Why did the new Prince of Dorne vote for Bran to be king?

Warnings in advance: I fear this article might turn a little negative…strap in.

So we’re a few weeks out from the series finale of Game of Thrones, and while it made a huge splash, not everybody enjoyed it. One of the most persistent criticisms had to do with the scene where the assembled lords and ladies of Westeros elected Bran Stark as their king. To me, the biggest problem was that it happened without much discussion or horse trading. Do most of those people even know what a Three-Eyed Raven is? Was Tyrion’s line about Bran having a good story really enough to sway them into making him their leader? I mean, I get that they’re all weary of war, but that’s a pretty big decision to hang on one speech.

Speaking to TV Insider, actor Toby Osmond, who played the new Prince of Dorne, talked about what it was like to film that scene on location in Seville. “[I]t was funny, because I think it was on something like day three or something, they were doing the close-ups on me… and it was only then when [showrunner Dan Weiss] came up to me and he’s like ‘OK, so, this moment’s really important for Dorne. You’re sort of really vested in this.’.. And I was like ‘That is not how I’ve been playing it, so far.’ [Laughs]”

"I’ve been playing it like there’s a mountain range between Dorne and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms… like our house words are “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” — we don’t care. This isn’t going to affect Dorne a whole lot. I’m thinking about going and rescuing Ellaria Sand after this meeting’s over or something."

Osmond clearly did his research for the role, by the way. He makes mention of the Dornish being poisoners, and he was clearly thrilled to be part of the show. “It’s like Star Wars or something,” he said. “It was a pleasure to meet the actors and the cast as well, and the creators, Dan and David. It was also exciting from a career perspective. It’s already sort of started to help bump me up the old acting ladder, which is lovely.”

"It was my father who got me into Game of Thrones, but he passed away after the first season. He got me into it, and it was the last TV series that he was into before, sadly, he passed away. And so I felt a bit like I was sort of carrying a torch for him. So that was lovely."

That is incredibly sweet. A shame his dad didn’t get to see his son on the show. It’s also great to hear that even having a non-speaking cameo on Game of Thrones can help your career; such is the show’s reach and power.

All that said, the way Osmond tells it, it just sounds like not a lot of thought went into why those lords and ladies voted the way they did. “I mean, I think [my character is] a bit preoccupied with my own position because I’ve only just become the leader of Sunspear and Dorne,” Osmond said of the scene. “So I think I’m sort of pleased to be at the table, I guess. But also I’m thinking about eyes on the prize, like look after Dorne…”

"I’m assuming there’s a lot of backstory and stuff between the scenes that we don’t see, off camera. For instance, none of those characters have even heard of the Three-Eyed Raven before. So we’re assuming that a lot had actually happened… Maybe there’ll be a little Dornish uprising, take over the remains of the Seven Kingdoms, who know? Whatever."

Maybe? I guess? I know Game of Thrones fans love to theorize and analyze everything, and I think the show gave us less of that sort of material to chew on as it continued, but at the end of the day, it seems that the Dornish Prince character was created so he could vote for Bran, without much consideration as to why he would make that choice. It’s maybe not the most crowd-pleasing way to go about things, because it doesn’t reward the sort of close study that Game of Thrones fans love, but it is what it is.

As for the scene itself, Osmond says it took between eight and 10 days to film, which is quite a long time for a scene like that. “But it’s kind of understandable, as well, partly because of the pivotal nature of the scene. I mean, we’re deciding who’s going to sit on the Iron Throne!”

"But also, there are a lot of characters in it. So they’re going to want to get all the angles, make sure they get all the cameras in place to cover absolutely everything… you want plenty of options for the editor."

And imagine: what if he spent all that time in the “sweltering” heat only to not end up on screen? During the shoot, Osmond heard a rumor that they were filming multiple endings to film spoiler hounds off the trailer. “So while we were filming it, for a few days in, I started thinking, ‘Hold on. Is this a fake ending?'”

"Now, part way through, Dan sort of just stopped by my chairs —very lovely of him — and he just said “Toby, what a scene to get in on, eh?” So then I sort of knew, like “No, there’s no way. This isn’t a fake ending. This is it, this is the thing.” But we have non-disclosure agreements as well, so we’re not actually allowed to speak about our set."

That secrecy extended to the audition process, too. Osmond knew he was auditioning for Game of Thrones, but didn’t know anything about the character until the casting director asked him to ad-lib a war council kind of scene “in a Dornish accent.” Probably gave it away, there.

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But setting aside any issues, Osmond describes the set as one of the most pleasant he’s ever been on. “I think it’s nice for fans to know how lovely the overall cast and crew, and the showrunners Dan and David — how lovely and down-to-earth and welcoming they are,” he said. “Because you get a lot of film and TV sets where there’s maybe some egos or attitudes or insecurities or whatever. This was one of the loveliest sets.

As in most workplace situations, everything comes down to the people you interact with, and I’ve yet to hear an account of people not being wonderful on the set of Game of Thrones, starting with the showrunners and going all the way down.

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