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Gwendoline Christies greeting will really rattle you with its joy.Helloooooo!
she sings out when she answers the phone, like a delighted Oprah with a posh Mary Poppins accent.
So, yeah, its about as un-Brienne of Tarth as possible.
(ThatsSerBrienne now.)
Shes one of the few truly good characters.
How are you?Im just amazing.
Do you feel like youve personally been knighted?No, sadly not.
That was just in the realms of the television program that I was lucky enough to work on.
It doesnt feel personal at all.
I want to talk a little bit about that scene, about Brienne being knighted.
Can you tell me a little big about that moment?
The position shes been given in society has not been one automatically of power.
She has not been naturally appreciated by the patriarchy.
Of wanting to protect and restore the Stark girls for their mother.
So thats been her reason for living.
And within that, she hasnt really sought out personal joy.
Shes never been a creature of her own desires other than the desire to serve others.
Brienne has one of the few pure souls in the world ofGame of Thrones.
Shes one of the few truly good characters from what weve seen so far.
I didnt throw that [smile] away easy.
For Brienne, its the achievement of something that she wanted.
And shes achieved it on her own terms.
Shes not used anything other than her sense of honor.
It crosses a boundary.
Ultimately, it just matters how she serves.Exactly that.
Did you ever feel like that put a mark on Brienne?
But going back to that scene, it operated on many different levels.
A character that was good actually got something good for a change.
And on a personal level, it really spoke to me.
It really touched me.
You feel like a survivor, dont you?Yes, but fundamentally, its about acceptance.
Women are still not paid as much as men, theyre still not given the same opportunities as men.
Youre also the only woman in that scene, which is interesting to me.Oh yes!
Youre the only woman that makes it into that mens club around the fire of these staunch warriors.
Brienne has crossed that threshold.Yes, yes.
Can I ask you about some of the men in that room?
And you and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau have had so many amazing scenes together.
What were you hoping for Jaime out of all of this?Well, its about reform isnt it?
The employment of compassionate reasoning rather than selfish, immediate indulgences.
Hes played all of the notes of it.
Even eight years after Brienne starts her journey with Jamie Lannister, I dont know quite how to respond.
I dont quite know what to say, I cant say whether hes good or bad.
Right.And also, offering himself up and losing his hand to protect her from being raped.
Multiple times, they have rescued each other.
I feel like what we saw in Jamie Lannister is a broken man reformed.
What I like about those two is there is a real ebb and flow to their relationship.
Theyre often repaying the favor and thats something really beautiful.
This is the best thing that he can give to her before they go into battle and potentially die.
Im sure you know theres a lot of chatter about Briennes romantic life.
Is there a crackle of lust there?
Brienne doesnt really operate in that sexual realm.
Its the night before the battle.
The stakes are really high and people are allowing themselves to feel things that they wouldnt necessarily feel.
Its pretty rare, that sort of relationship on a mainstream TV show.
Where its two women sorry!
That its a man and a woman …
I was going to say, what do you mean to tell me?Oops, spoiler alert!
Itll be interesting to see which way the barometer will swing.
Did you know that was something Daniel could do?Daniel had told me that he could sing.
We hadnt heard the song, we hadnt heard him rehearsing the song, but we were told.
You know, its high stakes.
So, there can be an element of pressure.
They did maybe 20 takes and Daniel had to nail it every time.
Oh my gosh.It was exquisitely beautiful.
So full of his very large heart every time.
The range and depth of the emotions that Daniel has readily to him.
When Daniel sang?Look, there was a lot of crying going on that day.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
