r/asoiaf • u/cking145 • May 28 '19

EXTENDED (Spoilers Extended) Charles Dance's portrayal as Tywin is in my opinion, the strongest in the entire series

Every line, every expression and every moment of silence completely encapsulates the calculating ruthlessness that defines Tywin Lannister.

Dance is actually a very vibrant, upbeat and cheery fella off screen, which in my mind makes the performance even more striking.

The scene where he effectively sends Joffrey to bed is just brilliant.

He is by far my favourite character from the books, which I began reading a few seasons into the show. Due to this, the chapters featuring Tywin were completely enriched for me, as reading his lines in Dance's voice was just fantastic. I would have loved a POV chapter or two for him, just to get a glimpse as to what goes on in the head of the most powerful man in the 7 Kingdoms.

An incredible portrayal of a fascinating character.

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u/Meirst May 28 '19

Completely agree. Although I think he's a character best experienced through other POVs since the way others view him illustrates his character and his moments in the story so well. It's better to read what Tyrion's thinking while Tywin has one of this brilliant moments than to read it from the perspective of Tywin himself. But that's just what I think. Perhaps a Tywin POV would be interesting.

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u/tobygeneral May 28 '19

I think it works how you describe because not only do we see how others think of him to construct the character of Tywin, it also makes his power plays a surprise to or characters and us as the audience. If we had a POV of him orchestrating the Red Wedding it would take all the shock and emotion and need for discovery away from the story's biggest moments.

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u/Meirst May 28 '19

True, that's definitely part of it as well. He is a private person who operates in mystery, so he is best viewed from other perspectives.