You were in the original Game of Thrones. What was it like to return to this world after all this time?
Very bizarre, to be honest. When I first did it, I was working with Alfie Allen [Thrones’ Theon Greyjoy] on another job, and he had this book with a dragon on the front. He roughly explained the premise, which just sounded nutty and implausible to me. I was like, “Good luck with that. It’s never going to work.” [Laughs.] Then I had an audition for it, and when you have an audition, you go, “It’s brilliant.” Your mind switches.
Arriving on set in Northern Ireland ten years ago or so, it was unknown. It still had that feeling of, “Shit, is this going to work?” I remember hanging out with Kit [Harington, a.k.a. Jon Snow] and those guys, and they’re all desperately doing press-ups and trying to figure things out. Walking to the studios at Warner Bros. for House of the Dragon and seeing carved statues 70 feet high or whatever in this incredible set … It was a very different energy: Wow, this is high pressure, and a lot to live up to.
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