In 2016, more than 23 million people watched each episode of Game of Thrones, eager to
find out which intricate plots would unfold onscreen.
But did you know some of the most interesting storylines actually take place behind the
scenes?
Let's take a closer, spoiler-filled look at the untold truth of Game of Thrones.
Pop quiz, hotshots
Author George R.R. Martin had long been reluctant to adapt his novel series, A Song of Ice and
Fire, because he didn't want the onscreen version to tarnish the brilliance of his books.
So when David Benioff and D.B. Weiss approached him for HBO, Martin agreed on one condition:
they had to answer one question:
“Is there a way to get out of the dungeon without using the wizard key?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Actually, Martin asked them who they believed Jon Snow's true parents were.
When Benioff and Weiss gave the correct answer, Martin gave his blessing in return.
While the rest of the world finally learned the truth during the season six finale — that
Jon Snow is really the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark — it's hard not to admire
Benioff and Weiss for sussing out the truth years ago.
HBO nearly canceled it before it aired
Believe it or not, even after solving Martin's riddle, Benioff and Weiss's first pass at
the pilot episode wasn't very good.
HBO executives and producers were so unhappy, they almost ended the show before it could
even begin.
In an interview, D.B. Weiss explained that, after watching it, one of the HBO head honchos
put it bluntly: "You guys have a massive problem."
The script was rewritten, about ninety percent of the pilot was reshot with a new director,
and the showrunners also made major changes to the cast.
The role of Daenerys Targaryen was recast, substituting Emilia Clarke for actress Tamzin
Merchant.
Catelyn Stark was recast too, bringing in Michelle Fairley for Jennifer Ehle.
The original pilot has, to date, never aired.
And that's a shame for plenty of reasons.
George R.R. Martin explained that he had a cameo during Daenerys's wedding scene:
"It was, sad to say, left on the cutting-room floor.
I was a Pentoshi nobleman in the background, wearing a gigantic hat."
Lady Stoneheart
If you're a Game of Thrones fan who's never read the books, you might not realize that
one of the franchise's most popular characters hasn't even shown up on-screen yet.
In the novels, the Red Wedding isn't the end of the story for doomed Catelyn Stark.
After she died, the Freys throw her body into the river, where it floats for three
days before being recovered by Beric Dondarrion and the Brotherhood without Banners.
Lord Beric magically resurrects her, at the cost of his own life.
He dies as the spark of life passes to Lady Catelyn.
When she rises, her skin is grey, her hair has turned brittle and white, and her face
is a mass of shredded wounds filled with clotted black blood.
She cannot speak, because the "bloody bastards cut her throat too deep for that.
But she remembers."
Catelyn Stark is dead, and Lady Stoneheart's reign has begun.
She becomes the new leader of the Brotherhood, and directs them in a bloody campaign of vengeance
against Lannisters and Freys.
When learning Klingon just isn't enough
Although Martin only created a rudimentary outline for the fictional languages of his
novels, Game of Thrones producers required a much broader vocabulary to use on the show.
They turned to Language Creation Society founder David J. Peterson, and he created entire languages
for both Dothraki and Valyrian, including grammatical rules and pronunciation guides.
If you'd like to learn either language yourself, direct your web browser to the appropriately
named Dothraki.org.
The Red Wedding really happened
Well, the Red Wedding sort of really happened.
Author George R.R. Martin frequently draws from real history for his books, and a notably
nasty incident in Scottish history served as inspiration for the infamous Red Wedding
in season three.
In a fifteenth-century incident that would later be known as "The Black Dinner," William,
the sixteen-year-old Earl of Douglas, and his ten-year-old brother were invited to a
feast with James II, the child King of Scotland.
The king's advisors dragged the young Earl and his brother outside the castle, gave them
a mock trial and then beheaded them both.
“The Lannisters send their regards.”
Similarly, the Purple Wedding, where King Joffrey meets his maker, was based on a real
incident too: the poisoning and loss of England's Prince Eustace at a feast in 1153.
Sometimes fans do the work
While Martin created a lush and vibrantly detailed world in A Song of Ice and Fire,
he does occasionally leave things out.
As a result, the showrunners sometimes have to use their own imaginations — or that
of others — to fill in the gaps.
In one prominent example from season 6, the show's costumers were tasked with creating
a sigil buckle for Howland Reed to wear during the Tower of Joy flashback scenes.
Martin had described it in the books as an alligator-like "lizard-lion," but he never
offered a complete description.
Luckily, fans have been creating artwork based on Martin's vision for years.
The producers must have been impressed with this image, since it sure looks like it was
copied and pasted right onto Reed's costume..
Horsepower and bodybuilding
In season 6, during the breathtaking cavalry charge of the Battle of the Bastards, Jon
Snow stands alone on the battlefield as Ramsay Bolton and Umber horsemen ride toward him
at breakneck speed.
But Snow's army suddenly rushes up behind him, igniting one of the show's most impressive
battle scenes.
If you thought it had to be green-screen trickery, however, you were wrong.
The showrunners revealed in a behind-the-scenes video that those were dozens of real, live
horses charging Harrington at full gallop:
“Until the last minute, I was stood there facing off against this cavalry charge, which
is really scary.
We were a bit annoyed, because I think everyone is gonna think it was CGI, and it wasn't."
So now we know about the horses.
But how did producers create that impressive pile of bodies on the battlefield during the
battle?
The video reveals that all the bodies were actually life-sized dummies, not computer-generated
fakery.
The crew acquired hundreds of mannequins, dressed them in appropriate House Umber and
House Bolton armor, then coated them in mud and fake blood and piled them in a gigantic
heap.
Even the dead horses among the men are dummies equipped with saddles.
Now that's attention to detail.
Happy ending for Lady
One of the most heartbreaking moments on Game of Thrones came during season 1, when Prince
Joffrey orders the euthanasia of Arya Stark's beloved direwolf.
When the Lannister soldiers can't locate Arya's pet, Queen Cersei orders that Sansa's direwolf
— Lady — die instead.
Thankfully, Lady — or rather, the Northern Inuit dog that portrayed her on-screen — got
a happier ending in real life.
Actress Sophie Turner bonded with the animal during the shoot, and she adopted her.
More than meets the eye
In A Song of Ice and Fire, Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys have purple eyes and
Game of Thrones showrunners planned for them to have them on the show, as well.
Unfortunately, the purple contacts affected actress Emilia Clarke so badly that producers
decided to ditch the contacts and reshoot the scenes with her natural baby blues.
And that's not the only eye-opening tale from the set.
Arya Stark is blinded during her training with the Faceless Men, and in order to accurately
portray the role, actress Maisie Williams wore completely opaque 16mm-thick contact
lenses for her speaking scenes, and a pair with only a pinhole in the center during fight
scenes.
A gift for hate
Until Ramsay Snow hit the screen during season three, Joffrey Baratheon was perhaps the most
universally despised character on the show.
(Which I disagree with.
He was the best character by far.)
Irish actor Jack Gleeson did such a convincing job as the sadistic boy-king that Martin reportedly
sent him a note that read:
"Congratulations on your marvelous performance; everyone hates you!"
Gee, thanks, George.
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