Westeros Blog: Big Love Gives Insight

[Westeros]

The L.A. times has an interview with Will Scheffer, co-creator of HBO’s original drama series, Big Love, which started airing its fourth season recently. Reading it, I found that some of the topics discussed have some potential implications for how similar issues will be handled for Game of Thrones if HBO’s orders a season. Salient quotes below:

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[Matthias893]

Hasn't GRRM said numerous times that he wishes he had managed the ages of the children better? That they were a bit younger than he wanted for the roles they had in the later books?

While we want the series to follow the books as closely as possible, the aging of the actors might actually fit better with the way GRRM wishes he had written the story. I'm not sure about how other people read it, but after hearing about how he wishes they were older, as I re-read I imagine some of the children to actually be older than they are. So while it might not be exactly faithful to the written word of the series, the aging of the child actors might actually work out well in the end.

[Padraig]

Hasn't GRRM said numerous times that he wishes he had managed the ages of the children better? That they were a bit younger than he wanted for the roles they had in the later books?

It all comes back to the infamous (non defunct) 5 year gap. The kids are aged fine for aGoT through to aSoS. After that book, GRRM had initially planned to age everyone 5 years. But that didn't work out. Thus characters will be younger in aDwD and subsequent books than he'd have liked.

If he was going to do it all again, he'd probably have aged everyone like they are in the TV series. 5 years is too much though. Sansa wouldn't work so well as a 16 year old for example. Similarly the other kids.

But adding 2 or 3 years to the cast works.

[Ran]

As I recall, they barely added any age at all on Arya and Bran. Or am I wrong about that? Can't remember.

To be utterly honest, though, my primary concern is Maisie Williams. She's the one who could sprout up very quickly. Isn't she about the same age of Sophie?

[Green Apple Fossoway]

As I recall, they barely added any age at all on Arya and Bran. Or am I wrong about that? Can't remember.

To be utterly honest, though, my primary concern is Maisie Williams. She's the one who could sprout up very quickly. Isn't she about the same age of Sophie?

I think they aged up both Arya and Bran about 2-3 years. I can't be sure though, I loaned out my books.

[Ran]

You're right. They do list her as 11, when in the books she's 9. Maybe it's not such a huge problem... but it could be awkward if between seasons she sprouts a great number of inches. In fact, it's likelier season 2 one needs to worry about, than season 3 I suppose...

[Halfhand]

Just one small correction, the HBO execs were going to be seeing the rough cut of the pilot two weeks from Jan 14, which would be the 28th. I doubt they saw it last week but they likely will see it by the end of this week.

[moirne]

Bran and Arya would be the most likely to be recast. That would be pretty weird, but you can't let the kids get too old looking (especially Arya who has to pass for a little boy).

[Ser Greguh]

It would be unfortunate to have to recast the actors, but sometimes that is the reality of television and if it were to happen I think we'd have to just roll with it. If that's what it takes to get multiple seasons of the show, I'd take that trade-off in a heartbeat.

[Ran]

See, I lost track of time! Thanks, Halfhand. Corrected. :)

[Venardhi]

When I read the books for the first time, I assumed automatically that the years must be longer on their world because all the kids seemed to be a good 20% older than their stated ages. The kids being cast older just seemed natural to me. Once they start filming the actual series, I'd put good money on at least one of the kids getting recast due to some reason or another, likely age/appearance related.

[Caligula_K]

The good news about ASoiAF is that seasons/books take place over years. I could be wrong, but hasn't something like 2 and a half years passed between the beginning of AGoT and the end of AFFC? This might help with some of the kid growth, as opposed to say Lost, where seasons take place over a month or two or less and so a kid actor could not be controlled at all.

[daimonion]

The good news about ASoiAF is that seasons/books take place over years. I could be wrong, but hasn't something like 2 and a half years passed between the beginning of AGoT and the end of AFFC? This might help with some of the kid growth, as opposed to say Lost, where seasons take place over a month or two or less and so a kid actor could not be controlled at all.

Yeah, and since they'll remain "kids" for quite a few years, i don't really see how this would be a problem. As long as Arya and Sansa are less than adults, i think they'll still work quite well as their characters. The books might need a bit of a rewrite (whitch is happening anyway) to shear away the most "kidlike" stuff they do and say, and then you got it. A 16 year old Arya amongst big, nasty armoured men is still small, young and vulnerable enough.

And how much time has passed should be able to be cheated with. Not many would be keeping track anyway.

[moirne]

A 16 year old Arya amongst big, nasty armoured men is still small, young and vulnerable enough.

See, I think that would be a problem. It would take away from Arya's character if she was aged up. Part of the reason why people admire her and think she is so terrifying is because she's a little girl. And a 16 year old wouldn't have that shock factor. She also would look womanly and not pass for a boy, which would bring sexual connotations to her character that we don't need at all. There will be enough of that with Sansa and pervy old men abusing her. Arya is a casting change that I would approve of.

[About Yea High]

I too actually aged them up a little in my head just reading the books; Arya always seemed more 11 than 9 anyway, and Sansa seemed 13-14 (maybe because she reminds me of my own head-in-the-clouds daughter, who acts a little like Sansa at age 14).

With regard to Maisie Williams suddenly sprouting, I think she'd have to sprout an awful lot. She's a year younger than Sophie Turner (who turns 14 this month), and the pictures we've seen of her from the Belfast signing show her an entire head shorter. She's pretty small, even for her age.

But with kids, you never know.

Either way, I would always put skill first. If Williams has the chops to be Arya, I say let her keep the role. I would take a teenage Arya over some cherub-faced kid with less talent any day of the week.

Now of course, we're going on GRRM's assertion that Maisie Williams was the "only" kid from the large group that auditioned who really owned the role. And Arya is tough to cast--probably one of the toughest to really sell. So if you find someone who can do it, I say let 'er do it. There are too many other ways a role like this can go wrong.

I trust they can make her look like a boy. Hope she doesn't mind getting her head shaved.