Daniel Portman has played Podrick Payne since the second season of Game of Thrones. As such, he is practiced at deflecting questions about the show’s future, as he proved while speaking to Coup de Main about season 8:
"I’m not allowed to talk about anything to do with anything, I’m sorry! Everything is very tight-lipped with security, so I’m not allowed to say anything to do with anything about the show."
Portman has been talking to outlets ahead of his appearance at Armageddon Expo in Zealand. And while he wouldn’t spill the beans about season 8, Portman did talk about his time on the show, singling out the contributions of costar Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) after the interviewer asked him whether it was important for TV to showcase a variety of different characters. “I think it’s absolutely important,” he said, “because everybody’s stories need to be told, to be keeping things the way they had been and giving people proper opportunities to show what they can do, just because there’s maybe a lack of creativity in writing, that keeps women playing smaller, less important characters. It’s very important that people start getting more opportunities to play three dimensional, fully illustrated, detailed people – because that’s the world that we live in.”
As for Podrick’s longevity, Portman admitted to the New Zealand Herald that he never expected the character to last this long, but thinks that Pod’s “everyman” quality has helped him see things through.
"In a show where it can be quite intense and traumatic viewing, a little bit of light relief was always going to do well with the audience. I think that’s one of the reasons people have clung on to Pod, because there’s a degree of innocence involved and a sweetness and this naivety [to him]."
One of the benefits of being on the show as long as he has is that it’s allowed him to travel to a lot of exotic locations. Portman named Dubrovnik, which has long stood in for King’s Landing, as his favorite. “It’s an astonishing place, the people are amazing. We use to go out there for extended periods of time … and it was like a holiday.”
But with the end of the show approaching, it’s the people and relationships Portman will remember most:
"The whole experience is surreal and life changing, and we’ve all been part of this journey. That is one of the loveliest things about it, I’ve made a lot of lovely and good friends through the show."
And what might will Portman, still a young actor, do to follow up his role on one of the biggest shows of all time? Portman said he’s working on a few screenplays, including a “black comedy”, but was less sure about his future acting roles, although he steer clear of fantasy for a awhile. “I could definitely do with doing some stuff in a T-shirt, and maybe driving a car instead of riding a horse.”
Next: A large dragon rig shows up near the King’s Landing set in Belfast
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels