Alfie Allen discusses the darker side of playing Theon Greyjoy

As the 2019 Emmy Awards approach, there’s been plenty of talk about Game of Thrones’ cast members, and with good reason, since the show has a record 32 nominations. Alfie Allen, who was self-submitted for his performance as Theon Greyjoy during the final season, is on the ballot for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama, an exciting accomplishment for someone who’s never been nominated for an Emmy before.

But even if Allen is ending the series on this high note, he revealed in an interview with Deadline that playing Theon Greyjoy wasn’t always an easy task. In fact, he struggled with Theon, as the younger Greyjoy sibling went on his incredibly trying — and transformative — journey.

“It’s great to have it end on a positive note, because it was hard, during the process, to open up and talk about how difficult it was,” Allen explained. “It felt like the walls were closing in at some points. Theon was kind of hated. Reviled, in fact, might be the word.” He went on to reveal that Kit Harrington and Gwendoline Christie were the easiest cast members to discuss his feelings about Theon with — an interesting fact, given how popular both Jon and Brienne are among fans.

And to be fair, Theon’s character isn’t easy to like during the show’s earlier seasons. He begins as the prickly ward of the House Stark, and although they all seem to accept him as family, he’s still a prisoner who’s been estranged from his real family in the Iron Islands. Growing up this way made him seem privileged and insensitive at times, and it left him with a lot of growing to do as the show continued.

Theon, Yara, Balon Greyjoy. HBO

“He was put in a weird position to start with, especially when he wasn’t treated as a prisoner but as one of the [Stark] family,” Allen continued. “But we all kind of have our own questions about who we are, and what makes us, us. Especially nowadays, when we’re all just trying to add different labels to define us. I’m an individual, I’m independent, I’m not like other people. I’m me, you know? Theon probably started with a bit of an identity crisis, long before he became Reek.”

And Theon’s time as Ramsay Bolton’s captive only served to deepen that identity crisis, although Allen believes that Theon always managed to hold onto “a shred of humanity,” even as his character’s circumstances went from bad to worse.

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But Allen had to trust in the character’s journey — and in showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff’s vision for it — even when it was difficult to contend with. “In retrospect, I think David and Dan believed in what I could do, even though it took me a while to realize that,” he said. “Even up to the point of getting an Emmy nomination, this character did make me get inside my own head a lot, and there were dark, dark moments. To have fans give the character a pat on the back after all of it, and end it on a note of positivity for Theon, that feels nice.”

Theon himself ended on a positive note, too…well, what passes for positive on Game of Thrones, anyway. Sure, winds up dying during the Battle of Winterfell, but he did it defending his true home and family. And Allen was pleased with how the character’s storyline turned out, even if he didn’t get a genuinely happy ending.

"I’m happy, too, that the fans got to say goodbye to the character with an ending that had a bit of honor and redemption. I think his arc deserved that. And I thank David and Dan for giving me the tools to be able to do that. I’m forever grateful to them, even though they fucked with my head a bit along the way [laughs]."

And in all fairness, Allen probably isn’t the only actor to feel this way after that surprising series finale. But he played the part well to the very end — even with all those unseen dark moments — and that’s precisely why he deserves his first-ever Emmy nomination. And maybe an Emmy win?

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