Director Jeremy Podeswa talks season 7, chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington

During his time on Game of Thrones, Jeremy Podeswa directed six episodes. He was behind a lot of memorable moments, from Jon Snow’s resurrection to the mass meeting of characters at the Dragonpit. Speaking to Singapore’s The New Paper, Podeswa discussed his time on the show, and season 7 in particular. “It has been an amazing experience to be part of something so creatively interesting and complex,” he said, “with such a monumental reach, and to make something that so many people around the world like so much.”

Podeswa, who had a gift for drawing out fine performances from the cast, had nothing but praise for the stars. “They are all amazing actors, and they really genuinely like each other, which makes it great to work together.” Even in a situation where things could get uncomfortable, like during the Jon Snow-Daenerys sex scene toward the end of “The Dragon and the Wolf,” Podeswa worked with the actors to make it happen:

"Kit [Harington] and Emilia [Clarke] have natural chemistry. Filming their first sex scene together could have been awkward, but they are such good friends it all went smoothly. Of course there were some awkward giggles. But we sat down and choreographed and discussed the scene before to make sure everyone was comfortable, so it was quick and easy."

Podeswa had a hard time picking out his favorite scene from among the ones he directed. While making them, some scenes have brought him close to tears, “[f]rom the bigger scenes, like (Season 7’s) final scene of the wall coming down (after being destroyed by the Night King riding dragon Viserion), to the small scenes, just an interaction between two characters, like Cersei and Tyrion having a conversation after not meeting in a long time.”

Not all of Podeswa’s episodes have been warmly received. He was also behind the most controversial moment in the show’s history: when Ramsay Bolton raped Sansa Stark on their wedding night. While Podeswa said that no one on the show was “trying to be controversial,” he stands by his work:

"Everything we do is a team decision, and we decide based on what we think will work best. If we were constantly worried about whether or not everyone would love it, we would never get anything done."

Podeswa is not directing any episodes for season 8 (we know who’s helming each episode), so his time on the show is over. He resisted the urge to pocket any mementos while filming, since the “amount of swag we get” was enough. That’s restraint for you.

Next: Season 8 filming: Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy) walks his cat in Belfast

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