Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) and Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger) discuss auditions and spinoffs

The Game of Thrones stars are hitting the press trail ahead of the July 16 debut of season 7. Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) and Aidan Gillen (Petyr Baelish) sat down with German outlet Bild to discuss how they got their roles, what Game of Thrones spinoffs they’d like to see, and their German language skills. (Wright is pretty good, Gillen not so much. Really, go watch the video.)

“I’ve never really acted before!” Wright said of when he auditioned for the role of Bran — he was just 10 years old at the time. “I went to the casting and after three rounds I didn’t think about it anymore.”

"[A]nd when I came home one day, my mother stood with a note in her hand and said, ‘Congratulations Brandon Stark’. I had the thing and thought, ‘Oh, it’s cool’."

Seven seasons later and look at him! Wright basically grew up playing this role, along with cast members like Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner.

So after all this time, are the stars still as attuned to fan reactions as they were when the show began? “I hardly ever read about it,” Gillen said. “At the beginning of the series, you wanted to know what people think about the show. Anyone can give his [opinion] on the Internet. But I like the way the fans deal with all the stuff. We try to do our job well.”

Finally, the pair gave their ideas for Game of Thrones spinoffs. Wright is all for a series about Hodor…probably before he was killed by wights. And Gillen introduces a new nickname for his character. “I would also like a spin-off about Babyfinger,” he said, meaning young Littlefinger. “That would be cool.”

We’ll see if a Babyfinger spinoff is one of the five in development in due time.

Next: George R.R. Martin reveals details about upcoming Game of Thrones spinoffs

(Thanks to @WeDoNotGlitter for helping us understand the German interview transcript!)