Ian Beattie talks Meryn Trant’s death scene and teases The Winds of Winter

Ian Beattle might not be the first actor you’d think would have an in-depth knowledge of all things Game of Thrones, but he revealed in a recent interview with IGN that he really knows his stuff. Beattie covered a wide range of topics, from the predictable (tidbits about his characters’ gruesome death scene) to the unexpected (hints about what might be coming in The Winds of Winter).

First, let’s discuss that death scene, the one from “Mother’s Mercy” where Arya tears Trant apart like a child ripping opening presents on Christmas morning. Beattie knew his character would die early on. Apparently, if a character is going to do bite it at some point during the year, Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss phone the actor at the beginning of the season and say, “Valar morghulis.” Oh, those two. Beattie praised Maisie Williams’ professionalism during filming and discussed the difficulties of shooting what ended up being one of the most visceral scenes of Season 5.

"After both my eyes were put out, I was wearing prosthetics over my eyes, so for the last several hours I was completely blind. [Laughs] So I arrived on set sort of being handed cups of tea, and it was a very, very weird feeling. I don’t think I’ll ever take blind people for granted again. But in a way, it actually really helped the scene because I personally, rather than my character, felt very, very vulnerable."

That can’t bode well for Maisie Williams, who will have to wear some seriously uncomfortable contacts for a chunk of Season 6 while her character endures her own blindness. Let that be a lesson not to rip people’s eyes out of their heads, Arya! (Although Trant had something coming to him.)

Going further back in time, it ends up that Beattie has very firm ideas about the popular fan theory that Syrio Forel somehow survived his fight with Trant toward the end of Season 1. He gets asked about it a lot, apparently, so he’s given it some thought.

"I do believe Syrio is dead, for several reasons. I know the fan theory, and I think that if Syrio was alive and he was a shape-changer — and I think many fans believed that he actually changed into Ser Meryn — I think we would have found out during Ser Meryn’s death, and that certainly didn’t happen."

Actually, I hadn’t heard the theory that Syrio had been disguising himself as Trant all this time, but it’s an interesting one, especially given what we know about the Faceless Men. Only it’s wrong, according to Beattie. Moving on.

"But I believe Syrio is dead for one simple reason: I don’t see any reason why Meryn would have left him alive. Meryn was under orders, and he was under orders from Cersei, to get Arya Stark. “We need her as a hostage.” Arya escaped. I think he killed Syrio. I have very, very little doubt. There’s no reason why he would have let him live. I can’t see how Syrio could have defeated Meryn in that position."

That argument is unlikely to sway die-hard conspiracy theorists, but it sounds reasonable enough to me, and I like that Beattie cared enough to think about it and lay out his reasons.

Surprisingly, Beattie also had a few things to say about The Winds of Winter, which is plodding ever closer to a release date. It seems that Beattie got to talking with George R.R. Martin at some point, and while he obviously couldn’t give exact details, his hints are pretty intriguing.

"IGN: Did [George R.R. Martin] tell you anything at all about your character?Beattie: Ah… He did, but I can say nothing. There are things that are going to be happening in book six. I do, once again, have my own theory that anybody who is alive at the end of book five but who met their fate in Season 5, I would be surprised if they didn’t catch up quite quick in book six. It’s my belief that Mr. Martin has a fair idea and knows exactly what is going on, of course, with all the storylines. I’m sure him and David and Dan would sit down on a regular basis and work out what’s going to work out with all these storylines. So I think there will be, as there always is, many surprises in book six. I do think somewhere down the line both the television series and the books will tie it all up very nicely for the fans."

True, it’s not clear how much of that is Beattie just theorizing and how much is informed by whatever Martin told him when they met, but I’m choosing to believe that he’s letting a little foreknowledge leak into his ideas about what’s to come. If that’s true, the characters who died during Season 5 but who are still alive at the end of A Dance with Dragons may not be long for this world. That could get dicey, since there are quite a few such characters (Barristan Selmy, Hizdahr zo Loraq, Stannis, Shireen, Selyse, and of course Meryn Trant himself). The Winds of Winter might be a bloodbath.

There’s quite a bit more to read over at IGN. Beattie talks about his favorite moments from the show, who he’d like to see on the Iron Throne when all is said and done, whether he snagged anything from the set, and how Meryn Trant may have been a bit in love with Cersei Lannister (really). When the subject of Jon Snow comes up (as it legally must in every interview with a Game of Thrones cast member), he even sees past the dead-alive debate to the heart of the matter (“I do think Jon Snow’s dead. The question is, ‘Is he going to come back to life again?'”). Ian Beattie is clearly a curious, lively person, and we wish him the best. Just stay away from little girls with daggers.

Next: Former Game of Thrones cast members pine for a return to the show, by any means necessary