Pilou Asbæk on drowning, Trump comparisons, and what’s next for Euron Greyjoy

As Euron Greyjoy, Pilou Asbæk is one of the newest additions to the Game of Thrones cast, and if this new interview in Vulture is any indication, he’s happy to be aboard. “[H]opefully I’m going to be in many episodes, many seasons, and I’ll have time to show that Euron Greyjoy’s a f***ing bastard!” he said, laughing, possibly like a crazy person but probably not. “But a cool bastard. Wait and see.”

It’s fun to see someone so enthusiastic about the show—when a series has been around as long as Game of Thrones, new blood is important. As Vulture points out, Asbæk has a particularly active Twitter feed where he regularly comments on the show. Here is is explaining why Euron doesn’t wear an eyepatch, as in the books…

…here’s his take on Euron’s decision to tear the tongues from the mouths of the men who crew his ship…

…and here he is on the comparisons some people have been drawing between Euron and a certain presidential candidate in the US.

According to Asbæk, “the kingsmoot is the closest thing you come to an actual election in Game of Thrones. It’s the closest you come to democracy in Westeros.” It’s only natural that political comparisons would follow, especially after Euron won the kingsmoot through, in Vulture’s words, “boasts and bluster.” And also bragging about the size of his junk. The parallels just called out to people.

As for what Euron will get up to next, Asbæk had a lot of fun dropping what might be hints, but what could also just be bluster. Here’s what he said when it was pointed out how much younger Asbæk is than Patrick Malahide, who played Euron’s onscreen big brother Balon:

"Maybe Euron found a fountain of youth! Maybe he discovered something in one of his many journeys! I don’t know. He’s traveled the world. He’s seen stuff. He’s experienced stuff. And hopefully he’s going to use that experience to become the full, real king. With Game of Thrones, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were magic."

And here he is talking more generally about the character’s future:

"We’ve seen one side of him, the vulgar side, the Trump side, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he showed more social skills in the future. Everything’s a chess game to him, and he thinks, “I’m going to win, because I’m the smartest one.” And if someone disagrees, they’re going to die. He’s a loose cannon, but he’s pointing somewhere."

Honestly, Asbæk’s enthusiasm makes him seem a little loopy, which is not inappropriate for the character, so carry on.

For the Song of Ice and Fire fans out there, Asbæk also mentioned a plot point from the novels that didn’t show up during the kingsmoot, when book-readers were expecting it. “Yeah, he doesn’t have an eye patch,” Asbæk said, talking about the changes the character underwent during the transition from page to screen. “Yeah, he doesn’t have the Dragonbinder … or does he?”

In A Feast for Crows, Dragonbinder is a horn that Euron demonstrates at the kingsmoot. He claims it can control dragons, although we have yet to see if that’s the case. When it didn’t show up in “The Door,” some fans assumed that it was cut, but does this mean that it’s still in play? More as it develops.