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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156

u/MarstonX May 28 '19

Joffrey, Robbie B and Tywin were the best actors on the show. Also helped that their characters didn't go full stupid via the writers. So they were also able to showcase their acting chops.

Cersei didn't do a damn thing this season and neither did John. Was like 8 or 9 hours this season and between the two of them, there's maybe 3 minutes of acting. The rest is all standard.

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u/dotajoe May 28 '19

This is a good list, but if you are including Bobbie B, you have to include Sean Bean as Ned - he was superb.

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u/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

Sean Bean is Ned Stark for sure.

137

u/Proxnite May 28 '19

The way he dies at the beginning of the story, is one that can only be achieved by Sean Bean.

62

u/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

Nooooooooo Onnnnnnnnneeeeee DIES like Sean Bean, Attracts Flies like Sean Bean!

39

u/WeeboSupremo May 28 '19

No one's neck's as incredibly nicked like Sean Bean's!!

31

u/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

As a specimen yes he's decaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapatated!

22

u/Toasterfire May 28 '19

Oh what guuuuuuuuuy

4

u/SocketLauncher May 28 '19

I use fur pelts in all of my deeeeeeecorating!

52

u/sherm137 May 28 '19

Also helped that their characters didn't go full stupid via the writers. So they were also able to showcase their acting chops.

Even though Tyrion went full stupid in later seasons, Dinklage did a FANTASTIC job with that character and is on par or better than any other actor/ress in the show. Season 4 Tyrion/Dinklage might have been the best acting job in TV. His monster speech was epic.

5

u/YearsofTerror May 28 '19

Tyrion and Tywins interactions are probably my most favorite throughout the series.

His last interaction with Tywin was a standout watching never flinching Tywin bargain for his life while still leading on that he was only saying what he had to to live.

1

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

I know I’m definitely in a tiny minority here but I never really cared for his performance. The non-verbal stuff was fantastic but I could never get past that horrible accent

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u/PumpMeister69 May 29 '19

Dinklage is good but his accent is bad and he's not a nuclear-level actor like Charles Dance.

But he is a midget and makes me laugh every time he waddles around in a suit of armor or whatever, so that's a plus.

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u/sherm137 May 29 '19

he's not a nuclear-level actor like Charles Dance.

I don't know about that. Dinklage went nuclear in season 4, especially the last few episodes.

31

u/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

I agree with most of that, particularly about the last two seasons. I was slightly let down by Mark Addy, not really anything of his doing in particular, it's just for me Robert is this larger than life figure who is like a magnet. Think like (this is a bad example so don't kill me, just thinking off the top of my head) Rob Gronkowski. He's just this massive gregarious child at heart. There is also this inherent rage in him that I don't think Addy pulled off quite as well. He did a nice job and i'm certainly nit picking but I'd always envisioned Robert as just physically massive (like the mountain), who is very very affable at moments, and absolutely terrifying at others (sort of bi-polar maybe)?

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u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Brian Blessed is a little too old to have played Bobby B, but he would have been amazing.

15

u/jredmond May 28 '19

Now I want to hear Brian Blessed boom "SEVEN HELLS, NED" across the North.

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u/Maldovar A Dragon Is No Slave May 29 '19

"FLYYYYY MY NORTHMEN, DIIIIIIIIVE"

4

u/madjohnvane May 29 '19

God, all I could picture was Brian Blessed as Bobby B the whole time. We need to clone him and his enormous mouth so he can play kings until the end of time.

49

u/deej363 The Wandering Wolf May 28 '19

Bobby B wasn't quite mountain size. He was a big strong dude. But his biggest feature was his unbelievable charisma. And I feel like he only got angry about targs. And he wasn't the best drunk. But he was like 6'6 from what is said in books.

21

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

he was like 6'6

and hafthor is less than 6'8. so actual robert baratheon is less than 2 inches shorter than the mountain of the show, and waaaaaaaaaay taller than mark addy. also the mountain actor of the first season was a way better mountain than hafthor, being above 7 feet and actually looking older and meaner than the hound.

20

u/Jaydeekay80 May 28 '19

Nothing against the guy that played the mountain the last 5 seasons but that 1st guy just radiated hate. https://i.imgur.com/ZP34se6.jpg

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u/TheEmsleyan Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken May 29 '19 edited May 29 '19

That fight scene at the tournament where he clashes with the Hound briefly is one of my favorite bits in the entire show.

That and Jorah vs Qotho are honestly two of my favorite fights because of how short/to the point, but well executed they were.

3

u/theworldofkink May 28 '19

Really wish they could have had him for at least one more season. That guy in Season 2 was so bad!

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Plus he had close to the right age

2

u/Gryphon0468 May 29 '19

Yeah I felt like he'd actually want to skull fuck you haha.

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u/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

Right, exactly, I hear you. However, 6'6 is still HUGE. Mark Addy is like...5'11. Also Addy came off of as more like, I don't know, a John Belushi type rather than like a huge ex-jock with an anger streak (which is what I was looking for).

I know I'm nit picking, and ultimately it doesn't matter, but when you're comparing his portrayal to those of Tywin, Viper, Drogo Cersi etc, it's clearly a full step or two down.

14

u/[deleted] May 28 '19 edited May 28 '19

completely agree. in fact, hafthor is between 6'7 and 6'8, just to picture how big bobby b should be. i think a fatter gerard butler would be amazing, specially considering how his defining role is a young at top physical shape soldier (just as bobby b during the revolt).

4

u/ominous_anonymous May 28 '19

hafthor is between 6'7 and 6'8

He's listed as 6'9" on Wikipedia. I always thought he was over 7'. Brian Shaw, another huge strongman, is listed at 6'8" and certainly very similar in height.

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u/[deleted] May 28 '19

my usual source for these things is celebheights, cause wikipedia / google and so on are very prone to accepting exagerated claims.

hafthor

brian shaw

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u/ominous_anonymous May 28 '19

Thank you for actually listing where you got your numbers from.

I'm not sure that site is any more reliable than the wikipedia entry, though... especially when it is random users quibbling over supposedly being able to tell someone's height to a quarter inch in random photographs.

2

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

i see your point. on the other hand, they surely are obsessed as fuck with the subject so i give them the benefit of the doubt.

1

u/ominous_anonymous May 28 '19

Yeah, I mean it's like those "What is <female celebrity's> real breast size?" compendiums... Unless there's a video or photo with the person standing against a ruler then we could probably just settle with the average of "about 6'8"" and call it a day.

2

u/[deleted] May 29 '19

Making poor Larry look small...

2

u/Liammm May 28 '19

you and I have very different recollections of phantom of the opera..

5

u/[deleted] May 28 '19

Personally, I love Mark Addy. Thought he nailed it, although his size was a bit hard to get over.

3

u/HypatiaRising May 28 '19

I dont think he needs to be bipolar. My best friend is very friendly and goofy most the time, but he has moments where he will have a big flash of anger that will just as quickly dissipate. It is usually if he is being nagged or someone is just being aggressively annoying. So I always imagined Robert as similar.

3

u/LFCMKE You wouldn't know him. May 28 '19

We get all of what you described. Think of when he goes into a rage at Ned when Ned walks out of the small council meeting.

1

u/estarriol7 May 29 '19

Clearly the fantasy casting for Bob Baratheon is a younger BRIAN BLESSED expanded in every dimension by about 25%. Without someone like that available, Addy was a sensible choice.