‘Game of Thrones’ season 4 finale: Gwendoline Christie on huge Brienne moment
Before we conclude tonight’s coverage of an epic and thoroughly entertaining finale for “Game of Thrones” season 4, we have to turn to something that was one of the big surprises of the night: The scene with Brienne and The Hound.
This moment created a huge ripple effect on the show for so many reasons, but a principal one was strictly that it was not a scene that played out in this way in the books. There was no way to prepare for it, but it arguably made the Brienne character so much more interesting and likable here. (Granted, this scene may be problematic for some book readers, given that they really want [spoiler] to happen.)
There is no better way to describe this entire experience of filming this battle scene than by sharing what Gwendoline Christie reportedly said to James Hibbard of Entertainment Weekly mere days afterfilming the enormous scene:
“We filmed it—three days in Iceland and it’s the biggest hardest fight I’ve ever done. It was on the rocks with swords and fists and we both came out unscathed, but it was one of the f–king hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. My hands were like tramps feet — like swollen. They looked after me, they always do, but inevitably things happen. We were fighting up hills, down hills, rolling, fighting on rock face with a sheer down drop. [The Hound actor] Rory McCann is an amazing actor and a very strong man, and that was a challenge — not just as actors, but as characters. It’s a f—ing really intense challenge.”
This moment has allowed for something big to take place for Arya, but it ironically has not led to Brienne being in a better situation at all in her search for her. Instead, she is aboard a ship, and Brienne is wandering with Pod, searching for her.
What did you think about this particular scene, and were you okay to have something so much different than the books? Share below, and head over here if you missed what we said in our full review of tonight’s episode. You can also sign up for our CarterMatt Newsletter if you want more good stuff sent right to your email.
Photo: HBO