Alfie Allen walks into a plush central London hotel suite, eases back into the sofa and starts to enthuse about some of his new hobbies. “I’ve been enjoying my archery,” says the 25-year-old, who has tousled hair, tight chinos and a bright red jumper.
“It’s a lot of fun. And horse riding is brilliant. I’ve really got into it. If I have a spare day, I’ll definitely try and fit in a bit of both.” These are the skills you pick up when you’ve spent much of the past two years as a key player in Game of Thrones, the HBO production – about the bloody political manoeuvrings of noble families within a fantasy kingdom – in which he plays Theon Greyjoy, a cocky young noble.
I first met Allen over a year ago, before a single episode of Game of Thrones had even been broadcast. He was then, as he is now, enthusiastic and friendly, with an accent that’s norf London by way of a few boarding schools. At the time, it would not have been unfair to say that he was better known for his surname than for his acting ability.
There is, after all, not much you can do about being the brother of Lily and the son of Keith. He makes no bones about the fact that childhood visits to see his father working on set accounted for his ambition to become a performer.
READ MORE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-04-22/game-of-thrones---alfie-allen-i-want-people-to-know-who-i-am
