Jerome Flynn (Bronn): “I Thought I Was Selling My Soul” By Joining Game of Thrones
By Ani Bundel
The second career of Jerome Flynn is one of the least likely in show biz history. Once part of Robson and Jerome, the 1990s hit duo, Flynn had a duel career in singing and acting before it was de rigeuer for all pop stars to try their hands at acting.
Then in 2000, he walked away. He bought a house in the country and decided he was done with stardom. Most pop stars don’t come back from that. Walking away at the height of your career can burn bridges, and make it so people aren’t willing to work with you anymore. I think it says a lot about how talented he was that his agent stuck by him, patiently sending scripts and waiting for Flynn to finally come round. Ten years later he did, accepting a role as the sellsword Bronn in a nascent fantasy project for HBO. But he nearly didn’t go for it.
In an interview with the RadioTimes, Flynn admits he thought he was selling his soul when he agreed to do the production.
“I’d put it in the bracket of American twaddle. I had a picture of dying a terrible death, a selling-my-soul kind of feeling.”
He’s not the only one who had preconceived notions of what Game of Thrones would be. Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow) was originally offered a part in the first season, but turned it down for much the same reason that Flynn did. The difference is that Flynn accepted the job and realized how mistaken he’d been after meeting with the producers.
“I got an idea of what it meant to them, and the scale of the production. Then the cast turned up, and I realised this was epic. Wonderful to be part of.”
Not only was it wonderful to be a part of, but it jump-started Flynn’s career. A year after Thrones’ debut, he was starring in the BBC show Ripper Street. Though Ripper Street never hit the way BBC and BBCA hoped it would, it’s still going, having moved on to Amazon for it’s fourth season. Flynn says that fans were a major part of saving it. He feels that the voices of fans are important for keeping the entertainment industry on it’s toes.
Now, if only all of our voices can resurrect Jon Snow from the dead…
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