Season 7 cast member Jim Broadbent praises Game of Thrones

(Beware light SPOILERS)

Back before the premiere of Game of Thrones season 6, celebrity cast member Ian McShane (Brother Ray) basically revealed that the Hound would be returning to the show, a sizable spoiler at the time. Speaking to The Telegraph about it later, he seemed a little defensive. “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape,” he said. “I was accused of giving the plot away, but I just think get a f—ing life. It’s only tits and dragons.”

Now it’s a season later, and Game of Thrones has a new celebrity guest star: Oscar winner Jim Broadbent, probably best known for playing Professor Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter movies. Broadbent, being new to the spoiler-sensitive world of Thrones, has also let some minor things slip, revealing that he’s playing an archmaester of the Citadel, that he appears in five episodes, and that he shares his scenes with Sam. However, he hasn’t come under fire for his comments the way McShane did, and was much more kindly disposed towards the show in his own Telegraph interview, which went up today. Here’s how he described Game of Thrones:

"A misshapen Great Britain! History in miniature. And, just, narratives. People love narratives! Broad, but also subtle."

I think that’s a better soundbite than “It’s only tits and dragons.”

Broadbent also revealed what finally drew him to the show after sitting on the sidelines for six seasons. “Goodies and baddies!” he exclaimed. Finally, The Telegraph states that Broadbent will be playing a character named Archmaester Marwyn, which is the name of a gruff maester Sam encounters at the end of A Feast for Crows.

However, note that this final bit of information doesn’t come direct from Broadbent — The Telegraph volunteered it, so we’re not sure it’s 100% accurate. If Broadbent is playing Archmaester Marwyn, it probably won’t be the Archmaester Marwyn we meet in the books. In A Feast for Crows, Marwyn leaves the Citadel immediately after meeting with Sam, but that can’t be the case if Broadbent’s character shares scenes with Sam over the course of five episodes. Plus, we’ve heard that Broadbent is playing Archmaester Ebrose, a healing specialist. But there’s a way for this all to be true — if history is any guide, Broadbent will play a composite character incorporating aspects of multiple maesters from the novels.

The full interview is available at The Telegraph. Most of it is hidden behind a pay wall — we’ve only quoted what you can see in the preview area. However, most of the rest isn’t about Game of Thrones, and instead recounts Broadbent’s long acting career and touches on his role in The Sense of an Ending, out now.