Sean Bean (Ned Stark) hasn’t been on Game of Thrones since the very first season, but he’s cast a long shadow over the entire production, to the point where the prospect of seeing him in Conan O’Brien’s Game of Thrones cast reunion special later has me preemptively welling up.
Sean Bean himself, however, may not be quite as emotionally involved. According to a new interview in Mashable, he seen only bits and pieces of the show since he left, but even he has thoughts about which of Ned’s children will be left standing after the game comes to an end.
Who’s left? Jon Snow is left, isn’t he? But Arya would have to be it. Yeah Arya will last — maybe she’ll be on the throne.
So there you have it: in Sean Bean’s world, the face-stealing assassin Arya is one Stark kid who sticks it out, and may even end up running the place. There are worse endings.
Bean also reflected on Game of Thrones a more generally, and on Ned’s game-changing execution near the end of season 1. “It was a memorable event — a bit of a shock,” he said. “I’m proud of all that, though. It’s great to be part of a phenomena, establish this character and then he’s there forever.”
Anyone who’s followed Bean’s career for a while knows that his characters have a habit of dying movies and TV shows. His employers are starting to have fun with it. For example, Bean is appearing in the upcoming videgame Hitman 2. He’s playing a villain, Mark Faba, nicknamed “the Undying.” As world-class assassin Agent 47, it’s the player’s job to kill Faba, perpetuating the cycle Bean has been repeating ever since he was driven over the edge of a cliff by stampeding cattle in 1990’s The Field.
“How ironic, yeah?” Bean said of his Hitman role. “I just figured, ‘Why not? I’ve died so many times before. What harm will another one do?’ Now they get the chance to kill me. and if that makes them happy, then that’s fine by me.”
That’s very zen of him.
Hitman 2 drops November 13. Game of Thrones season 8 drops sometime next year.
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