Game of Thrones is a popular show, beloved by many. The iconic characters, the beautiful cinematography, the phenomenal acting: all of it unites to create the show we all love. But what goes on behind the scenes? Thanks to the magic of television, we often don’t see the effort that goes into making the show. We just know that there’s a lot of it. But it’s important to recognize the efforts of all of those who make Game of Thrones what it is. It’s important to appreciate the writers, actors, producers, and more behind the show.
Whether it’s creating the look of the White Walkers or the movements of Daenerys’ dragons, there’s a lot of work that goes into the show. Some scenes even take quite a while to film. The battle between Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton during season seven, for instance, took 25 days to film. It’s also interesting to know what happens behind the scenes for the actors. For example, did you know that Emilia Clarke got stuck to a toilet because of fake blood? Or that Peter Dinklage and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau danced their way to Tyrion’s trial during season four? The actors also have loads of fun on set, even during serious scenes, according to Peter Dinklage. This is also shown by Sean Bean, who says that the actors had fun kicking around the model of Ned Stark’s head during season one. Fans are grateful for all the work that goes into the show and most would be happy to know that the actors are having fun.
Welcome to: 25 Crazy Things Fans Didn’t Know Behind The Making Of Game Of Thrones.
The White Walkers Actually Look Like That In Real Life
It’s not all TV magic. Thanks to makeup and prosthetics, the White Walkers look like that in real life. According to the prosthetics designer, Barrie Gower, the inspiration for the White Walkers initially came from The Walking Dead. Though the Game of Thrones artists put their own spin on these zombie-like creatures. Ice, marble, and crystal are also inspirations for the distinctive look of the White Walkers. Sounds good to us! In fact, we’ve spoken about the White Walkers and their look before. It’s amazing that one of the most impressive aspects of the show is real and not CGI.
Riding A Dragon Is Not As Easy As It Looks
Obviously, the dragons are CGI. Yet riding them is a lot more difficult than Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) makes it look. Clarke herself describes it as a “genuinely scary theme park ride.” This “ride” includes a hard green shell split into four parts and controlled by someone with “a joystick.” While she’s riding her dragon, Clarke has to remember that the dragon is breathing and allow for that. She also has to make it look like she’s controlling the movement of the dragon. All of that does sound quite scary.
The Wildfire Really Glows Green
Eugene Simon, who played Lancel Lannister in Game of Thrones, told Esquire that the wildfire really glows green. It looks the same on camera as it does in real life. That’s pretty cool. According to Simon, the chemical used may be the same one that makes stop signs glow at night. Interesting. We imagine the effect is even more impressive in real life than it is on camera. Though it’s also probably even scarier. Especially for the actors or stunt people who have to interact with it.
Real Fire Was Used In The Wildfire Scene In The Sept
That’s right. Real fire was involved during the scene in the sept in the season six finale. According to Eugene Simon, who got to see the wildfire— and real fire— up close, a pyrotechnics team was involved. The goal was to capture the moment when the fire touches the wildfire. To see the reflection in Lancel’s eye. Apparently filming that took a very long time and the actor who plays Lancel— Simon— was very close to real fire. That’s got to be scary. Though such scary scenes are common on Game of Thrones, it still must be unnerving for an actor to be involved in a scene with real fire.
The Dragons’ Movements Are Based On Geese And Bats
To create the movement of dragons, the special effects team had to draw inspiration from nature. In an interview with Wired, the special effects supervisor Sven Martin talks all about where the movements of the dragons came from. The special effects team would look at “big goose animals” and how such animals would “play with their wings.” They also “had great footage of bats flying very close on top of a surface” so the team could see “what would they do with their wings.” The various sources of inspiration definitely worked well for the dragons, as their movements grow more and more impressive each season.
…And Cats
The dragons, of course, react differently to their Mother than they would to anyone else. When Daenerys is stroking Drogon, those movements were based more on cats. Aaw, how cute. Though most people would not survive having a pet dragon, even in Westeros. Daenerys is a special case since she is a Targaryen and the Mother of Dragons. Still, it’s cute to imagine the dragons, especially Drogon who can be quite ferocious, acting like cats. Cats are super cute. And we have to admit, the dragons can be too when they’re not being fearsome.
The Battle Between Jon Snow And Ramsay Bolton Took 25 Days To Film
Wow, that’s a long time. The work definitely paid off, though. The battle was impressive on screen and most fans enjoyed the episode a lot. Only Game of Thrones could pull something like this off without any issues. Most shows would probably not put as much time into a single scene, yet this is common for Game of Thrones. The work that goes into the show is impressive and definitely shows in the final product. The fans are very lucky to have people working on the show that truly care about it.
The Scene Where The Bolton Cavalry Is Coming Towards Jon Is Real
Yes, that’s right. Those horses really are charging towards Kit Harington. We imagine that must have been a difficult scene to film. According to Harington himself, it was “really scary.” And he and the show runners felt “a bit annoyed because… everyone’s going to think it was CGI and it wasn’t.” Well now you know. The scene was real, not CGI. This scene is most likely a fan favorite one, it’s so memorable. It’s also a personal favorite of one of the show runners, David Benioff. It’s his “favorite shot of the whole season.” And that’s saying something, since there are so many epic scenes on Game of Thrones.
Emilia Clarke Didn’t Want To Do Nude Scenes
Although she must have made an exception for the birth of dragons. Especially since the scene was written that way in the book. Then again, in the book Daenerys lost her hair. Though it did grow back eventually, and at a normal rate, this shows that Game of Thrones doesn’t follow the books exactly. It was still a very powerful scene in season one when Daenerys’ dragons were born. And part of what made it so powerful was the lack of clothing on Daenerys’ part. She seems so vulnerable yet also strong because she has just survived something that should be impossible to survive and caused dragons to be born on top of it.
…Although She Changed Her Mind For A Certain Scene In Season Six
According to Emilia Clarke herself, the scene was “a wonderful, strong moment [she] wanted to own.” It was “a real empowering girl-power wow scene.” The scene wasn’t “gratuitous” as such scenes sometimes are in Game of Thrones. It was a scene where Daenerys “destroyed her enemies in this almighty blaze after they underestimated her.” How could anyone say no to that? We definitely agree that the scene was empowering. It showed just how far Daenerys has come throughout the show. From being sold to Khal Drogo in season one, to burning the Khals and becoming the Khaleesi of all of the Dothraki in season six, Daenerys has come a long way.
The Dothraki Language Has A Creator… And According To Him We’re All Saying Khaleesi Wrong
Yes, that’s right. It’s “Khah-lay-see” not “Ka-lee-see”. Ok, so that’s confusing. As the creator of much of the Dothraki language, David J. Peterson is the only one who would know how the word is supposed to be pronounced. He appears to have lost that battle with the show-runners, though. According to Peterson, “the producers… liked the other way better. They probably thought most people were pronouncing it that way anyway, which is true.” So if you want to impress other Game of Thrones fans, teach them how to say Khaleesi correctly. It’ll blow their minds.
Emilia Clarke Got Stuck To A Toilet
That’s right. The Mother of Dragons herself got stuck to a toilet. Remember that scene in season one where she ate the horse’s heart? Of course, it wasn’t real. But that didn’t stop it from being sticky. According to Emilia Clarke herself, she disappeared from set because she was stuck to the toilet. It seems unpleasant to be “continually sticking [yourself] to [yourself] or to other things.” Luckily, she eventually managed to extricate herself. But the memories remain. Oh well, it makes a good behind the scenes story anyway.
The Actors Portraying The Stark Boys Were Asked To Imitate Sean Bean’s Accent
According to Kit Harington, the actors portraying the Starks— at least the Stark sons— were asked to imitate Sean Bean’s accent. This makes sense as accents can be picked up from the environment. Because of this, it makes sense for the Starks to sound like their father. Especially the Stark boys. So that would be Robb Stark and Bran Stark and even Jon Snow. Growing up around Ned Stark, one would be likely to pick up not only an accent but wisdom as well. Well, some wisdom anyway. We’re not sure how wise Ned was, given how he was eliminated way back in season one.
The Actors Had Fun With The Model Of Ned Stark’s Head
Speaking of Ned Stark, his head provided a lot of fun for the actors. According to Sean Bean himself, they had fun with it, kicking it around. Though the actor does describe the model of Ned Stark’s head as “creepy.” Glad that didn’t stop the actors from having fun with it, though. Since Game of Thrones is such a serious show, many fans likely think that the actors are always serious. It’s good to know that they’re not, though. That they can let loose and have fun, even on the days when their characters are eliminated.
The Fake Horse’s Heart Was Really Disgusting
According to Emilia Clarke, being given something so disgusting to eat was “very helpful,” as there wasn’t much acting needed in the scene. Though it was made of “solidified jam” it tasted like “bleach and raw pasta.” Sounds gross to us! Unfortunately for Clarke, she had to eat about twenty-eight of the fake hearts. Luckily, she had a bucket to spit up in. Yet we’re sure she’s glad this only happened once throughout the show. You never know on Game of Thrones. She could have had to eat another heart at some point. Though we’re glad that she hasn’t. At least, not yet.
Tyrion And Cersei Get Along In Real Life… And Have Loads Of Fun On Set
According to Peter Dinklage, the actors have loads of fun on set. Even during serious scenes. In fact, for him and Lena Headey the serious scenes are the ones that “can produce the most laughter on set.” It’s good to know that the actors are having fun, despite how serious the show can be. The more fun they’re having, the better they act most likely. And it definitely shows in all of the actors’ performances. Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey are both very talented actors, so them having fun on the set has definitely positively affected their performances.
Peter Dinklage And Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Danced Their Way To Tyrion’s Trial
During season four, Tyrion is on trial for getting rid of Joffrey. Which, of course, he didn’t do. The actors, luckily, had fun filming this scene even though it was serious. According to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, he and Peter Dinklage decided to dance their way through the long hallway they were walking down. The hundreds of extras applauded and the two actors had loads of fun. Until they got to where the camera was and the dance ended, and the set got quiet. That was “embarrassing” according to Coster-Waldau. Though the dancing part was fun.
Sean Bean Would Read The First A Song Of Ice And Fire Book On Set
That’s right. Sean Bean would be on the set of Game of Thrones reading A Game of Thrones, the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, the series the show is based on. According to Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, the actor would regularly read the book on set. Looks like he was determined to play Ned Stark right. And it definitely showed in his acting. It would have been nice to see that in some kind of behind the scenes clip. Or like Williams and Turner say, someone should have taken a picture of it.
Emilia Clarke Kept Sliding Off Of Her Horse On Her First Day Of Filming
Our Khaleesi wasn’t a natural horse rider, it seems. According to Emila Clarke herself, she was “falling off the horse, trying to act still.“She was “hanging on for dear life” and at one point shouted “please stop filming!” Aww, poor Dany. That must have been embarrassing. Still, she seems to have gotten the hang of horse riding since as she’s done a lot for it of it on Game of Thrones by this point. She— and Dany herself— have come a long way since season one. And we’re all glad to have gone on this journey with her.
Emilia Clarke Has Four Wigs For Daenerys
The Mother of Dragons does have truly epic hair. Apparently, it’s a process getting it all on as well. Before putting on whichever wig Clarke is wearing, the stylists have to put a bald cap on her. This is because without it too much of Clarke’s natural darker color comes through. And we can’t have that on Game of Thrones. It would ruin the illusion of Daenerys having blonde hair. Though it isn’t strictly blonde. The color is more complicated than that. Still, fans most likely appreciate the effort that goes into Daenerys’ wigs. Especially since there’s four of them. Wow.
