It’s been a busy week for Game of Thrones! Season Eight filming is officially underway– sets are going up (Winterfell is almost restored to it’s proper glory) and stars are traipsing around Belfast.
Those who enjoy Sophie Turner’s portrayal of Sansa Stark on the show, were delighted to learn Sunday via Instagram, that the 21 year old star was engaged to the singer, Joe Jonas. The couple were an item for a little less than a year, before committing to marriage, and Turner later admitted it was a bit of a surprise. Her co-stars, especially BFF Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, were quick to congratulate Sophie. Game of Thrones was Turner’s introduction to the entertainment industry, at the age of 13, and she has grown up with her character over the years– let us hope her marital experiences are far more pleasant than Sansa’s. This is the second recent engagement among the Game of Thrones cast (Kit Harington and Rose Leslie recently announced they are soon to be wed), and it’s heart-warming to see Thrones stars settling down.
Sadly, on the heels of Turner’s happy news came the announcement that her dog, Zunni, who played Sansa’s doomed dire-wolf,Lady, on Game of Thrones, has passed away. In case you need to cope with the loss of Zunni, Sophie has a new husky pup, Porky, who you can follow on his own personal Instagram. Something tells me Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy)’s puppy, the adorable Abby, who made quite the splash at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con needs a play-date with Porky. Starks and Greyjoys may not mix, but perhaps their canine companions can usher in a new era of cooperation and peace between the two noble houses.
Moving on from Sophie Turner’s personal life, fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were saddened to learn that actor Roy Dotrice has died at the age of 94. While he had an expansive career, Dotrice is best remembered by Thrones fans for narrating the audiobooks of George R.R. Martin’s beloved series, and also for his cameo on the HBO show as the pyromancer, Hallyne, in Season 2. George R.R. Martin was friends with Dotrice, and originally wanted him to play the role of Maester Pycelle, although Dotrice bowed out for health reasons. Martin eloquently eulogized his friend on his Not A Blog blog earlier this week.
In the wake of scandals revolving around Harvey Weinsten, Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister, came out with her own tale of harassment. You can read her entire narrative in her own words on her Twitter page. It’s a sad reminder that misogyny and abuse are not relegated to the realms of medieval fantasy.
True news of Game of Thrones’ upcoming season has been slow this week, but there was wind of a new actor cast. According to his online resume which has since been censored, German actor Marc Rissman has joined Game of Thrones‘ eighth season, and it looks like he’ll be playing Harry Strickland, a character from the A Song of Ice and Fire books who is the leader of the Golden Company– the mercenary group Cersei covertly sent Euron Greyjoy to collect in the final episode of Season Seven. It will be interesting to see if Euron butts heads with Harry.
Game of Thrones production continues to soldier on, despite the fact that Hurricane Ophelia made landfall in Ireland the day filming was to begin. Perhaps they managed to get some footage of the natural disaster which will aid them in reducing the CGI demands of the White Walker apocalypse.
Stay tuned for more updates in the future!
