Russian fan site 7Kingdoms.ru has posted an interview with popular ASOIAF artist Roman Papsuyev (aka Amok) centered around his thoughts on Game of Thrones. The interview is in Russian so here is a link to the page as translated by Google. Not the best, but you get the idea.
Also of note, Amok is planning to create some artwork in commemoration of HBO picking up Thrones. It has been awhile since he has done ASOIAF art, so he asks the fans for ideas on what he should draw. Hit up the link to post your suggestions.
UPDATE: Mark Berelekhis, a fan and a professional translator, was kind enough to translate the interview for us. Read it after the jump.
Roman Papsuev, aka Amok, has gained renown among many of you as an illustrator for Nick Perumov, Vera Kamsha, Dmitry Kazakov, Leonid Alehin, in addition to his own novels. He was dubbed best artist of 2004 by Mir Fantastiki (The World of Science Fiction and Fantasy – http://www.mirf.ru/), and has also taken home the Best Artist award at Eurocon 2008. But for the Russian readers of A Song of Ice and Fire he is also known as one of the founders of The Iron Throne — the first Russian ASOIAF fan site on the web, and perhaps above all else for creating a portrait gallery for the characters of the saga. The images presented by Amok have become regarded as canons, but now that HBO has greenlit the first season of Game of Thrones, soon we will be witnessing their own take on these characters. For this reason we have asked Amok to comment on several developments with respect to the series …
7kingdoms.ru: Once the castings were concluded, the most heated quarrels were over Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. And your portraits were often used to support the argument that the actors were miscast. These are key characters in the world of Westeros, and the actors cast to play these roles differ considerably from your illustrations. What do you think is the reason for the actors’ lukewarm reception by the fans? If the majority pictured Jon and Dany the way you did, don’t you think the series creators are purposefully trying to take the story in a different direction from what the fans expect?
AMOK: Let’s start with an official disclaimer — I believe that the series cast is spectacular. Including Jon and Dany. Sure, they look pretty different from my portraits — so what? First of all, those portraits were never official (save for the portraits of the Targaryens, which were included in The Art of A Song of Ice and Fire. And even though GRRM himself has endorsed them after checking them for compliance, they cannot be considered canons. Second of all, we have to approach the situation rationally, in that it is not up to us to decide who to cast for those roles. We need only to enjoy (or not) the end result. I hope that we will enjoy the hell out of the series, and I truly believe that we will. HBO is an amazing network, and they always hire bona fide dramatic actors. This gives me confidence that every actor/actress will give the role exactly what the creators want. Also, we shouldn’t forget that literature and cinematography are two different arts. What is allowed in one may be a crime in the other. So, even if the series creators deviate from the books a bit, that’s not necessarily terrible, because the end result may still be superb. The important thing is to convey the essence of the books, their spirit, banal as it may sound. Then everything will be wonderful.
And why would the fans reject the actors anyway? I can’t think of a single reason. The actors are terrific, what could anyone possibly dislike about them? My portraits are merely my vision of the characters (of course, they were founded on the author’s own view of them), but don’t forget that even GRRM himself isn’t too involved in the production. To sum up, I feel that fans need to trust HBO more. I doubt that they will feed us heresy, that’s not their MO J
7kingdoms.ru: What is your general impression of the cast [список – link to a Russian article on the series cast]?
AMOK: One word — magnificent.
7kingdoms.ru: Your portraits are seldom considered unfitting for the books. Why do you think the fans are so united in this notion?
AMOK: Because they were approved by GRRM and some of the most devoted fans of the saga, who have helped me to look for character descriptions and pointed out my mistakes. Otherwise it is nothing more than typical fan art.
7kingdoms.ru: In one interview to Mir Fantastiki (The World of Science Fiction and Fantasy) you said that you felt closest in spirit to Ned. How do you like Sean Bean in that role?
AMOK: When I found out that Ned would be played by Sean Bean, I was beside myself with delight. First of all I am a huge fan of the actor, and second, I feel that he will be able to portray the tragedy of Ned’s character like no one else.
7kingdoms.ru: Do you think people’s perception of the world GRRM has created will change significantly when the first season airs in spring 2011?
AMOK: You might as well ask me to read your palm. But yes, of course people’s perception will change. Because before there was only art, fan art, and the readers’ own imagination. But now we’ll have a canon, an official series based on the books. Naturally it will differ from what some people expect. Everybody’s imagination is different, obviously you can’t make everybody happy. Personally, all I want from the series is to convey the spirit of the saga. And I recommend to all the fans to expect the same, and not more.
7kingdoms.ru: The Internet is full of unrelenting rumors that ACT Publishing will publish a new edition of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, for which they will need new art, as it was with the books of Neil Gaiman. If you were offered the job, provided you had the time, what would you put on the cover? What style would you use?
AMOK: Unfortunately, I no longer do cover art, and I probably wouldn’t be able to design the series even if they asked me. But if I were trusted to design the books for this series, I would probably pick a collage system, which I’ve used successfully over practically my entire career as a designer. Such a system includes several large portraits of the protagonists, plus one or two action illustrations that depict key episodes from the book. The end product would look similar to a movie poster. I have examples of such posters on my site — http://amokanet.ru/gallery/posters/.
We thank Amok for his input! We wish him success in his creative endeavors, and wish all of us (the fans) to enjoy the hell out of the series when it airs next year.
Roman’s work can be seen at his official site: www.amokanet.ru.
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48 Comments
I always wondered wat that guy looked like…
P.S. FIRST!
Wyatt DornQuote Reply
I want Maisie as Arya/Ari!!!!!
NymeriaQuote Reply
His name is Roman Papsuyev (without "a" at the end).
Just resume (not sure that my translation is very well):
"First of all I think that cast is inimitable. Jon and Dany too*. Yes, they are much different from my art, well and good. Firstly, my portraits never was canonical [..]. Secondly, we should be rational and cast is not our business. We will only enjoy (or not) the results. I believe we will. HBO is great channel, they invite only serious dramatic actors that why I am sure that actors will play ok. And you should remember that cinema and literature is very different art forms [..] It is very banal idea, but show must reproduce books spirit. And all be ok.
Why did not all fan like cast? I don't know. Actors are incredible [..].
I think we should believe in HBO. They never shoot rot before."
"
Q: In one old interview you said that Eddard Stark is your favorite character, what do you think about Sean Bean?
Amok: When I read that Bean will play Ned I was delighted. Firstly I like him, secondly I think he could show that Ned is very tragical character, no one could more."
Other questions about new canonical vision of Westeros and about Russian book edition.
*I asked about Dany and Jon because both imagery are very different from Amok's portraits. On the pic Dany is queen, very serious…. etc.
@chronarda_ruQuote Reply
Love his artwork. I thought somebody on this board recently said he had never read the books? That's not what I get from the interview (or maybe I just remember it wrong). What does he keep saying about the canon? Also on Ran's twitter Ran says he will be doing art for 'World of Ice and Fire (maybe that's the canon).
I vote for Arya too!
btw: claiming to be first is lame, claiming to be first after sombebody has posted 14 minutes earlier is just flat out fail (no hard feelings Wyatt)
KnurkQuote Reply
Thanks Narwen, for explanation, and short resume.
I am great fan of his asoiaf-art.
@The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
I think he'll do a poster of the cast Star Wars style. At least that's what he hinted at. Should be cool whatever he does.
dizzy34Quote Reply
Something's wrong with the time posted. but the order is right. Wyatt was first.
I believe canon means something like the ideal, the perfect example, the standard, like his illustrations almost became the "official" representations.
NymeriaQuote Reply
@Knurk: he have read =)))))) He was one of the founder of first Russian ASOIAF site =))))
About canon: question was about canon vision of characters and cast. For many ru fans Amoks fanart was almost canonical. Amok explain that maybe it happens because fans helped him to find quotes from the text with descriptions and because Martin himself helped.
@chronarda_ruQuote Reply
I love this guys artwork!! You can tell he's a real ASoIaF fan by his passion and work.
I think it would be a great show of respect to the fans if HBO commissioned some of his work for the show.
RerQuote Reply
Hehehehe, Amok looks kinda like Wil Wheaton. :D
AntenoxQuote Reply
For swedish speakers: Love how they translated Westeros to Västerås XD
StuQuote Reply
Yeah, we always refer to it as Västerås when we play the boardgame et c. Can't be helped, esp one of our crew works there…
WhipporowillQuote Reply
I hope they cast an Asha that resembles Amoks Asha. That version was always my favourite Asha from the AGOT CCG.
Ingemar SvenssonQuote Reply
My mistake then, sorry for that!
KnurkQuote Reply
I've always loved Amok and his wonderful portraits. Nice to put a name to a moniker ;P On another note, GRRM posted on his site. He says he's sick and definately sounds grumpy. Get better GRRM! He doesn mention some bad news that he can't talk about right now. I sure hopw its not HBO's GoT-related.
Lord Ned's HeadQuote Reply
I didn't read the article, but I'm sure if an artist that does book illustrations talks about a canon, they are talking about the text, not his own work.
But if he does think his illustrations are part of the canon, then LAWLZ!!!!!
DaveyQuote Reply
he didn't read the series?
NOOOOO!!
RerQuote Reply
Hahah, I loved that too, immensely … Laughed out loud!
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
He didn't think so. This idea is from question, and he answer that his work is only fanart.
@chronarda_ruQuote Reply
From GRRM's Not a Blog: "I'm going back to the DANCE. I need to kill someone."
so… another POV's heading to an unexpected end.
At least it will narrow the story he has to write for the next book!
I wonder if George was in a bad mood too when he killed the other POVs… lol
NymeriaQuote Reply
xD Awesomely härligt!…
@LivveHultQuote Reply
OT
Just noticed that both Iain Glen and Ian McNiece are guest starring in the new series of Doctor Who. No idea if they are in the same episode though.
MormegilQuote Reply
Tamzin Merchant landed a supporting role in Jane Eyre, which starts filming this week or the next.
http://movies.about.com/b/2010/03/18/jane-eyre-mi…
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=6…
NymeriaQuote Reply
I'm a slightly paranoid person, but the fact that he "can't talk about it" sort of sounds like HBO related stuff. Also it's bad news on various fronts, as he says, making it moe likely by itself.____Production delayed till next summer? I'm such a pessimist….
sjweningsQuote Reply
I love his work – what is more amazing is that he is self-taught. I will love to see his new work, it has been a while since he did any new ASOIAF related work.
@ipopicQuote Reply
Another mention by Mo Ryan
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertain…
Nice of her to link Star Wars fan to GoT!
NymeriaQuote Reply
Your link is cut off.
ScottQuote Reply
sorry, that shouls work better
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertain…
NymeriaQuote Reply
WTF…Ehle is out! Go to Westeros.
dizzy34Quote Reply
http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/catelyn-stark-reca…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Michelle Fairley to replace Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_displ…
NymeriaQuote Reply
I guess that's one of the bad news GRRM was refering to….
NymeriaQuote Reply
Concurr!! WTF! I am sputtering with "wha-" "how-" "why-" "huuh-"??'s
Not wanting to go all –Tamzin is ugly–like.. But isn't Michelle Fairley to old?? She certainly looks old on the pic from THR. Not so old with less black-and-white tones and makeup on (awful thing to say) on another pic I got from google.. But STILL! what was wrong with Ehle!!??!!
@LivveHultQuote Reply
I'm stunned. And very, very sad. I was looking forward so much to see Ehle's performance, she was one of my favourite picks from the cast. :(
@gaines_Quote Reply
well she has a baby… and theatre plays… could be her own choice to withdraw…
or maybe they want to save money on this cast to cast another big name for another role…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Has to be the Ehle news…. :(
@LivveHultQuote Reply
Now how do you announce to the Stark kids that their mother has been replaced?!!
NymeriaQuote Reply
Michelle Fairley is only a couple of years older than Ehle. In that picture she is playing George Best's alcoholic mother in a recent drama and was made up to be older and a bit more hard-living than she looks usually.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Aah. Good to know about the pictures…
Got a little bit scared there. Ehle was one of my favourites aswell. But she looked beautiful in the one picture I saw that was good. She seems to be the replacement Mrs. Granger in the upcoming Harry Potter movies too. Could mean good publicity for GOT IMO.
I don't think they will have much trouble with the reshooting – some for sure, but not a lot. Doubt they will have to call in the entire cast or anything. Considering all the different camera angles etc. Off course someone with a better knowledge of filming than me would know better. But IMO, they will be able to fix this without any bigger fuss. After all the do look a liiittle bit alike, could be enough for distant shots or periferal or the like.
Does anyone know if it would be cheaper to reshoot with all cast – or digitally cutting people out/in etc?? Guess the only shots need retaking are actually only the ones where she acts and talks ITC.
What say you all?
@LivveHultQuote Reply
A little bit schoked, but it is not necessary the worst of all news.
She looks a little more serious than Ehle looked to me. And I think it is just fine.
Hope that was the only bad news of George s.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
And everything tells me that casting is in progress.
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
With the new approval process, I asked my question about how old she was before westerosorg's note was revealed. I think it's maybe pushing it a bit with Rickton, but it'll be an interesting dynamic, her being only five years younger instead of nine.
@sgnpQuote Reply
A new post is up.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
She's 46, younger than Sean Bean, which is appropriate. Older than Ehle by 5 years. That said, a lot of the pictures we have found are from her role in Best: His Mother's Son, in which her character (Anne Best) is an alcoholic, and it seems the makeup-job they used was meant to emphasize this.
Managed to collect a couple of videos featuring her on our site.
It'll be interesting to consider how much reshooting will be needed, especially as Catelyn is in two scenes where pretty much the full cast would be normally present: the arrival at Winterfell and the feast.
@westerosorgQuote Reply
They mentioned it's more of a "behind the scenes" issue. Speculation here, but is the fact that Michelle Fairley from NI at all relevant?
I remember a few of our Sandor/Sansa fans complaining that Rory McCann was too old when he was cast. Is turnabout fair play? I wonder how close to Sean Bean's 51 years Michelle Fairley is.
On the other side, not to put too fine a point on it, but she has to be young enough to have given birth to Rickton. I know we're aging the characters up from the books, and I'm fine with c hanging the dynamics a bit, but that part needs to make sense.
(Casting guessers take note: Michelle Fairley was in "Chatroom," on which Nina Gold was a casting director. More indication that here past products are a fine place to check for potential Season One actors.)
@sgnpQuote Reply
If I had to take a flying guess (that's all this is) it would be that Jennifer Ehle has not done very much in the way of episodic TV before. Her major roles in THE CAMOMILE LAWN and PRIDE & PREJUDICE were limited by them being mini-series, and she was a lot younger when she made them (she was only 21 or 22 in THE CAMOMILE LAWN, for example). As Catelyn she'd obviously have a major presence and role in the series for at least three seasons, filming 6-7 months of the year.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Haha, I know it's lame but I just couldn't help myself, the temptation was too great. At least it wasn't the sole reason for my post. It merely existed as an afterthought. It won't happen (here) again, I swear :D
Wyatt DornQuote Reply
Well thanks Mark for the translation!
NymeriaQuote Reply