Stannis Baratheon relied on Ser Davos Seaworth for more than just kingly council — he also needed Davos to clue him in on WTF was happening from moment to moment in Westeros. If you find Game of Thrones ridiculously confusing, you’re not alone; Stannis Baratheon actor Stephen Dillane is right there with you.
In an interview published Tuesday by The London Times, Dillane admitted to being lost most of the time when it came to the plot of HBO’s Game of Thrones, both while working on the show and after his character’s death when he’s simply watching as a fan. Davos actor Liam Cunningham, a well-known GoT fanatic, has acted as his guiding light the whole time.
I’ve flicked it on [since leaving] to see if I could figure out what was going on, but I couldn’t. Liam Cunningham is so passionate about the show. He invests in it in a way I think is quite moving, but it wasn’t my experience. I was entirely dependent on Liam to tell me what the scenes were about — I didn’t know what I was doing until we’d finished filming and it was too late. The damage had been done. I thought no one would believe in me and I was rather disheartened by the end. I felt I’d built the castle on non-existent foundations.
Obviously, Dillane left Game of Thrones behind when Stannis died in the Season 5 finale, “Mother’s Mercy.” His departure was, for some fans, a bit of a relief. The last remaining Baratheon brother’s departure marked a (kind of) streamlining for the show’s plot as the list of contenders for the Iron Throne narrowed even further. But hearing that Stannis had no idea what was going on most of the time might come as a bit of a surprise, as he was a key player in the series for 3 long seasons.
Dillane’s admission harkens to a similar confession from another keystone fantasy series actor, Sir Ian McKellen, about his role in Fox’s X-Men films. Back in 2013, McKellen admitted that he typically is clueless about what’s going on while he’s portraying the infamous mutant Magneto. Still, McKellen’s performance remains unparalleled. Maybe there’s something to be said for just playing along.
**For more Davos Seaworth content, check out: Ser Davos Seaworth Picked the Perfect ‘Game of Thrones’ End and Spin-Off
