Curtain Call: Brenock O’Connor

“For the Watch” —Olly

Over the course of the series, Game of Thrones has occasionally created characters from whole cloth. Ros the prostitute, for instance, was invented for the show, and rose through the ranks before her grisly death in Season 3. Olly was another such character.

Olly, whose family was killed during at attack on his village led by Ygritte and Tormund, humanized the victims of wildling raids that happen south of the Wall and provided context for why people who live just south of the Wall would hate and fear their “less civilized” neighbors from the other side of it. We, the audience, are aware that the wildlings aren’t the real enemy—that honor goes to the White Walkers and their zombie hordes. But it’s good to remind us that, for those who live just south of the Wall, White Walkers only feature in tales told by old grandmothers, and the real day-to-day threat are the wildlings.

Brenock O’Connor was all of 13 when he was cast in this role—prior to it, he only had a couple of small guest roles under his belt. But much like the other child actors on the show, from Maisie Williams to Sophie Turner to Jack Gleeson, O’Connor’s performance has inspired a lot of passion, because almost everyone can agree that they hate Olly.

But O’Connor doesn’t give an over-the-top, we-love-to-hate-him kind of performance, like Jack Gleeson gave as Joffrey. It was quieter, and consisted mainly of seething. And yet, Olly’s motives are understandable. Tormund Giantsbane led the band of wildlings that killed Olly’s parents. Ygriette murdered the people he knew and loved. Wildlings ruined his life and led him to Castle Black, where he was lucky to get a job and not die of starvation and exposure. At the end of Season 4, he sees Jon Snow kill wildlings. Olly adores and wants to grow up to be just like him….until he discovers that Jon Snow also sympathizes with the people that destroyed his life.

Children see the world in shades of black and white, and the discovery that his hero was a traitor was too much for Olly to handle. Nuance, shades of grey…these are not things a ten-year-old kid would consider. Instead, hatred began to grow in Olly. It burned through the screen, and the audience hated him right back, particularly when he took the final step on his journey and stabbed his hero in the heart.

It was a scene-stealing performance until the very end, including the brutal close up of O’Connor’s face as Olly hangs for his crimes. It’s one that won’t soon be forgotten, either. O’Connor already has two post-Thrones projects lined up, including a part as Peter Cratchit in the new TV show Dickensian, and a role in an upcoming movie. Olly may be gone, but O’Connor will most likely be with us a long time, launching a career from his lucky break.