New Delhi: Brenock OâConnor is known as Olly from the world of âGame Of Thronesâ, and he doesnât mind living under the shadow of the role. The actor says he looks at his association with the widely popular show as a âglorious comfort blanketâ.
OâConnor got popular as the infamous Olly, who stabs Jon Snow in the showâs season five finale, back in 2015.
âThis is a question that I get asked a lot, not just by journalists, but by people in my family, like, âhow are you going to get out of the âGame Of Thronesâ shadowâ. And I donât look at it as a shadow,â OâConnor told IANS when asked about living with the image.
âI look at it as glorious cover to stop me from getting rained on all the time. Itâs a glorious comfort blanket to be in one of the greatest shows of all time. And I can only go outward from there and do what I want to do because Iâve got this incredible net of being involved in one of the most widely regarded best told stories of all time. So Iâm not actively looking to get out of âGame of Thronesâ shadow because itâs a glorious shadow to be in,â he added.
Now, OâConnor is looking forward to starting another journey on the small screen as Tom Harris, best friend of the protagonist in teen spy series, âAlex Riderâ.
âThis story is a real joy and Tom is an incredible gift for an actor to be able to discover someone like him. So itâs more like taking each separate journey as it comes than trying to one-up myself from one journey to the next,â he said.
Based on Anthony Horowitzâs young adult spy novels, the series is about Alex Rider (essayed by Otto Farrant) and his transition to a spy from a schoolboy. The cast also includes Stephen Dillane, Vicky McClure and Andrew Buchan. The show streams on Sony LIV from July 10.
Talking about how the story has evolved, OâConnor said: âWe all just got to watch and find out (how it has evolved). The storyline of the struggle within the relationship of Tom and Alex has been one of my favourite stories to act, because itâs a story that Iâve not had the opportunity to do which is two teenage boys struggling with so many things going on in their lives, let alone the spy stuff, (but also) struggling with communicating.â
âIt is something that weâre getting better at talking about (which is) mental health in young men. But the idea that in the middle of this hardcore, drama thriller spy show, thereâs just a scene where a teenage broken boy goes to his friendâs house when his friend isnât there and just cries out, is heartbreaking. Itâs a horrible thing to see. And itâs such a brilliant part of what makes this show a brilliant story. Itâs not just a spy story. Itâs a rounded, well told human tale,â he added.