Ian Beattie speaks with Hypable about bringing Meryn Trant to life — and gruesome death — in Game of Thrones season 5.
I have to congratulate you on making it to Game of Thrones season 5 — not many people can say that!
It was quite an honor, to be quite honest with you, [especially] playing such a despicable character.
What was it like saying goodbye to the show, after being involved for its entire run?
It was one of the worst experiences of my professional career. It was absolutely awful to say goodbye to it. Although in saying goodbye, both David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] gave me two scenes that any actor would kill for — along with a death at the end of it that I think everybody who saw it will remember. So I was extraordinarily grateful for that.
But it was awful. It was terrible! It was funny, because in the last seven or so hours on set, once Maisie put both my eyes out — thank you, Maisie! — I had prosthetics on both of my eyes. So for the last seven hours, I was completely blind. Now, that actually helped me in terms of the vulnerability that the character felt in that position. It was absolutely terrifying.
But at the end of it, we did this cut in one take, and then [director] David Nutter shouted out “That’s a series wrap on Ian Beattie!” And I was heartbroken. I don’t mind admitting for a second that I shed a tear — thank God I was wearing the prosthetics, and they couldn’t actually see me blubbering! But it’s like being told you can’t come back to your family again. You can’t come back to this wonderful, incredible, large, extraordinary, talented, slightly dysfunctional family. And it’s awful, it’s awful.
I did suggest to David and Dan just before I died that perhaps Ser Meryn could have a twin brother — maybe someone who just beat up old ladies, rather than someone else who beat up children. But unfortunately I don’t think that’s going to happen.
What’s been your proudest moment in your career as Meryn Trant?
I would have to say season 5, episodes nine and ten — my three scenes in that. You know, when I first read the scenes, it was about three months before we filmed, and I was horrified by them — but I was terrified by them as well. How do we bring this monster to life — how do we make this monster human? Which would make him even more terrifying, that he was. And the scenes could have gone any which way, but I think we pulled them off.
For me, pulling off those scenes, bringing that terrible side of Meryn to life and doing that successfully, followed by that incredible death scene — I would say, if I’m proudest of anything, that was probably some of the best acting I’ve done.
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Because Meryn is so completely unlike me. I couldn’t find a single — I think I found one redeeming feature in the scumbag, and that was his loyalty to Cersei. I think that was the only positive that I could find, everything else was negative. I thought he was a coward, I thought he was a bully, I thought he was a thug. And then of course, in season 5, I find out he’s a pedophile and a child-beater as well! [laughs]
There weren’t too many positives about him, but it was making him real, and that was the real challenge. I’m quite proud of the fact that, certainly for most of the viewers, even the ones who were cheering and shouting and screaming at my death, I was very pleased with that. And I was very proud that the viewers felt that way. And certainly, even friends of mine who were fans of the show managed to divorce the fact that it wasn’t me there — it was the character I was playing. And convincing them was very [validating] for my performance.
Ser Meryn has been a sort of stealth bad guy throughout Game of Thrones, overshadowed by monsters like Joffrey and Ramsay. Were you surprised at how truly evil he was revealed to be in season 5?
I was horrified. I didn’t actually see it myself. For the first four seasons, honestly I thought he was just a thug and a bully — and a wee bit of a sadist to enjoy taking orders from the horrible Joffrey. I didn’t see that private side to him.
And funnily enough, I actually watched all four seasons before we filmed season 5, after I’d got the storyline, just to make sure — “Yep, nope, this is going to work.” The signs were there, the signs were there — the enjoyment, the sneering enjoyment of beating Sansa, the sneering enjoyment at [Tyrion’s] trial. The signs were there, so we were able to successfully convince the viewer. It was no great leap of the imagination for the viewer to see Meryn as this person, when his private side was finally revealed.
You know, now that I think about it, Meryn really had a lot going on.
Well, I think that’s the genius of David and Dan — that even minor characters are fleshed out and given life, and the way it contributes to the show as a whole. I’m such a huge of Game of Thrones [fan], such a huge fan of David and Dan, and George Martin, the genius who created this world. I really cannot wait for season 6, I really can’t wait for it to come along. I’m really looking forward to it!
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Your storylines as Meryn have kept you mostly with characters like Cersei and Arya, but what has it been like to act with the epic cast of Game of Thrones?
In terms of acting with Lena [Heady], and also I’ve met several strong women in the cast, and I’ve had the pleasure of working mainly with Lena and Maisie [Williams], but also with Sophie Turner, with Dame Diana Rigg, with Natalie Dormer. It has just been the most wonderful experience of my life. To work with such incredible talent has been something that I have cherished, and that I will cherish for the remainder of my career. It’s certainly a career highlight for me to work with such an incredibly talented cast — and some of the best actors in the world — and I’m sitting in the same room with them! You can’t help but be flattered by that… you have to pinch yourself every so often!
I remember when we were filming season 4, and it was the Purple Wedding, Joffrey’s death, and we were filming in Croatia. The first day, we were all sitting in the tent with all the actors, and I took one look around the room and there was Peter Dinklage, Lena Heady, Sophie Turner, Dame Diana Rigg, Natalie Dormer, Gwendolyn Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Conleth Hill… this incredible list of talent — Charles Dance, for goodness sakes! I really did have to pinch myself, to be there.
Did you take any mementos with you from the set?
I didn’t actually, funnily enough! I think I took socks, I think a got a guilty pair of socks. The one thing I really would have liked to have taken — I didn’t have a chance to even ask for it — was the leather coat. The leather coat under the Kingsguard armor was absolutely gorgeous, I would have taken it home with me if I could have. I just think, if I were going to go clubbing, that would be the coat to wear! That would be such a good coat to wear. But unfortunately, no, I didn’t take anything with me, apart from the very best wishes of everybody I worked with — and I suppose that was gift enough.
As always, there were a ton of deaths on the show this year. Aside from Meryn’s, which death made the biggest impact on you?
The one that horrified me the most… [well,] I deliberately ask the production team not to give me the scripts. I just get my scenes, because I literally don’t want to know what happens next. I’m a huge fan of the show, and I didn’t for a second imagine that they would kill Jon Snow.
That death completely, totally horrified me, and completely broke my heart. That just blew me away. I was sitting there for half an hour afterwards. I ran to the fridge to get myself a huge glass of wine, I think I was shaking! And then I had to rewind it and play it again — to see the life go out of his eyes, I just thought, “Oh my God, oh my God.”
That broke my heart. [It’s] next to the Red Wedding. The Red Wedding has a special place in my heart, because it was just so incredibly well done, and it was just so incredibly shocking. But Jon Snow was right up there, that horrified me.
There are many fan theories that Jon Snow may come back to life — do you have any theories of your own?
I have none at all. One of the very few good points of me not being there anymore [is], as a fan, I am now completely and totally in the dark. I cannot wait for season 6 — and also because book 6 [in A Song of Ice and Fire] hasn’t been released yet! There isn’t any indication whatsoever about what may or may not happen, and what direction all these different storylines will take. So I am in the dark as much as anybody else, and I just can’t wait for season 6. I will be absolutely glued to the television screen. In fact, I’m seriously thinking of flying to America to see it the night before!
So if you could ask Dave and Dan, or George R.R. Martin, one question — what would it be?
Funny enough, my one question would be, “Is Tyrion going to be there at the end?” Please, tell me he’s going to be there at the end! That would be my one question, because as a character, Tyrion Lannister is my personal favorite, and Peter Dinklage portrays him so perfectly. They couldn’t have got anybody better to portray this character.
I think that’s probably Peter’s question too!
I’m sure it is! [laughs] Dave and Dan don’t tell anybody! Until your time comes, you don’t know. I think I might kill myself if they killed Tyrion, I might have to book myself into a hospital or something.
There really should be hospitals for Game of Thrones fans in withdrawal.
Absolutely! There should be Game of Thrones offseason clinics, to help people get through the time until the next season comes out! I think there really, really should be, and I think it would make a fortune.
Okay, I’m patenting this idea.
[Laughs] I’ll be your first patient!
Game of Thrones season 5 is now available for download from HBOdigitalHD.com.