Isaac Hempstead Wright reminisces on his time on 'Game of Thrones'

Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark PICTURE: HELEN SLOAN/HBO

Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark PICTURE: HELEN SLOAN/HBO

Published May 23, 2019

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Isaac Hempstead Wright was 10 years old when he shot the first episode of Game of Thrones,  and 11 when the show premiered, in 2011. 

When the show ended on Monday, he was 20 years old. 

He has grown up on the set of Game of Thrones, as has his co-stars, Maisie Williams (Arya) and Sophie Turner (Sansa). And so the show ending, does feel like a major milestone in his life and I'm certain for most of the cast of the cult show. 

The show ended with his character, Bran Stark being named the king of the six kingdoms. 

It's a decision that many fans of the show find to be odd and have voiced out their opinions on what a mistake it was.

Others have gone back in time to trace back how maybe Bran was the actual villain on Game of Thrones and made sure that all those who could contest for the throne, would either be dead or not able to be in consideration. 

In an op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter, he shared his journey as a cast member of Game of Thrones, how he got into acting, how important being on the show was for him and more. 

Hodor (Kristian Nairn) carries Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) in a scene

PICTURE: HELEN SLOAN/HBO

Being on

"It would be hard to overstate just how important a part of my life Game of Thrones has been. Practically every key life event I have ever experienced is in some way connected to my time on Thrones." 

Joining

"My parents were skeptical of the whole idea of child acting and so were keen not to let it become too much of a focus, hence I was allowed to do six auditions, with my final one being for an HBO pilot called Game of Thrones. After I got the part, we were presented with a 30-page contract which would sign six years of my life away. None of us knew what to do or how to react." 

Growing up on

"Becoming a teenager on the show was strange. Your teenage years are difficult enough without the added complication of being on the world's biggest television show. The Game of Thrones community feels like a family, and so I found myself getting frustrated when I effectively watched my older siblings getting to go out and grow up while I was still being chaperoned by my mother." 

Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark, alongside Maisie Williams (Arya) and Sophie Turner (Sansa) in the final episode of Game of Thrones

PICTURE: HELEN SLOAN/HBO

The High Security on

"We spent five days shooting in Seville for the Dragonpit scene, which was a fairly spectacular way to wrap up our time on the show. Several other actors who were not even in the scene were flown over to throw paparazzi off the scent, and they were pretty grateful for their free holiday while we shot under the unrelenting sun." 

On how he feels about the show's ending

"In that lies the cleverness of Thrones: Nothing is tied up neatly, and we are instead forced to ponder what the fate of this once great kingdom will be after everything has gone so wrong. Nothing sums it up better than Tyrion's line to Jon Snow when asked if he had done the right thing, which I have been covertly using in interview questions to answer how I feel about the years I have given to Thrones:"Ask me in 10 years."

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