Game of Thrones season 7 is still months away, and while some actors (like Jim Broadbent) have given us hearty info on which to feast, more often they drop crumbs. So it was with Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), who spoke to speaking to Entertainment Weekly while attending a performance of the Game of Thrones Live Concert experience at Madison Square Garden. Describing season 7 as a season of “connections,” Wright painted a pretty dire picture of where Bran is when it starts:
"Bran is in the same position he’s in, which is kind of like, “What am I gonna do? What’s gonna happen?” Is he gonna tell Jon? Is he gonna find anyone? Is he even going to make it past the Wall? He’s only with Meera now, and he’s out in the middle of nowhere, so it’s not looking great."
Looking at you, Uncle Benjen. You couldn’t have dropped the kids off a little closer to the Wall?
After sitting out season 5, Bran returned in a major way in season 6, acquiring the powers and responsibilities of the Three-Eyed Raven. Wright spoke about what that all means for the young Bran.
"I think the thing with Bran is that he’s had to change massively. His circumstances are pretty bad, but overall I think Bran has maintained his sense of being good. He hasn’t gone, like, “Oh man, I have all these amazing powers now, let’s mess some things up!”"
Of course, that didn’t stop him from messing things up accidentally with that ill-advised time hop that led to the deaths of the original Three-Eyed Raven, Summer, and Hodor.
Speaking of Hodor, Wright described filming without long time screen companion Kristian Nairn as feeling quite “empty…Although it’s a lot more peaceful now. [Laughs] I’m just teasing! Don’t tell him.”
Wright finished filming season 7 sometime before the end of 2016. (Some members of the cast filmed well into February). He’s had some time to reflect on Bran’s journey, and contemplated Bran’s nontraditional path to adulthood.
"I think Bran has transcended “growing.” Growing up or being an adult is not on his to-do list anymore. It’s doing what he needs to do. He’s on another plane. It’s not like he has to grow up and prove himself a man. He just knows he has to do his stuff."
Could that stuff involve revealing the heritage of a certain King in the North? We hope so.
Finally, Wright mulled over the approaching end of the series. How does he feel about there only being one season left?
"Like freaked out more than anything else. It’s been a big part of my life for seven years, just every year doing this show with the same faces, the same crew. It’s kind of exciting, it’s something new with lots of new possibilities. It’s gonna be so sad."
We will mourn with you, Mr. Wright. We will mourn with you.