Curtain Call: Michael McElhatton

“In my family we say, ‘A naked man has few secrets, a flayed man, none.’” —Roose Bolton

From the first time Michael McElhatton appeared on Game of Thrones, in Season 2’s “Garden of Bones,” and offered to flay the Lannister prisoners for King Robb Stark, I knew we had the perfect actor to play Roose Bolton. From his calm demeanor to his grey eyes to the way he rarely spoke above a whisper, McElhatton embodied the character of Roose Bolton was as George R.R. Martin described him in the Song of Ice and Fire books.

In Season 3, when Roose Bolton conspired to betray his king at the Red Wedding, I found that I didn’t hate him, largely because of Michael McElhatton’s performance. The look he gives Catelyn Stark after she pushes his sleeve up to reveal his chainmail spoke volumes. In that one look, without ever having to say a word, Roose conveyed it all: he had betrayed the Starks, he thought the Young Wolf was stupid and weak, and he had forged an alliance that would further his own ambitions to become the Warden of the North. McElhatton’s work here was so good, I was too impressed to be mad.

And then, Roose delivered the coup de grâce by driving his dagger into Robb Stark’s chest and uttering those now infamous words: “The Lannisters send their regards.” Those have become one of the most popular phrases on the show. McElhatton has definitely left his mark.

In Season 5, Roose and his newly legitimized son Ramsay moved into Winterfell, where McElhatton had a chance to verbally spar with another great Game of Thrones actor. Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) brought Sansa Stark back to her ancestral home to marry Ramsay and unite the North, and he and Ramsay had a chat.

The verbal dance between Gillan and McElhatton was superb, but it was not the last time we would hear Roose Bolton use that unnerving coolness to dress down a subordinate. When the new Lord Karstark came to Winterfell to report that six Bolton men had been found dead, Roose seemed to have had enough of his son’s failings, especially when Ramsay suggested they attack Castle Black:

"If you acquire a reputation as a mad dog, you will be treated as a mad dog. Taken out back and slaughtered for pig feed."

Perhaps it was a combination of Roose’s constant belittling and the fact that Lady Walda and just given birth to a red-cheeked baby boy, but Ramsay had had enough. Roose dropped his guard just long enough to allow his son to return the same kindness he himself had shown Robb Stark three seasons ago.

Michael McElhatton will be missed on Game of Thrones. He played the Leech Lord to perfection, and added depth to a character who was already well-developed on the page. We wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors, Mr. McElhatton, and we thank you for making Game of Thrones that much more enjoyable.