Tom Wlaschiha reveals how early Game of Thrones producers wanted to bring back Jaqen H’ghar
By Corey Smith
While in Barcelona to promote Game of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition, former Game of Thrones cast members Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant) and Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar) sat down with Los Siete Reinos to discuss their time on the show. Beattie explained just explained just how far ahead Thrones producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss planned this story. Now, Wlaschiha tells a similar tale.
"[B]y the end of season two, in 2012, the producers told me that they might have a plan for me in the future, they had an idea to bring me back, but I was not sure. I did not know they would need me until the fifth season, when they called me."
Planning years in advance is necessary on a show as sprawling as Game of Thrones, but Benioff and Weiss took it to a whole other level.
Wlaschiha also shared one of his favorite fan theories — naturally, there are a lot about Jaqen H’ghar, given that he can change his faces.
"I recently heard a really interesting one. If you change the order of the letters of Jaquen H’Gar leaves Rhaegar. And people began to try to justify that Jaquen was Rhaegar with photos, long hair, his grace…"
Come to think of it, what exactly happened to Rhaegar’s body? Could his face have ended up in the House of Black and White? Add this theory to the pile.
Jaqen H’ghar and Lyanna Stark get married.
Back in reality, LSR grilled Wlaschiha about Jaqen’s relationship with Arya, wondering why the faceless assassin allowed her to leave the House of Black and White in season 6.
"I’m sure the original Jaqen had a plan for Arya, and trained her the best he could. It would not make sense to kill her because I trained her to return to Westeros."
He didn’t give an entirely straight answer, though, also wondering if Arya had “fooled me in the end” and saying that Jaqen is “proud of his student. And how did Arya survive getting stabbed by the Waif? “She has superpowers.”
War with the White Walkers looms large for season 8, and LSR asked if anyone from Braavos would show up to fight for the living:
"I do not know. From what I have seen in the last season what is left is going to focus on the great battle of Westeros. But I do not know. At the moment it does not seem that Braavos participates."
Finally, LSR asked Wlaschiha if he wished he’d gotten to do some of the things Jaqen H’ghar does in the Song of Ice and Fire novels, like go to Oldtown. “You have to make concessions [when adapting novels],” he said. “You can not tell the whole story.”
You can see Game of Thrones: The Exhibition for yourself starting tomorrow at the Musea Maritim de Barcelona. It runs through January 7.
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