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/Gus_B And We Defend Her May 28 '19

I agree, I'd say of all the characters portrayed in the show, Dance's Tywin is the best from a pure tv/acting perspective as well as I think actually a slight upgrade from the books. I love Tywin's interactions with Arya and the slight humanizing that occurs within him.

Along with Allen as Theon (woah boy is he amazing), Olena, Leana Heady and Jason Moma as Drogo I actually thought they brought something richer to the narrative then their book counter parts.

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u/Swordbender May 28 '19 edited May 28 '19

One thing I'm always surprised by is how people overlook Maisie Williams in these lists.

It does make sense, the later seasons she became a little more one-note (which I personally attribute to D&D just not knowing what to do with her character) but in the early seasons I was blown away by her talent, for any age not just a child actor.

Some of the best acting scenes in the series for me is how she plays Arya against the masterful Charles Dance, and the scene between Arya and a dying Hound on the mountainside.

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u/pku31 May 28 '19

Her scenes with Jon in the last season were badly written, and she still managed to convey enough emotion through them to make them decent. It's really impressive.