Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Mace Tyrell) reflects on his time on Game of Thrones

Roger Ashton-Griffiths spent the past three seasons of Game of Thrones playing Mace Tyrell, the nominal head of House Tyrell. The veteran English actor (who just earned his Ph.D, incidentally) recently spoke with ComiConverse about his time on the show, which ended in a fiery explosion courtesy of Cersei Lannister. How does his time on Thrones compare to other projects he’s tackled during his long career?

"The details vary, of course, depending on things like budget, location, colleagues and so on, but the basics of learning lines, wearing costumes and forming a character remain broadly the same. On the one hand, therefore, being in Game of Thrones is like being in anything else. But on the other, the locations, writing, costumes, cast and crew are all absolutely first rate, without exception, and it is this unique combination of resource, intention and ability which makes Game of Thrones stand apart from other productions I have known."

The production quality appears to be a common theme among cast members who have departed the show. For example, Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) recently praised HBO for knowing “how to spend money” in comparison to the BBC.

Like many of his castmates, Griffiths was only passingly familiar with the Song of Ice and Fire novels before joining the show.

"I’d heard of the show, of course, but had never seen it, nor read any of the books. When I auditioned, I mixed up Tyrion and Tywin’s names in the trial scenes…"

That sounds like a Mace Tyrell thing to do, no? Once again, HBO nails its casting.

Griffiths brings up an interesting point I had not considered before: the total lack of interaction between him and the other members of his family.

"Mace had surprisingly little to do with his children, as a matter of fact. There were public events when we were on screen together – weddings, parties, deaths – but no intimate domestic scenes. The three of us worked most closely during our final scene together in the Sept. There was never any sense, of course, in which my character was supposed to resemble either of theirs! Diana [Rigg (Olenna Tyrell)] and I spent a day shooting a two-hander in an enclosed sedan chair, which was a great treat for me as I’ve followed her work all my life – but I think it was cut from the episode. Grrr!"

Indeed, it wasn’t until his final scene that Mace appeared to show any affection for his children, when he tried to rush forward to save his son Loras as the High Sparrow carved a seven-pointed star into his forehead. “It was very demanding, because it was another large scene which required a long time, and it was necessary therefore to hold on to a heightened emotional state over several days,” he said of the scene in the Sept. “Again, though, the quality and experience of the cast and crew all around helped at every stage.”

And after that failed rescue attempt, what did Griffths think of Mace’s final moments?

"David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] are exceptional showrunners in many ways, and one of those is that they take the time to call every cast member whose end is written in the new season, before shooting begins. As a result, we all knew we were doomed even before the scripts arrived. I was pleased that we went together, as Mace would have been distraught had he outlived his children, and the manner of our departure was novel, so I was as happy as I could have been."

Benioff and Weiss are infamous for calling each cast member who will perish in the upcoming season before filming begins. There’s nothing like knowing you’ll be losing your job months in advance but still coming in to work. Still, Griffths looks back on his time on Thrones fondly, and found it hard to pick a favorite moment.

"Too many favourite memories to list – friends old and new, places visited, the ride on the shoulders of creative giants…I enjoyed being in Girona particularly, but I said the same about Split the year before, and Dubrovnik the year before that."

Filming on a show like Game of Thrones would probably make it hard for anyone to choose a favorite memory, so we understand, Roger. Now when can we get that deleted Mace-Olenna scene?