Serr Bronn of the Blackwater has been helping Lannisters stay alive for seven seasons on Game Of Thrones. He might be reconsidering that after the epic "Loot Train Battle" in episode four, during which he had to dodge dragon fire as Dothraki swarmed the Lannister wheat wagons.
We got a chance this week to talk to actor Jerome Flynn, who also had a successful singing career in the 1990's as one half of Robson & Jerome, about filming that scene, which Lannister Bronn is most loyal to, and whether Flynn's postman is still not talking to him because he shot at a dragon.
So, I guess I should start by just asking whether you've gotten your mail yet.[laughs] I actually haven't seen him since, he really doesn't seem to be speaking to me at all. The mail has been turning up, but he's certainly not as sociable as he was.
Have you had similar reactions from other people in real life? There've been a couple of funny ones in the shop. "Oh, there's the dragon slayer!" Some people that I'm quite close to—animal lovers like myself—even though they're kind of joking, they're also not happy with the fact that I went for the dragon. You forget how deep that goes, what the dragons represent with Daenerys in front of them. They're kind of this indestructible force for good, that's how they're seen and felt.
So suddenly having Bronn take shots at them and bring one down with Daenerys on them it's like...now, that's a shocker. I knew what was happening and when I saw it I was still like, "Wow, that's a shocker!" I was on the edge of my seat. It's amazing the level to which we all get into it. That's why it's so great.
It must have been pretty crazy filming that battle scene with so many people on fire around you. Yeah, it was quite incredible to be part of that and to film that sequence, even though it's kind of a choreographed dance. There were so many elements to it and so much going on, and a lot of fire.
And it could have been a problem, because I had to be really awake to make sure I stepped in the right place and avoided the burning men [laughs] who were coming towards me. And that was also part of what made it so great to film, because in that sense, I needed to reach a level of alertness that you'd need to in battle to make sure you get through it.
If Bronn had actually killed Drogon, what would he have demanded? I feel like a castle wouldn't really be enough.[laughs] Yeah that's a good point, and it probably didn't occur to him. Maybe when the dragon was coming down, he started to do the math for a moment, [laughs] unwary of the consequences of what that could mean.
At this point, what would it take for him to walk away from all this? If coming face-to-face with a terrifying dragon wasn't enough to get him to flee to the countryside, what would get him to remove himself from this game? That's a good question, and I'm not sure. I think, on the surface, he wants to believe that the right castle and the right woman is gonna be enough to take him away. But also, I think he kind of enjoys being in the thick of it more than he lets on. But, we shall see. But also, maybe that's cause I want him to be. [laughs] I don't want him to be retired quite yet, so my motivations could be messed up in there.
Isn't Bronn technically married already? Doesn't he have a wife? The marriage never happened. Because he took Jaime up on his offer.
I was gonna ask how she's doing, but... Well, she's probably doing a lot better than she would have been. She was sweet, she was far too sweet for Bronn. So he's not technically married, and has his whole life ahead of him. [laughs]
If there was a Lannister family reunion and they had a big game of tug-of-war, would you be on Tyrion's side or Jaime's side? Wow. Well, he might say it depends who pays him the most. But I'll put it this way: if he was in a battle and found himself in a position of whose life he's gonna save—who knows, but I probably think it would be Tyrion.
You think they have a deeper connection? I do, yeah. I think he can relate to Tyrion in a certain way, and has some respect for him for what he's been up against in his life, and how Tyrion has dealt with it. He sees it kind of as a mirror of his own life. So I think he's probably got more respect for Tyrion's qualities than Jaime's. And yet, there's a fun-ness to Jaime, but I think it goes much deeper with Tyrion.
Do you feel left out of the Westorosi Seven from the end of the last episode ["Eastwatch"]? Do you think Bronn would have willingly joined them for their wight hunt? It's funny, because I've been asked that a lot, and I haven't felt left out. But now that you mention it, you know, I'm starting to! [laughs]
No, I'm not feeling left out. I was feeling excited about those guys getting together. And I don't know whether Bronn would have gone, whether the right money would have been on the table for him. So sure, as an actor it would have been great, but also, I didn't necessarily think Bronn was still going to be around in season seven after what he's gone through. So I just count each season like a gift. I'm just really happy to be part of it, but of course, that would have been fun. I'm looking forward to the adventure those guys are going on.
Is there any Game of Thrones character who Bronn has never encountered that you wish he had encountered? Do you mean that Jerome wishes?
Right, that you, Jerome, wishes—because I'm sure Bronn would rather not come in contact with almost any of these people now.[laughs] Yeah. I was just watching episode five last night, and just so appreciating the characters that have been established and how they've evolved, and all the guys and girls who are inhabiting them are just doing such an amazing job. I'm such a fan of the show now, I just love to get to have anything to do with them. But Arya was my favorite for a long time. Although I think she'd take him to bits now. I don't know whether he's on her list, I hope not, but I would love to have a scene with her, or have a bit of a fight with Ser Jorah would be good, cause [actor Iain Glen] is an old mate. Those two together, I think that would be kind of a better match.
I know you're a really big fan of the show, outside of being on it. As a fan, do you approve of the Jon/Dany pairing? Do you think that is a relationship that could work? Well, I do approve of it because I think that it's a perfect pairing and I think she needs some [balance]. I think without somebody like him, and if she doesn't fall in love, she could actually just be too hard, and get too much like her father. So I think she needs to fall in love, and you can see that she's starting to weaken. Something's happening there, and I think that gives hope to Westoros if that happens. So I approve.
I would have approved, but, I would have approved more if Bronn had got together with Daenerys. I'm still holding out.
Would Bronn bend the knee for Dany? Yeah, definitely.
