Isaac Hempstead Wright can still vividly remember reading scripts for the hotly anticipated Game of Thrones finale.
The build-up last year to the hotly anticipated television episode became a surreal worldwide phenomenon, and it broke a viewing record for HBO.
Initially Wright, who has been on the show since season one as Bran (Brandon) Stark, thought it was a joke.
The character, who started as a disabled 10-year-old boy in the harshest of universes, was to take the coveted Iron Throne and become King of the Six Kingdoms.
“I was literally physically having to stand up and pace around the room just to digest it,’’ Wright said.
Game of Thrones.
“I couldn’t believe it. Our producers were famous for producing these prank scripts and I was convinced that everyone had scripts where everyone was told they were either king or queen.
“I was waiting for them all to walk in at the table where we met each other to say ‘I’m king’, or ‘I’m queen’. I tried not to get too excited walking in with my chest puffed out.”
Wright spent half his life on the Game of Thrones set and said writers were renowned for their prank storylines.
“There was a famous one, way early in Season Two and Alfie Allen who plays Theon Greyjoy. They sent him a script that said Bran Stark jumped out from behind the back of a door and stabbed him.
“I had been let in on the prank and he said, ‘you kill me, how cool’.
Game of Thrones in 2011. Isaac Hempsted Wright As Bran Stark with Kit Harrington as Jon Snow.
“Another one was with Kit Harrington, that Jon Snow got involved in some kind of accident and his whole face got burnt off and his lovely long luscious hair was burnt off and every day he’d have to come in and wear a wig.
“I can still vividly remember those scripts.”
Wright said it was an honour to finish on top after eight seasons of playing Bran, the fourth child and second son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s been a year since the very last episode of GoT aired,’’ he said.
“It was such an exciting time last year when it all came out and I had the amazing trip to Australia which was such an exciting way to send it off.
“It’s strange now that all this amazing hype and noise has died down. And also in the face of this exponential threat to the world (coronavirus), it’s quite a contrast.”
WRIGHT’S FAVOURITE MOMENTS, CHARACTERS AND LIFE AFTER GOT
THE MOMENT
At the end of season one Wright knew the show meant business.
“When the lead character Ned Stark is killed off, that proved the moment that GoT is not afraid to completely turn the whole universe up on its head,’’ he said.
“And that’s the theme that continued on for the whole series. What’s so amazing in the show, there are moments where everything changes. It’s all set and leading to a conclusion we all think will pan out but then it goes completely the other way. It’s a transformative U-turn.
It’s what happened all the time.
“There’s a very fine balance between killing off your good main characters and then balancing that with the deaths of those you really wanted to die. It’s a clever mingling of two.”
FAVOURITE CHARACTER
Lord Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage, turned out to be a fan favourite – hero turned villain, and villain turned hero.
Wright said it was a joy to watch his transformation.
“He was such a fabulous character all the way throughout,’’ Wright said.
“I started to re-watch it, and just watched the first episode the other day and even from the first episode he was funny, witty and that’s what cuts through.
“There’s violence and so much scheming and conniving. To have someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously and is just along for the ride, it’s a tiny bit of comic relief.
“The speech he delivers at the end, he’s so powerful and his performance is so commanding.”
BRAN’S STARE
Bran Stark lost his legs after he fell from a tower in the first episode of season one.
And as the Three-Eyed Raven, there was much focus on his stare.
He used his supernatural gifts to assist his family in the war against the White Walkers and won plaudits for perfecting that stare.
But Wright said it was simply that he didn’t have his glasses on.
“I don’t wear contact lenses so whenever I didn’t have my glasses on I did have this vacant distant stare which worked well,’’ he said.
“I think if I had to play the role of a stunt driver I don’t think it would be a success.”
LIFE AFTER GOT
Now 21, Wright has started university in the south east of London studying neuroscience.
He said all the actors keep in touch via a whatsapp group.
“It worked out well for Bran, to have that full circle, I was pretty happy,’’ Wright said.
“It’s nice to have a clean break because it was 10 years and they were the formative years of my life.
“I’m doing university, I’ve loved the topic and the subject and focusing on something different. It’s one of the best ways to deal with the massive shutdown of GOT.”
Watch all eight seasons of Game of Thrones on Binge, Australia’s new streaming service offering the best drama, entertainment and movies from the world’s best creators.
New to Binge? Get your two week free trial, sign up at binge.com.au
