Game of Thrones' Mark Addy speaks exclusively with TheVine
By SADMAN
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With the Game of Thrones: Season 2 airing in April, fans of the print-come TV fantasy series have, in the meantime, been lapping up all the fan fiction they can get.
Whether you’re a proud follower of the Emmy and Golden Globe award winning series, or a secret addict, we bring you an exclusive interview with Mark Addy, who goes by the moniker of King Robert Baratheon. You’re welcome.
Q: Give us a summary of your character
It’s not the briefest summary you will have heard! I play Robert Baratheon, one-time fearsome warrior who along with his childhood friend Ned Stark led a rebellion. They wanted to unseat the Mad King Aerys Targaryen who was a power-crazed tyrannical ruler. He murdered women, children, villagers on a whim - not the best guy to have in charge. He needed ousting. We led a rebellion to unseat him and with the power vacuum left we stepped up and said, “Okay we’ll rule the kingdoms.”
It’s a violent land but they retained some form of order from the chaos that existed previously. Robert sent Ned to guard the north, Winterfell, where he was quite comfortable, so that’s fine, life is good for him. But Robert in King’s Landing is surrounded by advisers who each have their own agenda and are forcing him to make decisions more for their own benefit than for his or for the kingdom’s.
Q: That sounds like modern politics
There are elements of truth in all of this. It’s extraordinary. Anyway, Robert – he hasn’t been challenged in terms of the monarchy. Consequently he has grown complacent, fat, drunk, and lazy, he’s taken his eye off the ball. It’s really only when Jon Arryn - who is in the role of the ‘Hand of the King’ which is a position that commands the same power as the king - it’s only when he dies that Robert suddenly realises, ‘Hang on a minute, on Jon Arryn’s word, in order to increase our power base and firm up the empire, I’ve actually married into a family, the Lannisters who are totally power mad. So Robert married Cersei, and her brother/lover is one of my close personal bodyguards, 24/7! I’m surrounded by the enemy here and there’s nobody watching my back - the only person I can trust is Ned Stark.
Q: And one of your first acts is to recall him to your side.
Yes. But I also know that by bringing him to King’s Landing and making him the Hand of the King, I’m drawing my best friend into the same danger that I am in - because if they want to get rid of me they’ve got to get rid of him as well. But I’ve got no choice.
Q: And the House Targaryen?
The love of Robert’s life was Ned’s sister who was raped and murdered by Aerys Targaryen and his cohorts: hence a lifelong hatred of anything to do with them. Should Robert get his hands on either of the two remaining Targaryen family members he’d tear them apart immediately.
Q: So it’s complex!
And that’s a brief summary. That’s the complexity of what Robert is when we first meet him. That’s all kind of almost previous to where our story begins. So he is a complex character. He’s depressive, he’s drunk, he likes the whores but from an actor’s point of view I know exactly why, I’ve got all that history from the book which allows me to play that to the full extent.
Q: So having the books as reference has been more help than hindrance…
A help, absolutely! I’ve worked on things before where actors say, ‘I don’t want to read the source material because I need to focus my creative processes blah, blah, blah’. For me it was really, really useful to know, to have that knowledge of the battles that we fought back in the day. How Ned and I grew up together, when we were children, from little boys to men to fighting alongside each other, to taking control of this kingdom and everything that goes in between. You have that huge history before you even meet them. That’s all useful stuff to have in your file. It doesn’t necessarily come to the fore - maybe it’s mentioned in the odd scene - but having it there allows you to feel the weight of responsibility that’s on these guys’ shoulders.
Q: Why should people who wouldn’t normally have any interest in fantasy want to watch this?
I think what HBO have done is ground this in reality. It is fantasy, it’s fantasy writing, but they’ve seen that in order to make it work and to make it watchable by anybody it needs to have a reality to it. It can’t be, ‘…and then he turned himself invisible!’ There are elements of the supernatural here and maybe the odd bit of magic – but that’s kind of on the periphery. The main thrust of the thing feels so grounded in a reality.
Q: But it’s not one specific reality or moment in history…
No. It’s a reality that’s had to be created in terms of the look of the thing. The art department, costumes, props etc. have all drawn on elements that are familiar – there’s a slight medieval feel to it - but not specific. Yet each place is distinctive. You can almost smell what this place is like, or the difference between this place and somewhere else, whether it’s a desert environment or it’s a snow-covered wall. Because they created these worlds so painstakingly, it made our life as actors so much easier. You just walk in there and you go, “Right, this is the world we live in and this is us living it”.
Q: Have you seen ever seen a set like King’s Landing before?
No - the scale of those sets! That’s the beauty of being able to use the Paint Hall in Belfast where they used to paint and assemble huge ships. You could build an entire town in that space and shoot there.
Q: What was the most striking moment for you?
I didn’t actually shoot any scenes in what is the Throne Room where the Iron Throne is, but we did a poster shoot and that was the only time I actually sat on the Iron Throne. It was interesting because you sat on it and went, “Oh this is not very comfy” and the designers went, “Ha ha! Exactly!” Because of course it’s not the place that you want to be. Whoever’s on the Iron Throne, you are right in the firing line there!
Q: What about the horse riding, wearing pelts, leathers, armour – what kind of a challenge was that?
It was uncomfortable but that’s what you have to do. These are guys that come from the north of this country in a time when it’s been summer for ten years… but the seasons are changing, winter’s on the way and it’s going to be colder than we’ve ever experienced for the next ten years. So they’re hardened people and horses are a part of their life. For me, it was great. I learnt to ride for this although I think there’s only one scene where I appear on a horse. Shooting stuff on horseback is more complicated and time consuming than anything else. Actually, that’s one thing that I should have done for the kids – got a picture of dad on a horse.
Q: Were there any bloopers for the personal blooper reel? There must be potential for cock-ups with so many horses, costumes and props?
The only time was on the entrance of the King to Winterfell. We ride in and this huge procession arrives. I dismount and I walk up to Ned. There’s a little exchange that ends up with me laughing. Every time I laughed the horse would do a bit of a whinny - every single time – so you had a courtyard full of people on their knees rolling about.
Q: How big did this production feel?
It was like shooting ten feature films back to back. One of the differences between HBO and other television is that they demand the same coverage that you would have in a feature film. We need to have all the shots in order to make it as rich and as stunning as it looks. We can’t cut any corners. It’s got to be done properly and yeah that’s time consuming and it’s expensive, but I think the end result you see is way beyond anything that you’re used to seeing on television.
Q: It’s a huge, cosmopolitan cast. Why do you think that is?
Because America is a relatively young country, it makes that voice very specific to modern history. This is older than that so you need other voices. Sean [Bean] and I are both from Yorkshire and we’re from the north of this country [Westeros] so we’re using our own accents. The people from the south are using their own accents too.
Q: You’ve played many everymen, and now you’re being asked to play an awesome potentate who must have a feeling of inbuilt majesty. How do you hold yourself like a king?
Well you see in a way Robert’s background was as a foot soldier. Power for him is not a comfortable place to be. It’s all fascinating stuff to try and get your head round because he doesn’t like wearing a crown. He would rather be down with the fighting men and his people than up on the top table with the lords. He is a regular guy who’s been thrust into a position of power. In terms of playing it, it’s hard to play status; status is afforded you by other characters, it’s their deference to you. I guess it’s like if you’re playing the Queen she’s a little old lady really but the fact that everyone will afford her this majesty makes her the Queen.
Q: If you had to put your money on House Stark, Lannister or Targaryen coming out on top, which would you plump for?
Starks. It’s Starks all the way. Although I married a Lannister I could never support them!
Game of Thrones: Season 1 will be available on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 7 – just in time for you to re-watch the action before season 2 beings.
Source.
I always thought he was one of the best cast actors on the show /In Nina Gold We Trust. Also, hopefully this means more interviews to promote the Season 1 DVD/Blu-ray.
By SADMAN
With the Game of Thrones: Season 2 airing in April, fans of the print-come TV fantasy series have, in the meantime, been lapping up all the fan fiction they can get.
Whether you’re a proud follower of the Emmy and Golden Globe award winning series, or a secret addict, we bring you an exclusive interview with Mark Addy, who goes by the moniker of King Robert Baratheon. You’re welcome.
Q: Give us a summary of your character
It’s not the briefest summary you will have heard! I play Robert Baratheon, one-time fearsome warrior who along with his childhood friend Ned Stark led a rebellion. They wanted to unseat the Mad King Aerys Targaryen who was a power-crazed tyrannical ruler. He murdered women, children, villagers on a whim - not the best guy to have in charge. He needed ousting. We led a rebellion to unseat him and with the power vacuum left we stepped up and said, “Okay we’ll rule the kingdoms.”
It’s a violent land but they retained some form of order from the chaos that existed previously. Robert sent Ned to guard the north, Winterfell, where he was quite comfortable, so that’s fine, life is good for him. But Robert in King’s Landing is surrounded by advisers who each have their own agenda and are forcing him to make decisions more for their own benefit than for his or for the kingdom’s.
Q: That sounds like modern politics
There are elements of truth in all of this. It’s extraordinary. Anyway, Robert – he hasn’t been challenged in terms of the monarchy. Consequently he has grown complacent, fat, drunk, and lazy, he’s taken his eye off the ball. It’s really only when Jon Arryn - who is in the role of the ‘Hand of the King’ which is a position that commands the same power as the king - it’s only when he dies that Robert suddenly realises, ‘Hang on a minute, on Jon Arryn’s word, in order to increase our power base and firm up the empire, I’ve actually married into a family, the Lannisters who are totally power mad. So Robert married Cersei, and her brother/lover is one of my close personal bodyguards, 24/7! I’m surrounded by the enemy here and there’s nobody watching my back - the only person I can trust is Ned Stark.
Q: And one of your first acts is to recall him to your side.
Yes. But I also know that by bringing him to King’s Landing and making him the Hand of the King, I’m drawing my best friend into the same danger that I am in - because if they want to get rid of me they’ve got to get rid of him as well. But I’ve got no choice.
Q: And the House Targaryen?
The love of Robert’s life was Ned’s sister who was raped and murdered by Aerys Targaryen and his cohorts: hence a lifelong hatred of anything to do with them. Should Robert get his hands on either of the two remaining Targaryen family members he’d tear them apart immediately.
Q: So it’s complex!
And that’s a brief summary. That’s the complexity of what Robert is when we first meet him. That’s all kind of almost previous to where our story begins. So he is a complex character. He’s depressive, he’s drunk, he likes the whores but from an actor’s point of view I know exactly why, I’ve got all that history from the book which allows me to play that to the full extent.
Q: So having the books as reference has been more help than hindrance…
A help, absolutely! I’ve worked on things before where actors say, ‘I don’t want to read the source material because I need to focus my creative processes blah, blah, blah’. For me it was really, really useful to know, to have that knowledge of the battles that we fought back in the day. How Ned and I grew up together, when we were children, from little boys to men to fighting alongside each other, to taking control of this kingdom and everything that goes in between. You have that huge history before you even meet them. That’s all useful stuff to have in your file. It doesn’t necessarily come to the fore - maybe it’s mentioned in the odd scene - but having it there allows you to feel the weight of responsibility that’s on these guys’ shoulders.
Q: Why should people who wouldn’t normally have any interest in fantasy want to watch this?
I think what HBO have done is ground this in reality. It is fantasy, it’s fantasy writing, but they’ve seen that in order to make it work and to make it watchable by anybody it needs to have a reality to it. It can’t be, ‘…and then he turned himself invisible!’ There are elements of the supernatural here and maybe the odd bit of magic – but that’s kind of on the periphery. The main thrust of the thing feels so grounded in a reality.
Q: But it’s not one specific reality or moment in history…
No. It’s a reality that’s had to be created in terms of the look of the thing. The art department, costumes, props etc. have all drawn on elements that are familiar – there’s a slight medieval feel to it - but not specific. Yet each place is distinctive. You can almost smell what this place is like, or the difference between this place and somewhere else, whether it’s a desert environment or it’s a snow-covered wall. Because they created these worlds so painstakingly, it made our life as actors so much easier. You just walk in there and you go, “Right, this is the world we live in and this is us living it”.
Q: Have you seen ever seen a set like King’s Landing before?
No - the scale of those sets! That’s the beauty of being able to use the Paint Hall in Belfast where they used to paint and assemble huge ships. You could build an entire town in that space and shoot there.
Q: What was the most striking moment for you?
I didn’t actually shoot any scenes in what is the Throne Room where the Iron Throne is, but we did a poster shoot and that was the only time I actually sat on the Iron Throne. It was interesting because you sat on it and went, “Oh this is not very comfy” and the designers went, “Ha ha! Exactly!” Because of course it’s not the place that you want to be. Whoever’s on the Iron Throne, you are right in the firing line there!
Q: What about the horse riding, wearing pelts, leathers, armour – what kind of a challenge was that?
It was uncomfortable but that’s what you have to do. These are guys that come from the north of this country in a time when it’s been summer for ten years… but the seasons are changing, winter’s on the way and it’s going to be colder than we’ve ever experienced for the next ten years. So they’re hardened people and horses are a part of their life. For me, it was great. I learnt to ride for this although I think there’s only one scene where I appear on a horse. Shooting stuff on horseback is more complicated and time consuming than anything else. Actually, that’s one thing that I should have done for the kids – got a picture of dad on a horse.
Q: Were there any bloopers for the personal blooper reel? There must be potential for cock-ups with so many horses, costumes and props?
The only time was on the entrance of the King to Winterfell. We ride in and this huge procession arrives. I dismount and I walk up to Ned. There’s a little exchange that ends up with me laughing. Every time I laughed the horse would do a bit of a whinny - every single time – so you had a courtyard full of people on their knees rolling about.
Q: How big did this production feel?
It was like shooting ten feature films back to back. One of the differences between HBO and other television is that they demand the same coverage that you would have in a feature film. We need to have all the shots in order to make it as rich and as stunning as it looks. We can’t cut any corners. It’s got to be done properly and yeah that’s time consuming and it’s expensive, but I think the end result you see is way beyond anything that you’re used to seeing on television.
Q: It’s a huge, cosmopolitan cast. Why do you think that is?
Because America is a relatively young country, it makes that voice very specific to modern history. This is older than that so you need other voices. Sean [Bean] and I are both from Yorkshire and we’re from the north of this country [Westeros] so we’re using our own accents. The people from the south are using their own accents too.
Q: You’ve played many everymen, and now you’re being asked to play an awesome potentate who must have a feeling of inbuilt majesty. How do you hold yourself like a king?
Well you see in a way Robert’s background was as a foot soldier. Power for him is not a comfortable place to be. It’s all fascinating stuff to try and get your head round because he doesn’t like wearing a crown. He would rather be down with the fighting men and his people than up on the top table with the lords. He is a regular guy who’s been thrust into a position of power. In terms of playing it, it’s hard to play status; status is afforded you by other characters, it’s their deference to you. I guess it’s like if you’re playing the Queen she’s a little old lady really but the fact that everyone will afford her this majesty makes her the Queen.
Q: If you had to put your money on House Stark, Lannister or Targaryen coming out on top, which would you plump for?
Starks. It’s Starks all the way. Although I married a Lannister I could never support them!
Game of Thrones: Season 1 will be available on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 7 – just in time for you to re-watch the action before season 2 beings.
Source.
I always thought he was one of the best cast actors on the show /In Nina Gold We Trust. Also, hopefully this means more interviews to promote the Season 1 DVD/Blu-ray.
.
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