Sorry George R.R. Martin, Even the Most Legendary ‘Game of Thrones’ Actor Didn’t Read Your Books Despite Knocking It Out of the Park on the Show
- George R.R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire inspired the popular HBO show, Game of Thrones.
- Several lead actors are known to have read the books, but iconic English actor Charles Dance has not.
- Dance insisted that his character Tywin Lannister is not really a villain although most fans would beg to disagree.
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel remains one of the most iconic literary works of all time. The show Game of Thrones based on the series only added to its fame and reputation over the years although it did become sloppy at the end. Luckily, the audience did not have to leave the kingdom of Westeros even after the show ended as HBO soon came up with the prequel series House of the Dragon.
Some of the best actors have appeared in these shows in addition to the ones who gained greater recognition through their appearance in them. One of the most legendary actors who starred in Game of Thrones was Charles Dance. While most actors would refer to the source material to draw inspiration for their characters, Dance once revealed that he completely depended on the scripts.
Charles Dance did not read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book for his character in Game of Thrones
The finale season of Game of Thrones was riddled with several discrepancies. It was subjected to a sea of endless, justified criticism for the confusing character progression of Daenerys Targaryen and other concerning plot developments which left a bad taste in the mouths of those who have read the series.
That said, these fans are not the only ones who have read the books and were disappointed with how the finale season was dealt with. Several lead actors like Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Gwendolyn Christie, and Natalie Dormer have also read the books, but English actor Charles Dance is not one of them.
In an interview (via Westeros.org) in 2012, Dance was asked whether or not he had read the books as a part of his preparation for his character Tywin Lannister. He replied:
I avoid reading books that are that thick! They frighten me, and they weigh a lot in the baggage as well. No, I stick to the script because that’s what we’re dealing with, and the scripts happened to be really, really good.
He further explained by saying that if the scripts had not been as good as they were, he would have read the source material to figure out why that was the case. He also insisted that the quality of the script was as good as the production values. His reasoning seems to be justified because not everyone loves reading books and thick ones too at that.
Charles Dance believes Tywin Lannister is not a bad guy
An alum of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dance has played many authoritarian characters and villains in the past five decades of his career. His character Tywin Lannister is one of the most memorable villains of the show although he was only there for the first four seasons.
However, Dance does not believe that Tywin is a bad guy. When asked if he liked the character, he said that he did.
Yes I do like him, but I don’t think he’s a bad guy at all. No. He’s a man of principle—they might not be your principles or my principles, but he’s quite principled. But no, I don’t always play the “bad” guy. I’ve played quite a few not bad guys. […] I think he’s a great character, but I wouldn’t describe him as a bad guy, not as all.
The Crown star insisted that he is attracted to complex characters which makes the audience ask questions. In his opinion, Tywin is a morally ambiguous character and not an outright villain.
