Natalia Tena and Keisha Castle-Hughes talk Osha and Obara at Armageddon Expo
By Dan Selcke
The Armegeddon Pulp Culture Expo, an all-purpose sci-fi, video gaming, and comics convention held in New Zeland, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and a couple of Game of Thrones stars showed up for the occasion. Natalia Tena (Osha) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand) were both in attendance. Both were asked about what may be in store for their characters come Season 6, with varying levels of success.
As interviewed by The New Zealand Herald, Castle-Hughes was the more up-front of the two, although her knowledge was hampered by the fact that the cast, much like Jon Snow, “know[s] nothing.” She’s hoping her character survives, but “[t]he craziest thing about the show is that we are almost as in the dark as everyone else.” According to the Herald, Castle-Hughes even said that some cast members have even tried to bribe the producers into revealing future plotlines, but that “they are rock solid” in their commitment to secrecy.
We know that Castle-Hughes was recently near the Alcazaba of Almería, where the show filmed scenes for Dorne, so it’s assumed that she’s shot at least some material for Season 6. You’d figure that, with that under her belt, she would know more than nothing, but maybe she has more to shoot, or perhaps she’s just being coy.
Castle-Hughes, who was a fan of the books before getting cast on the show, also commented on the genesis of her role—apparently, she had to convince producers that would be able to play the “brutish” Obara despite her small stature (Castle-Hughes is 5’6”). Also, kudos to Castle-Hughes on the Breaking Bad shirt. Finally, this group of Armageddon attendees cosplaying as a Game of Thrones slave train is pretty great. Head over to the Herald to see some video.
Warning: Mild spoilers about a returning character follows
Elsewhere at Armageddon, Movie News Guide (MNG) caught up with Natalia Tena. Given these shots of the actress in Belfast from a while back, it’s a good bet that Tena will be back as Osha the wildling for Season 6, but if MNG thought she would spill the beans on anything, it was disappointed. Apparently, “people from the show” were on hand to discourage any questions. “No questions about season six of the show,” they said. There’s that commitment to secrecy again.
Still, Tena did say that, even if she was asked, she wouldn’t reveal anything, which we’re free to take as an implicit admission that she knows something, which at least sort of confirms that she’s in Season 6. Geez, those are a lot of dots to connect. Tena also had some fond words for her character, saying that Osha was a strong fighter, good on her feet, and has a very strong centre—she’s firm but with a heart of gold. I’m quite looking forward to her inevitable return—she brought a wild-eyed steeliness to the show that was pretty captivating.