Gwendoline Christie burst onto as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones season 2, where we saw her beat the tar out of Loras Tyrell. From that moment on, Brienne has remained one of the show’s more fascinating characters. An honorable and capable warrior, she has refused to fall into the muck that so many of the other characters have to wade through if they want to play the great game. Christie recently spoke with Newsweek about being “immediately attracted” to the character of Brienne.
"Even when I was very young, I didn’t understand why the women had to have the boring parts. I didn’t understand why the women had to be submissive. They predominantly seemed to be of one type—they were often beautiful, but I didn’t understand the relationship between virgin or whore, mother or sex object."
It sounds like Christie has more in common with her character than just being really tall, although the physical resemblance to the character George R.R. Martin described in his novels was important, and something she struggled with. “I knew I had to overcome the things that I was uncomfortable with,” she said, “like my androgyny, my height, my physical strength, feeling like an outsider, being told I was an outsider. It’s definitely given me more confidence.”
Looking ahead, where exactly does Christie see her character going in season 7? She was characteristically vague, but there are some interesting teases between the lines:
"Game of Thrones is famous for different characters coming together with unlikely consequences. And what’s recurrent in Brienne’s life is forming relationships with people that start with an opposing force, then a begrudging mutual respect and, out of that, a deep respect and pure love. That happens again this season. Brienne will realize a deep alliance."
When Brienne first met Jaime Lannister, they clashed, but came to trust and respect each other. Who could Christie be talking about here?
Whoever it is, it’s probably not Tormund Giantsbane, even though she called Kristofer Hivju “intensely hilarious.” But when Newsweek asked her if Brienne had feelings for Tormund, she simply replied “no.”
As for her potential relationship with Jaime, Christie said that while there’s “a whole world” between them, “I don’t think either of them has any idea of what’s going on or how to deal with it.” Romance aside, Christie’s hopes for the character are simple: she wants to ride off into the sunset, Podrick Payne by her side, and open “Brienne of Tarth’s Finishing School for Unconventional Young Ladies.”
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This is why we love Brienne of Tarth. and Gwendoline Christie. Game of Thrones season 7 returns July 16.