Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Maisie Williams on their film careers
By Ani Bundel
While we suffer the eternal wait for the Long Night to arrive, or at least Game of Thrones Season 6, whichever comes first, let’s check in with what our stars of the show are doing during their off season.
We’ll start with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. His film, Gods of Egypt, is currently the first major flop of 2016. He’s not the only Game of Thrones actor in a major flop film this year–Natalie Dormer’s The Forest went nowhere quickly, and Lena Headey’s Pride + Prejudice + Zombies suffered greatly from America’s inability to smoke weed in a public theater while watching a movie. But those were not big budget films to begin with, and P+P+Z is at least expected to gain cult status down the line. Gods of Egypt, on the other hand, was directed by the same guy who directed Will Smith in I, Robot, and the budget was just as large. And if it were, say, 1961, this movie could have done gangbusters. Unfortunately, it’s 2016, and audiences are savvy to white-washed cultural appropriating claptrap that doesn’t even have a decent plot going for it.
Coster-Waldau, perhaps not realizing that when one finds oneself cast in this sort of Hollywood embarrassment. one should simply say nothing, is not helping matters. he made the mistake of telling The Red Bulletin that he was frustrated by the controversy (not to mention clearly very confused by it.)
A lot of people are getting really worked up online about the fact that I’m a white actor. I’m not even playing an Egyptian – I’m an 8ft-tall god who turns into a falcon. A part of me just wants to freak out, but then I think, ‘There’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t win in that sort of discussion’.
Oh honey. You’re right about not winning this discussion. Do yourself a favor and please stop talking before you get yourself in real trouble.
Elle Fanning filming
The Storm In The Stars
, which will costar Williams
Let’s move on to Maisie Williams, who is beginning to have movie success. She landed a couple of Rising Star type awards for her performance last year in The Fallen. Now, according to NME, she’s been cast in the very high profile The Storm in the Stars. A historical drama based on the life of Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein), this focuses on her life before she married Percy Shelley, the famous poet who wrote such pieces as Ozymandias, Love’s Philosophy, and Adonaïs. This is a major production starring such A-listers of her generation as Elle Fanning, Joanne Froggatt of Downton Abbey fame and her former co-star on Game of Thrones, Stephen Dillane. (Despite being on the show together for four seasons, this will be the first time she’ll work with Dillane directly, since she and Stannis were never in the same part of Westeros or Essos at the same time.)
And now, what you’ve all been waiting for: MOUNTAIN LIFTS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn90KrsF3p0
Yes, that’s the Mountain deadlifting 972.4 pounds (442 kg) at this weekend’s Strongman Classic in Ohio. RAWR to you too sir. And RIP your shirt.