to be.

DEN OF GEEK
David Crow
March 17, 2017

Before there was Spartacus or The Tudors, Vikings or The Borgias—before Game of Thrones—there was Rome. As the first salvo of a legion of period epics and historic fictions on premium cable, Rome was one of the most ambitious gambles ever ventured by HBO with a first season cost that was upwards of $100 million due to pricy sets (the biggest in the world), principal photography in Italy, and the usage of old fashioned 35mm cameras.

The series proudly attempted to tell a sort of an “Upstairs, Downstairs” drama between Rome’s patrician class and its plebian underbelly, making it something of a semi-prequel to I, Claudius as we witnessed the rise and fall of Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds), and then the many years of warfare between the various parties in the wake of his death—including a young Octavian (first Max Pirkis, then Simon Woods)—as well as Rome’s transition from republic to empire.

It was a grand effort… perhaps too much so. Indeed, the popular cult series only ran for two seasons, abruptly ending 10 years ago in 2007. While there was some second-guessing and regret after the ratings for Rome season 2 increased, the die was already cast and that season concluded the story with Octavian becoming Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, and his quiet plebian right-hand, Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), taking on the responsibilities of raising a son since his best mate Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) lies presumably in the grave.

“Bruno [Heller] once did outline a story that he was going to start the whole series with,” Stevenson said. “An 88-year-old Pullo going down to the riverside by Vorenus’ tomb, or sarcophagus, pouring wine on it, taking a sword out while sitting there on the banks, looking at the glistening river, and committing suicide.

“And as he has his face hit the sand on the banks, a fish jumped out of the water, and the silver light on the fish caught the sword, which brought us right into that first battle with Lucius Vorenus and [Titus Pullo] where he breaks ranks.”


http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/rome/252090/hbos-rome-ending-was-originally-very-different

Kenneth Branagh battles doubt as actor

THE BULLETIN
By Luaine Lee / Tribune News Service
Published May 4, 2016 at 12:02AM

TV SPOTLIGHT “WALLANDER” 9 P.M. SUNDAYS, PBS

PASADENA, Calif. — Though Kenneth Branagh is perched at the top of his game — both in directing and acting — 10 years ago he had serious doubts.

The star of such films as “My Week with Marilyn” and “Hamlet,” and the director of movies like “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Cinderella” and “Thor,” Branagh could paper his house with accolades, throw in a knighthood, a theater company and a panoply of memorable performances.

But he says, “I found in my 40s a time when I found acting extremely difficult and very pressurized. And I didn’t want to quit, but I had to get over the hump of it. It began when I was playing in ‘Conspiracy’ for HBO.”

“Conspiracy” was about the meeting of Nazi officials held to determine the “final solution for the Jewish question.” Branagh played SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich, the leader of the conference.

“It lasted for quite a few years where it was much harder to lose yourself in a character,” he says. “It started there because I didn’t want to be part of that man’s psyche, and it felt like one became rather self-conscious about what one was doing. And really, where I rediscovered joy with acting was when ‘Wallander’ began.”

“Wallander” is the PBS series on “Masterpiece Mystery!” about a melancholic Swedish detective, filled with quiet desperation as he observes the worst among us. The final three episodes begin airing Sunday.

“In a way it was because you stripped artifice away, and you became very comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he says. “You realized that to play something like this it just wouldn’t or couldn’t be easy. Just trying to present the truth under the unflinching gaze of the film camera, you had no choice but to commit. And somehow it put me out of the other side of a period where I’d been just not enjoying it for a long time, still committed to it, but finding it very, very difficult.”

He says he began to ponder the meaning of his work. “Sometimes you have to shake yourself down to understand how a piece of entertainment can be quite meaningful to people, or at the very least, enjoyable and diverting. And this is not a bad thing to be able to do. I think during that time, I lost a little that sense of purpose, in a way that sounds like it’s ego-led about legacy, but it’s more about finding a purpose.”

Branagh was born in Belfast. His mother worked in a tobacco factory, his dad was a plumber and carpenter. “It was a working class district of Belfast,” he says. “We lived in a very small house. We were working class rather than poor. We always had clothes and food. There were tangible moments in my childhood when I knew there wasn’t — that they were having a tough time.”


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bendbulletin.com/entertainment/4275679-151/kenneth-branagh-battles-doubt-as-actor#

Which TV show starred Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Simon Pegg, David Schwimmer, James McAvoy and Andrew Scott?

DIGITAL SPY
BY TOM EAMES

.. It was Band of Brothers​ of course.

You probably remembered that Damian Lewis first made a name for himself in this excellent 2001 miniseries on HBO, but there are LOADS of other actors who popped up that you may well have forgotten.

Here's a roll call of the biggest names (most of whom are Brits playing Americans) for you to try to spot next time you binge-watch the epic Steven Spielberg-produced war series.​

MICHAEL FASSBENDER



Appeared as: ​Technical Sergeant Burton 'Pat' Christenson

Now best known for: The X-Men movies, 12 Years A Slave, Inglourious Basterds…

Number of episodes: 7

TOM HARDY



​Appeared as: ​Private John Janovec

Now best known for: The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant…

Number of episodes: 2

DAMIAN LEWIS



 Appeared as: ​​Lieutenant / Captain / Major Richard Winters

Now best known for: ​Homeland, Wolf Hall

Number of episodes: 10



READ THE REST HERE: http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/feature/a790633/band-of-brothers-cast-michael-fassbender-tom-hardy-simon-pegg-david-schwimmer/

The second lives of ‘Game of Thrones’ killed-off actors

NEW YORK TIMES
By Robert RorkeApril 17, 2015 | 11:47am

Charles Dance (from left) as Tywin Lannister; Sean Bean as Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark; Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell.

Photo: Macall B.Polay/HBO; Nick Briggs/HBO; Helen Sloan/HBO

Death never takes a holiday on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Karma is real and the Grim Reaper can jet from Meereen to King’s Landing and Braavos and back again — laying waste to lives and dynasties. Luckily, the actors who have departed so hastily from the series, now in its fifth season, have bounced back in other TV shows and movies that are filmed around the world. Here’s where you can see them next.

Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark)

After Catelyn’s untimely demise during the Red Wedding, Fairley picked up two series, almost back-to-back: “24: Live Another Day,” where she played assassin Margot Al-Harazi, and “Resurrection,” where she played Margaret Langston, a spooky woman who returned from the dead in a town where such rebounds have become commonplace. Next up for the Irish actress: a role in Ron Howard’s “Moby Dick” drama “In the Heart of the Sea.”

Sean Bean (Ned Stark)

Bean was one of the first Starks to go to the other side, but he has not been forgotten, neither on the series nor in real life. He is currently starring on the TNT series “Legends” as Martin Odum, an FBI agent who is something of a shape-shifter. He is also filming a movie, “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt,” based on the Anne Rice (“Interview With the Vampire”) novel about the early life of Jesus Christ.

READ MORE HERE: http://nypost.com/2015/04/17/the-second-lives-of-game-of-thrones-killed-off-actors/

‘Divergent’s’ Ray Stevenson Joins Starz’s ‘Black Sails’ as Blackbeard

VARIETY
Whitney Friedlander
News Editor
@loislane79



It’s a pirate’s life for Ray Stevenson, as the “Divergent” and “Rome” actor has joined the cast of the Starz drama “Black Sails” as the notorious raider Blackbeard.

Stevenson joins the cast for season three, which has Blackbeard (or Edward Teach if you’re being formal) returning to settle some unfinished business. A great deal has changed during his absence, meaning he’ll have to disrupt some cemented alliances and challenge new ones.

“Black Sails” follows feared pirate Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his crew. It takes place 20 years prior to the events depicted in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island.” Stevenson joins a cast that also includes Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Clara Paget and Toby Schmitz. The series is created by executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine and is also executive produced by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form. Chris Symes and Dan Shotz also serve as executive producers.


READ MORE HERE: http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/black-sails-blackbeard-ray-stevenson-1201459131/

Christian Bale the frontrunner to play Steve Jobs in Aaron Sorkin's biopic

E Entertainment




It's been in gestation for some time, but now it looks like the long-awaited Aaron Sorkin-scripted, Danny Boyle-directed biopic of Steve Jobs has found its man.

Batman, to be precise. (groan)

Christian Bale is close to signing a deal to play the founder of Apple, beating out competition including Bradley Cooper, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

According to reports, Bale is currently in negotiations for another film which have stalled, allowing Bale to consider the role.

Gone Girl's David Fincher was initially attached to direct the as-yet untitled Jobs biopic, but dropped out due to issues over creative control and his fee.

Meanwhile, Aaron Sorkin's HBO series The Newsroom enters its third and final season after the show was unceremoniously dropped from the station after a dismal first season and a slightly-improved second season.

Initial thoughts? Bale is a solid actor and he's known for total immersion in whatever role he takes on. He's never going to half-arse it so we can be sure that he'll be giving it socks.


READ MORE HERE: http://entertainment.ie/cinema/news/Christian-Bale-the-frontrunner-to-play-Steve-Jobs-in-Aaron-Sorkins-biopic/304166.htm

True Detective Season 2 Cast Rumors: Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn to Star HBO's Hit Show

THE CHRISTIAN TIMES
Raianne Fe Aguhar
05 OCTOBER, 2014



The Sunday World has confirmed that Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn are to star the hugely anticipated show, True Detective Season 2.

38-year old Farrell, who has signed up for the series, said in an interview, "I'm doing the second series. I'm so excited."

"I know it will be eight episodes and take around four or five months to shoot. I know very little about it, but we're shooting in the environs of Los Angeles which is great. It means I get to stay at home and see the kids", he added.

The description for Farrell's character (Ray Velcoro) reads, "a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him."

The continuous name dropping has become an Internet circus. The latest rumor is that Elisabeth Moss will be joining the cast as well. This has not been confirmed, but it has sparked excitement among fans — yet again.

Big names being linked to the upcoming show include Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Christian Bale. However, none of these stars have been confirmed by HBO. In fact, the network has kept mum on the cast rumors.

Until HBO releases an official list of the main cast for True Detective Season 2, it looks like fans will have to play "guessing game" a little longer.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.christiantimes.com/article/true.detective.season.2.cast.rumors.collin.farrel.and.vince.vaughn.to.star.hbos.hit.show/48611.htm

Game of Thrones's Murdered Characters: Where Are They Now?

WET PAINT

 

Need help figuring out where to see old Game of Thrones faves these days? That's what we're here for! Click through this gallery to learn about the latest projects from all sorts of old Game of Thrones faves, from Sean Bean (Ned Stark) to Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo).

READ MORE HERE: http://www.wetpaint.com/game-of-thrones/gallery/2014-06-27-game-throness-murdered-characters-where

Queen Elizabeth II visits "Game of Thrones" set (video)

CBS NEWS
June 24, 2014



For Queen Elizabeth II, one throne is enough.

The United Kingdom's 88-year-old monarch toured the Belfast sets of the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones" and met many of its stars Tuesday beside the show's sword-covered seat of power, the Iron Throne.

Unlike many visitors to Belfast's Titanic Studios, the monarch declined to take a seat on the throne created for the ruler of the mythical Seven Kingdoms. But she did take a look at many of the set props during her visit.

"Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss escorted the monarch through the show's custom-made armory, hangars of costumes, and sprawling sets used to shoot the program's interior scenes and perilous ice-cliff ascents -- part of the biggest TV production ever mounted in Europe.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-visits-game-of-thrones-set/

Tonight’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Is Its Most Expensive Episode, Ever

MTV
by alicia lutes 06/08/14



We’re already way excited for tonight’s brand new episode of “Game of Thrones” — The Watchers on The Wall. But when you take into consideration the fact that this is the series’ most expensive hour to date? Well, now we can barely sit still.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Jon Snow’s real-life counterpart Kit Harington, explained the episode is “as big as Thrones has gone at the moment. I mean, I think it’s no secret that it’s the most expensive episode that they’ve ever made and a lot of that is due to the CGI.” (Though to be fair, Jon Snow knows nothing, so take that with a grain of salt.)

The series’ showrunners, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, confirmed as such going over the details of the episode with Entertainment Weekly, even noting that episode touts both “the biggest green screen in Europe” and “the biggest Styrofoam piece in existence.”

“It’s a very intense episode, more intense than ‘Blackwater,’” said Benioff.

Weiss added: “With ‘Blackwater’ when we got the episode in, so much of it was visual effects dependent we were kind of unsure — the performances were fantastic and the action was great, but we weren’t entirely sure what we had until the pieces were put together. But with this, … just something about it really grabbed us by the neck [and] that’s very rare even with the great directors we’re fortunate to work with.”

The grand scale of the episode is likely what caused it to have such a mega-budget, thanks to production designer Deborah Riley, who, according to Benioff “did this magnificent top-of-The Wall set, far bigger than what we had before, so you can do walk-and-talks, you can have massive action sequences. It’s completely surrounded by green screen.”


READ MORE HERE; http://www.mtv.com/news/1841067/game-of-thrones-most-expensive-episode-watchers-on-the-wall/

Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams says on-screen dad Sean Bean is a big softy

HAM & HIGH
by Imogen Blake
Thursday, May 8, 2014
1:00 PM



“I get a bit freaked out,” she said. “It hits you and I think, what would it be like if I didn’t do this? But it’s such a fantastic opportunity and I’m so grateful.

“I always had this weird thing in my head that I would have a talk show and I’d be like Graham Norton. That fascinates me because I know what it’s like being interviewed.

“I’m very desperate for people to know what Maisie’s like because they constantly see Arya, which is fine, she’s fantastic, but I’m not her, and we’re not the same person.”

As Arya, Maisie has worked closely with her on-screen father Sean Bean, who played Ned Stark in the show’s first season.

She said the veteran actor, who lives in Belsize Park, is “a gentle and chilled out guy”.

“He was just so lovely,” said Maisie, who lives in Bath with her mum and three older siblings.

“Being a more experienced actor, he’s allowed to go home and someone else would read the lines with me but he always stayed late.

“He’s a really gentle and chilled out guy, which is nice on set because if you get someone who’s too crazy then it disrupts the atmosphere.”


READ MORE HERE: http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/game_of_thrones_star_maisie_williams_says_on_screen_dad_sean_bean_is_a_big_softy_1_3590101

Richard Armitage on Game of Thrones: Hobbit star could be tempted by role in 'brilliant' show

INDEPENDENT
JESS DENHAM  Author Biography   Monday 07 April 2014



Richard Armitage has said he would be tempted by a role in Game of Thrones, should makers of the fantasy TV series express interest.

The British actor, who plays dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit franchise, described the US show as “brilliant” and noted its similarities to Peter Jackson’s Tolkien blockbusters

“I’ve watched a couple of episodes of Game of Thrones,” he told The Independent ahead of the DVD release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

“It’s very close to The Hobbit and quite close to [past project] Robin Hood, so I probably ought to do something more contemporary.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/richard-armitage-on-game-of-thrones-hobbit-star-could-be-tempted-by-role-in-brilliant-show-9239474.html

(video) GAME OF THRONES - Honest Trailer!

Tom Hardy: Exclusive, James Gandolfini's final screen bow in 'The Drop'

Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY
4:12 p.m. EDT March 26, 2014

Director Michael Roskam, left, Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini on the set of 'The Drop.'(Photo: Barry Wetcher, SMPSP)

It was shortly after their first meeting on the Brooklyn set of The Drop that Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini had to shoot a pivotal, intense scene together.

But director Michaël Roskam had plenty of confidence in the duo for the drama about the underground crime world (due out Sept. 19).

"In that meeting, I could see there was a bit of a smile between them. It was like, 'We're going to nail this, right?' " says Roskam. "And they did this intense scene and were just spot on. There was a beautiful connection between those two guys."

Gandolfini's performance was his last for the big screen, as the actor died of a heart attack at age 51 during an Italian vacation last June, just months after filming The Drop.

Roskam, who was nominated for a best-foreign-language Oscar for his 2011 Belgian drama Bullhead, believes the iconic star of The Sopranos was continuing to break into new territory in the suspenseful drama, showing a different kind of vulnerability.

James Gandolfini, left, as Cousin Marv? and Tom Hardy as Bob? in 'The Drop.'(Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Lehane lobbied hard to make sure Gandolfini signed onto the project.

"There are certain guys out there that are exceptionally rare who can completely feel this type of guy in their bones," says Lehane. Gandolfini could "speak with a sort of music of the urban experience and do it effortlessly."

Roskam says Hardy and Gandolfini were clearly so proud of their work that they would hang out together on set as if savoring the moment.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/03/26/james-gandolfini-last-movie-drop-tom-hardy/4956141/

Game of Thrones season 4 to premiere in UK and US at same time

METRO
Tuesday 25 Mar 2014 9:47 pm



The brand new series of Game of Thrones will be broadcast at the same time in both the UK and US, it has been revealed.

The hit TV show will begin its latest season on April 6 with the first episode to air on HBO on Sunday at 9pm ET and on Sky Atlantic on Monday at 2am GMT, it was revealed at the premiere in London tonight.

The episode will then be repeated on its usual slot on 9pm on Monday evening in the UK.


READ MORE HERE: http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/25/game-of-thrones-season-4-to-premiere-in-uk-and-us-at-same-time-4678610/

Ray Stevenson interview for The Dark World with Ray Stevenson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-flxcFMMhQ4&noredirect=1

Sean Bean, Eva Longoria and Kate Walsh to Star in Indie Drama 'Any Day' (Exclusive)

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
10:35 AM PDT 10/4/2013 by Philiana Ng



Eva Longoria, Sean Bean and Kate Walsh

Sean Bean, Eva Longoria and Kate Walsh have joined the feature Any Day, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

Any Day centers on an ex-fighter Vian (Bean), who is transformed by the love and forgiveness he experiences through his 11-year-old nephew Jimmy.

Longoria will play Jolene, a mortgage broker who meets Vian in the grocery store, while he is with Jimmy. After a few false starts, Jolene agrees to go on a date with Vian, but her vindictive ex-boyfriend reveals some troubling information about Vian.

Walsh has been cast as Bethley, Vian's older sister. A tough, yet alluring single mother who's been working all her life, Bethley's husband ran off with another woman leaving her struggling to make ends meet. She is strong in her religious faith and lets Vian live in her garage for a few weeks.

Bean, who had a memorable turn as Ned Stark on HBO's Game of Thrones, stars in the upcoming Jupiter Ascending and TNT's Legends pilot, is repped by CAA, Independent Talent and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein. Longoria, next starring in Frontera, is repped by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment and Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette Feldman Schenkman & Goodman. Walsh's forthcoming films include Dermaphoria, Just Before I Go and Staten Island Summer; she is repped by CAA and Morris Yorn.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sean-bean-eva-longoria-kate-642521

Emmy Awards British nominees: Dame Helen Mirren

RADIO TIMES
James Gill
8:00 AM, 22 September 2013



DAME HELEN MIRREN

Nominated for: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini series or Movie

Role: Linda Kenny-Baden in Phil Spector

Awards veteran Dame Helen Mirren is up for her tenth Emmy nomination for her role in HBO biopic Phil Spector.

Her first nomination came in 1994 for her role as DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect; Mirren's won four awards since, the last coming in 2007 for (yes, again) Prime Suspect. Is current British export sensation Downton Abbey on the way to achieving that kind of longevity?

In Phil Spector, which aired in the UK on Sky Atlantic in June, she played Linda Kenney-Brown, defense attorney to music industry producer Phil Spector during his murder trial.

read more here: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-22/emmy-awards-british-nominees-dame-helen-mirren

Emmy Awards British nominees: Benedict Cumberbatch

RADIO TIMES
James Gill
8:00 AM, 21 September 2013



BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

Nominated for: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini Series or Movie

Role: Christopher Tietjens in Parade’s End

This is the second time the Sherlock actor has been nominated for an Emmy Award. The first was last year when he received a nomination for playing Sherlock Holmes, but lost out to Kevin Costner for his leading role as William ‘Devil Anse’ Hatfield in Hatfields & McCoys.

This year he’s up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini Series for playing Christopher Tietjens in Parade’s End. When he heard of his nomination, Cumberbatch paid tribute to writer Tom Stoppard who adapted the novel by Ford Madox Ford.

“I was so honoured to work on Parade’s End, to get the chance to get under the skin of such a complex, beautifully written character as Tietjens with a script written by the unsurpassable Sir Tom Stoppard,” he said.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-21/emmy-awards-british-nominees-benedict-cumberbatch