Audio Interviews with Eugene Simon (Lancel), Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant), and Ian McElhinney (Barristan Selmy)

Game of Thrones actors are currently congregating at the MCM London Comic Con. Actor Eugene Simon, who portrays Lancel Lannister, was interviewed by the fine folks at Audioboom. Simon basically lays out the outline for Lancel’s transformation from weak-willed squire to hardened religious fanatic.

Simon sounds very cryptic about Season 6 and Lancel’s part in it. That line about the Faith Militant “still hav[ing] a bone to pick” kind of raises the hairs on the back of my neck, as it probably means we will see more violence against the citizens of King’s Landing. Then there’s the bit about how he would like to see Lancel die on the show (“a profoundly explosive and wonderful way”)…not that he confirmed Lancel is dying in Season 6. I do find it interesting that he said he was worried Lancel might be killed without giving full credit to his character.

I also like that Simon has read the books, and that he used them as a guide for his character. The actor mentions that Yoren from Season 1—the recruiter from the Night’s Watch who saved Arya—is his favorite character.

Here are some the bits from the interview broken up into bite-sized chunks. Simon on the death he wants for Lancel:

And here he is revealing that he would cosplay as a character from Dragon Ball Z if given the opportunity…okay, well, that’s not really interesting so much as it is silly, but it’s still nice to see that Brother Lancel still has a lighthearted side.

Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant) is also at the Con, which is taking place right now. Here’s Beattie looking back on his time on Game of Thrones in the role of the much-reviled Meryn Trant:

So Beattie’s feelings about the show are understandably mixed—he rightfully reviled his character, but still felt “a huge sense of loss” after his time on it was over. I liked his comment that, for an actor, “It’s not just work. Not in Game of Thrones. It’s not just work.” That’s the kind of passion I like to see from the performers—it makes for compelling viewing.

However, the biggest takeaway from Beattie’s interview may have been when he was talking about whether he allows his kids to watch the show. Beattie doesn’t think his 12-year-old is old enough to watch the show, but “by the time he’s 14, he’ll be allowed to watch it all, and…by the time he’s 14, probably all seven seasons are done, and he’d be able to watch it all at once.”

Seven seasons? Last we heard, HBO wanted the show to run for at least eight. It seems probable that Beattie was just speaking off the cuff, but maybe there’s been a new development.

Here’s the clip from the interview where Beattie talks about the sense of loss he felt after leaving the show.

Finally, Ian McElhinney (Barristan Selmy) gave a terrific interview about his time on the show. Interestingly, McElhinney gripes a bit about how the show lost something when Barristan Selmy died, since there are “very few noble and worthy characters,” a description that certainly fits Barristan.

I love how in depth McElhinney gets here. Some highlights:

• He doesn’t think Jorah can be a rock for Daenerys, because he’s too involved with her personally. McElhinney prefers Tyrion as a companion for the Mother of Dragons.
• “It’s a lot more debatable now…if [Daenerys] the one who’s gonna end up on the Iron Throne. I think a series ago you might have thought ‘Well, that’s the way this is heading.’ Now, I wouldn’t bet on it.” Oh, really?
• McElhinney was glad that Barristan went out fighting, although he would have preferred to survive the battle. In general, McElhinney seems a little bitter over his early exit, especially since he’d read the books and knows that Selmy is still alive on the page.
• He thinks that the producers are working to make sure that The Winds of Winter will get released before or during Season 6. It’s just a suspicion, but an interesting one.
• McElhinney asks a fascinating question: now that Game of Thrones is so popular, is George R.R. Martin letting it influence how he writes the books?
• Here’s how McElhinney thinks the series will end: “Nobody will get on the throne, there’ll be a huge holocaust and the question of who succeeds in Westeros is irrelevant.” Wow. Strong words.

There’s lots to chew over in these interviews. We’ll bring you more as it comes in.

Next: Game of Thrones Returns to The Wall, and filming at Riverrun continues