Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to introduce the creators of the Game of Thrones
David Benioff and DB Weiss, director Miguel Sapochnik, Liam Cunningham
John Bradley,
Nathalie Emmanuel,
Conleth Hill
yeah
Sophie Turner
Iwan Rheon
Fay Marsay
Isaac Hempstead-Wright
and finally Christian Nairn
yeah
Hold the Door
yeah
yeah
Oh Hodor
Ah so I'd like to start with the
elephant in the room
it's it's been announced that next
season will only be seven episodes and
will not air until the summer so I guess
my first question to David and Dan is
why do you hate us all so much
it seems personal. Well you know I guess
as Sophie said in that clip winter is
here and we gotta shoot in places where
there are trees and we gotta wait for
the leaves to fall off so we're actually
waiting to shoot later in the year and
that means we don't finish shooting till
February there's no way to finish post
there's no way to get the show out there
until summer so, That doesn't account for
the three Sundays where I will have nothing to do at night. Can you walk me through
that in front of 7,000 people and
millions of people who are watching
You can always rewatch and start over at the
beginning
That's a good answer. So there's a
plethora of of human history to draw
from but is there any civilization or
time period specifically that you guys draw
the most amount of inspiration in terms
of like quest for power or even any kind
of like Machiavellian real life
characters throughout history
that you can think of specifically? Well I
think the the books are sort of built on
a skeleton of medieval Western history
but one of the great things about
fantasy is that you're not bound to what
happened
so he did George when he wrote his books
got to pick all the bits that he liked
the most and he got to skip the
so-and-so begat so and so we got so and
so part of history you got to kind of
paper over that and he drew on Mongols
he drew on Native Americans he drew on
everything
is very deeply read in world history and
you know and we get to we get to do the
same thing
I mean that that's that's one of the
real joys of we are kind of both history
buffs and we get the recounting the
violence of humanity we get usually get
every awful thing that's happened in the
world not just one part of the world and
it just cram it all into you know
10 10 hours of seven hours rather a
season
i just want to point out that Sophie
Turner made us all do shots of vodka
before we came out here so our... I'm 20 I
didn't do any of that! Our answers might not
be as articulate as it should be. Okay
good
it's alright just trying to keep it
complete sentences if i can do a
complete sentence i know i mean i'm
still in shape. One of the things you
guys just touched on was that 
obviously  you are drawing from source
material but season six was the first in
which you would pass the books
so obviously next season will
continue to do that. Can you talk a
little bit about that process and and
you know working with George to achieve
and how much of it is his vision versus
how much of it that you guys want to do
is show
yeah well you know some of it is still
it it's still ultimately George's
imagination that they gave us these
characters that gave us this world and
and three or four years ago we were in
Santa Fe talking to George and he told
us about where he was heading with the
books that's when he told us the Hodor
fate in the hotel where the name Hodor
came from and I just remember looking at Dan
it's George it's George's fault and
and I remember looking Dan and just we
were both so amazed and excited because
it was so freaking cool
and and and one of the things that's
brilliant about it is that this name
which has become almost a joke you know
people make jokes about Hodor and then
ultimately you realize where that name
comes from and it's suddenly a tragic
turn and that's so George RR martin so
you know hopefully were still
living at the spirit of a you know
George's imagination and even though
we're beyond the books i think one thing
that's fun is that George is going to
georges books will be very different in
some respects and the same in others
and
I think they will hopefully both the
series and the books will be surprising
to people were reading or watching or
whatever it is so Sophie Turner her
fault
yea Sorrrry. I'm glad you brought something
up because um obviously
sadly we lost one of the most beloved
characters of the season and in all of
television
yeah i know i know you and i like is
there a pic
then how did you how did you create such
a lovable scamp
and what is it like to be America's
Sweetheart
however i'm sorry what was that such a
lovable scamp
Thank You Sophie and I don't know i mean
i think well I think the the key was
there that when we were discussing the
character and before we start shooting
that he had this kind of joy in
everything that he does so I'm trying
you're really an easy enjoying these are
the best time of his  life and you know it he
loves doing all this stuff and I think
having you know it kind of made up a bit
funny response so he was not just some
psychopath that and that's just one
direction he's got a bit more about him he's
not in one direction
yeah well as an actor obviously you have
to find something you love about the
character that you're playing or at
least understand where he or she is
coming from so whereas Ramsay Bolton
coming from
I think you know all guys havve a tough
upbringing you know is he's the bastard in
the north which is always difficult and
you know he's just looking for his
father's love and acceptance and
recognition or his life and you know
it's kind of that's obviously everyone can
relate to that and... -Boo-hoo ...Thank you Sophie
and yeah and yeah but  very
apart from that is very very little to
like about him i think it. When obviously
we lost Hodor
awwwww
Hodor! Hodor! Thank you guys.
Christian you can you talk a little bit
about the fans response and what that
was like
I'm sure must've been overwhelming. Well
I am
yeah it has been overwhelming i did not
expect it to be so crazy and I'm
really really flattered as well as it's
it's it's blowing my mind
ok I was in LA a few days ago in a hotel
and all their doorsteps or their
doorstop said Hodor on them
uh-huh haha  I got it really but
yeah it's been incredible and I didn't
expect it I mean the scene was incredibly
written and directed and I knew it was
going to be cool but I didn't expect
the out pouring of emotion. You made me
cry
Alright,  let's see if we can make him cry Not
really. But I apologize for that i
apologize for making you cry
but the crying in a good way at least
okay - well I've done my job then i'd
like to do what the show is consistently
doing which is to transition from the
sweet into blood
the episodes battle of bastards and the
winds of winter are probably the two
most astonishing episodes not only of
this show but may be any show ever
here and obviously a lot of that has to
do with the director Miguel Salpochnik
 
well speaking of the battle
it's obviously we could have a whole
panel probably about those two episodes
but um we have to limit it to a few
questions
um but speaking of the battle itself i
read that
originally it was based on the Battle of
Agincourt which took place between the French
and the English in 1415 but as needs
change this is your quote at its budgets
it became more like the Battle of Kenai
between the Romans and Hannibal in 216
Can you talk a little bit about what you
meant by that what
what changed and how you changed it. Blimey
so yeah that originally when we talk
about it the whole idea was too steep it
in history so they wanted a strategic
pitched battle and so the Battle of
Agincourt was i believe is the French
and the English wasn't it
French and English fought it out on the
field and the correct me if I'm wrong because I might
screw this up completely
the English attacked and the French
encircle them and caught them in a pincer
movement double envelopment and once
they have them in a pincer movement they
basically used archers to mow these
people down
originally we were going to have a lot
of horses like seven horses deep and
they were going to charge the horses and
then actually surround
the Allied troops and crush them with
the horses but the problem is if you run
horses at people they don't like it
by the first time there alright but the second
time they like I don't really want to run
at these people and third time I'm not
going
so i'm guessing the people don't like it
either
well sometimes so the decision was is
that we weren't gonna run horses at
people but instead we were going to run
people at people and then there was this
other idea which I always loved him was
probably the first image that I imagine in
my mind when I saw the when i read the
outline which was this pile of bodies
and this was something to happen down
were really keen on and something that
actually we had a lot of kind of back
and forth because initially it felt what
where does this pile of bodies come from
and then the more research you did you
start to realize when everybody dies
they become a pile of bodies and
gradually as pile of bodies really gets
in the way of you achieving anything on
a battlefield and in fact in the Battle of is it Cannae? Cannae
In the Battle of Cannae what was happening
these people were these heavily armored
Knights were going down into battle and
they were getting stuck between piles of
bodies of dead bodies and they were
becoming sitting ducks to then be picked
off which seems horrible and a complete
bummer to go out to battle and then
you'll get your foot stuck somewhere and
get picked off so that seemed like a
good way to to approach the battle which
is what we did. And in terms of budget
constraints with that that have
something to do with it  or what is it just
the the not using horses was that
definitely was a budget constraint
I think anytime you do something this
big you always start with something
that's bigger than you actually have the
money to do and then what'd you come up
with these creative ways to turn that
disadvantage into an advantage so
there's so many things in Hardhome the
year before was the same thing in this
one you know one of the reasons that we
originally we decided to have the wall
of shields that arises was
because we didn't really have the money
to see what was behind the wall of shields
because we have had to stage all the
fighting and dead bodies etcetera etcetera we just didn't have the money
to do it even when we were doing the
body part we had 257 bodies and that
doesn't quite cover the body pile so
you between setups 10 people from the
art department will basically run
remove all the bodies to another place
and then move the bodies to another place
and it was all about trying to cover
this big pile of chicken wire that we
didn't have the money to cover
well I i saw that you're not on the list
for directors this year but we can
expect you back next year
I would very much hope so yes
um Liam I was wondering um just from an
emotional standpoint,  did you read the
books? Eh no. Were you aware before you
read the script of the death of Shereen
and no no when I got the scripts the
first time what might you would have
heard the clang of my jaw hitting the
ground when I read it and I and after I
read that relationship was already there
because we already filmed it under have
work kind of removed from me one bit
that that that relationship with terrain
is very easy
she's looking absolutely gorgeous human
being and a beautiful actress and
and these guys keep taking the people
are like working with away from me and
which makes it difficult but that was
that was pretty tricky
actually I'm Australia there is a little
story that that the the stag
but I got my daughters in the audience
here by the way to say hello to my
daughter please
so I know you
i liberated the stag and my daughter has
a wall of awesome at home and I said you
need that out we finished filming
we haven't had my broadcast and I said
you need to you need to have that in
your hand when we're watching the show
we all sit on the couch and watch it and
what I didn't figure on because I wasn't
there for sure means demise when the
episode came on energy you need to have
that again and she'll tell you this as
she had it in her hand
I hadn't seen it and we sat down to
watch it and all of a sudden my daughter
was in a heap
I on the sulfur as you watched my
surrogate daughter serene getting bored
to death what she held a stag
but I had stolen front and I felt like
the worst dad in the world it was a
Pollock awful thing to do
so that that's their fault right away
well there's probably not a more lovable
character in the show than Samwell Tarly
yeah
I realized when he when he sees the
library that he smiles and you realize
that nobody in the show ever smiles
except for maybe Cersei but that's I
don't know if that's a smile as much as
it's like a involuntary muscle response
to something evil that uh huh
please her but there's a certain
sweetness about John about Sam well on
the way that John plays and not john not
john i'm gonna guess John know and i
think we can assume that David and Dan
and the world of of Game of Thrones
hates sweetness and then eventually you
will be executed inside
so I'm wondering if you if you could
choose the way you will die
yeah now is your opportunity and i think
i'd like to hear and i'm sure they would
as well
how wonderful would it be all kind of
help that the the poetic justice of
Sammer's always been told that books are
folly and there to be dismissed and
nobody with any real common sense of it
deals with books
he said no actually know people who read
books can do good in the world they can
do good for the greater good
ya say right he's never been around this
many books before he's climbing up the
books you typically you know artistic
but you know you know book from the top
she'll get all the way out there doesn't
you know severely underestimates his own
weight
thank you you know tipples backwards off
the bookshelf and pulls all of those
books
yep so so right now you know John you
Miguel you could directly bit right
we saw your work with John into the
bodies in battle of the best about this
am trying to fight his way out of all
the books that is love this whole life
and now if he hadn't got what he wanted
he'd still be alive if it wasn't battle
that killed him
it was books that killed like oh my god
that looks like a win
all rights its general little knowledge
is a dangerous thing
so female empowerment I'm obviously a
huge aspect of season six but really I
believe
here's itself I and I think that no
character personifies that more than
Natalie manuals character
miss sandy in san dimas and I and a Miss
and a everybody got a different
pronunciation for that I noticed the
sunday
yes sir see and Danny breann Yara
Greyjoy women strength with so much of
that comes from violence or the threat
thereof where's miss and I a former
slave who speaks 19 languages offer
something else
compassion intelligence keen insight
into the human condition and in some
ways to me it's the most impressive
trajectory of anybody on the series can
you speak a little bit too miss Andy's
role in the future of the Seven Kingdoms
as you see it
hmm it's hard to know what what the
future brings for her but I i think that
she genuinely believes in Denarius and
her claim and Darius has saved her life
and liberated her and acknowledged her
brilliant because it's something that
she also has you know this
these two women that sort of respect and
lift each other up and it's it's a
really sweet friendship and I guess
working relationship as well so I I kind
of hope that the sunday continues to
support an heiress and they sort of a
couple
well continue to be this little girl
power couple
well , with various has
I'm like a stocky that is not joy and
hassle Hoff
he has a seemingly endless array of
spies spy network
I'm obviously uses to it that his
advantage I'm wondering if you had such
a ray of spies in your real life
what would what would you what would you
do
how would you use that power for evil
for good for good
I I despair of the world at the moment
with everything that's going on and I
think we should all be heading towards
inclusivity rather than exclusivity and
I show up I admire his his approach and
i love that this season you got to see
him interrogate someone and it probably
wasn't what people expected but that's
just the way he works so I I like him
and most of the bad things are said
about him by people who don't like him
which is a great example of the way the
world works
but I think he's so far I mean it could
turn its head I have no idea he could
have been working for someone else the
whole time but it doesn't feel that way
certain and so I guess I'd use it for
good
seems like you're having a ton of fun
and you're you're you're coming at it
somebody of the scenes when we cut to
you they they play comedic Lee
in fact when you watch the show which I
find really interesting I've been to a
few of the Premier's people laugh
throughout the show and it doesn't
necessarily happen is often when you're
when you're sitting at home but there's
something about when you get together
with the community and watch it and I
think a part of that obviously with
Peter and with you
it's I don't think you do i don't know
i'm wondering if you're doing that on
purpose to bring a comedic been to it to
bring a little bit of levity or is it on
the page or is it something that it's
all along the page and some of
David and downs the descriptions are
hilarious
like wat bitch or something like that
you know yeah but now that it's all it's
just an exquisite script and you don't
it's never it's perfect when you get it
you just go with it and we're very
grateful for that
so are we I am I'm so
p got a big year
I find a lot big year Oh to grow the
brutal year
I should say so and so has yeah I'm
first question that I think a lot of
people would like to know I certainly
one of them
why did not why didn't sunset tell Jon
about the Knights avail that seems like
important info
yeah yeah yeah that's what I was why do
you fail
um son said didn't tell john because she
wanted all the credit
and it was a more dramatic moment when
it up and it makes for really good
television
now here's the question that i'm wanting
tonight
why it's always sunny in philadelphia
didn't get an Emmy nomination
yeah I don't know you guys have one
what are you doing wrong we haven't done
enough seasons and I think we're only on
season and 26 at that huh
guessing 27 you guys seem to know a lot
of people at the Emmys as you've all
been there but I've never been out all
your dates
huh well you deserve to be there yeah
hear hear we're not here for me
um well do you do you believe that
sounds so believes that John is the best
fit for for the iron phone orders do you
think she may be believe that she is I
don't know about the Iron Throne I think
Sansa
I think she believed it was probably
more of a joint effort for in terms of
the battle of the bastard she believes
that they should both be king and queen
of the North for sure i don't know about
the Iron Throne not sure she's so keen
on that anymore but um I'm not sure she
believes that John is capable of running
Winterfell and the north
I think she thinks he doesn't have the
intellect the knowledge the experience
that she has and I concur but I you know
she knows that he has wonderful morals
and that that kind of those stark morals
that you know inevitably he'll make the
right decisions but all the good
decision but whether it's going to
benefit anyone is another story
whatever John
oftentimes when you see an actor try to
play a badass on screen and they're not
quite
pulling it off just sort of takes you
out of it you sort of never believe that
this dainty little actor is as tough as
he or she actually looks in real life
that however is not the case with Faye
marsay pretty much channel the
Terminator got an auto switch negative
stole that one
yep yeah I I was like doing a scene and
I was running and then I'm sort of
missing and I realized that my arms were
doing this and I thought yeah i'll keep
that and did and it went down pretty
well
yeah well so are you it was unbelievably
authentic and so did you have any
background in martial arts or just like
a badass in real life or no I'm quite
and quite a scaredy cat in real life I'm
quite nervous and shy actually so I'm
spending a month with Maisie Williams
training like get you in the mood you
know she's really good so you want to be
by as good as her used to hit me all the
time and let me keep going come on
Marcia come on
so we have a lot to thank me as far so
yeah in real life
I mean I quite liked football soccer /
area but that's about it
yeah there's a lot of speculation that
re and the way for in fact the same
person
which would explain quite a bit no one
else seems to see her when she's beating
up a blind girl in the middle of Braavos
nobody seems to actually notice what do
you think
and i think the theory was a cool one it
would have been really cool but i think
i think Maisie's adding areas are Ian
and that's her journey and I think yeah
the way is now it's the best way like
the theories good and it's creative but
I think they've got it right the right
is
yeah I writers are people reading into
it too much or yeah yeah
answer
that's fair oh good visit so Isaac
hempstead-wright place brand a brand
obviously got some pretty big info in
the season finale
probably one of the biggest secrets in
the history of the show and your
character is the only one that knows
about there's anybody in this room who
doesn't know what I'm talking about
you do not deserve to be here and I'm
just gonna tell you it would appear that
Jon Snow is not in fact Ned son at all
is a Targaryen and therefore as the
rightful claim to be from so what do you
think bran is going to do with that
information
well first of all I don't think we know
for sure whether it's a Targaryen that
it could well be that there's a an
insect situation going on like with the
Lannisters and the net Indiana
ok well i think bran knows that he's
been showing this information for a
reason
he might not know exactly why that is
but he knows for some reason it's
imperative that he knows this in it and
he spreads the word but up
I presume somehow he'll he'll tell John
but I don't know how John will take it
when brand stands up and says
by the way I'm a tree wizard and your
dad isn't your dad just three was so you
pretty much grew up on the show you
started when you were 11
yeah Sophie and I both started when we
were fairly young and what's it like to be
internationally famous at that age 11
seventh
I kinda
it's fun to be here but you don't really
notice it
I I think you just kind of take it as it
comes and and and enjoy what comes of it
I have a question for everybody that I'd
like to have everybody answer
that's two parter one I don't think you
guys should answer i will start with
Miguel who do you believe will win the
Iron Throne and who would you like to
see on the Iron Throne
that would be telling yeah I don't know
to be honest with you I I would be very
happy if they shared it but I don't
think that's gonna happen
yeah yeah well I was the only hint that
we have of this is mr. George or or
Martin said that the ending would be
bittersweet
which doesn't that doesn't give too much
away and knowing the drained mines that
were dealing with on this show
it could be anything but listen I hope I
don't get this right i have an image of
of them a white Walker sitting on the
throne for the one of the night king
with his leg over the arms sucking on a
Cuban cigar
are there other way now when it comes to
like what do I know
and we yeah it's tricky isn't it - but
when people ask how do you think he's
going to turn out because you think you
know what if I'm right
yeah that's already made and in two
years time it flashes back to this jump
Bradly spoil the old and everything
well I'd say just a pure blind loyalty
I'd say John
yeah just because you think about me
that I may be in it for the end as well
and you know
you know the way it goes it's nice that
i have a similar native and have state
an error because I know the loyalty
thing I think you know she's a good girl
I mean she can be very precious but
she's generally you know cares about
people who wants to change things
I think you make a good clean but at the
same time I'm so excited about the start
of coming that together you know
you know it are you . i know i can't say
i want little finger on the train is jay
jay
I just think it'd be fun and be quirky sadistic
we like that kind of thing c'mon we all
watch game of thrones
all right you got me
yeah I should melt the thing down and
have a democracy
happy follow-on and probably aria is I
don't think they should probably give
you a mistake
I think we have a four prong
stock-raising have drawn on John the
throne and surprising
are you getting people up and sitting in
the corner
i think i think the thrones not going to be important by the
end of the show
I think the city he will between the
night were that the night King in genera
stand
I think starts Cersei's probably going to get flattened between somewhere
well on the throne I think Westeros for
once deserve someone them with honor and
integrity and I think Brienne
