Like Tywin Lannister, Charles Dance minces no words while talking about the final season of Game of Thrones and getting older in Hollywood.
Charles Dance, the 74-year-old actor best known for playing the implacable Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones, has never been one to mince his words, nor is he someone overly concerned with vanity. It makes sense that he would be bullish about both aging and the final season of HBO’s fantasy hit. Life’s too short.
And clearly, Dance is making the most of it. He’ll be showing up everywhere in the next few months, from David Fincher’s highly-anticipated Mank — about the screenwriter of Citizen Kane — to season 4 of The Crown on Netflix. The man is aging like a fine wind in an industry that often prefers newer vintages. “If actors retire, there would be nobody to play the old, wrinkly people,” he joked to the Huffington Post. It’s hard to picture the guy who played Tywin Lannister joking about anything, but there we are.
Although Dance had channelled some of Tywin’s no-nonsense approach when talking about Game of Thrones season 8, which he found disappointing. In hindsight, has his opinion changed? “I have to say, personally, I was underwhelmed,” he maintained. “ was decided by committee and I thought, ‘Oh, no, no, no, no, no.’ I wanted it to go out with a bang.”
Not that he hated it outright: “t’s just nitpicking,” he said. “I wouldn’t have continued to watch it if the show hadn’t been good. It raised the bar when it came to television drama.”
As for what’s next for Dance, there’s been a lot of talk lately about who will replace Daniel Craig now that he’s left the role of James Bond. Dance has some history with the franchise and was even
asked to test for the lead role
years ago. You don’t suppose…
“I’m too old,” Dance conceded. “Bond has to be 40 or below.” Even for Dance, there are at least some limits.
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