Game Of Thrones: The Aussie invasion helping shape the show

IT might be the world’s biggest television show and filmed exclusively in Europe but Australians have played a major part in the success of Game Of Thrones.

Duncan Lay

3 min read

February 1, 2017 - 10:50AM

IT might be the world’s biggest television show and filmed exclusively in Europe but Australians have played a major part in the success of Game Of Thrones.

Brendan Cowell in Beneath Hill 60. Soon he’ll be facing a different sort of battle — GoT style.

Last week’s news that Brendan Cowell was joining the cast of Game Of Thrones as Harrag Ironborn made us look back at the other Australians who have played a part in the show.

Noah Taylor has been a feature on Australian screens.

The biggest part so far has been played by Noah Taylor, who appeared in eight episodes across seasons three and four as Locke, a brutal captain in the service of Roose Bolton and a close friend of the sadistic Ramsay Bolton.

He is best remembered for cutting the hand off Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), threatening Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) with gang rape, then throwing her into a bear pit and trying to kill Jon Snow (Kit Harrington).

Noah Taylor As Locke In Game Of Thrones.

His character is based on a very unpleasant creature called Vargo Hoat and was supposed to be killed at the end of season three by being hurled into the bear pit that he intended to let Brienne die in. Unfortunately Taylor was far too good-looking to play the deformed Hoat but GoT made him look suitably vicious as Locke.

He first came to our attention as the breakout star of The Year My Voice Broke in 1987 and has been a regular in film and TV, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Edge Of Tomorrow and Peaky Blinders.

Taylor had plenty of good lines and made such an impression that the producers decided to write him into a Bran Stark subplot that almost — but not quite — saw Bran and Jon Snow reunited.

It also saw the end of Taylor’s character, killed by Bran warging into the giant simpleton Hodor.

The other major Aussie character role is Obara Sand, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, who has appeared in seven episodes across series five and six.

Keisha Castle Hughes.

Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand.

Castle-Hughes starred in Whale Rider in 2002 and was the Queen of Naboo in Revenge Of The Sith.

Obara Sand is the leader of the Sand Snakes, three warrior women determined to avenge the death of their father Prince Oberyn Martell.

Her most memorable moments are when she gets to kill a traitorous merchant captain as well as her unfortunate half-cousin Prince Trystane.

However, the Sand Snakes are a rather controversial set of characters, not very popular with fans. Their last appearance in the season six finale, saw them making an alliance with Olenna Tyrell against Cersei Lannister, with the Queen of Thorns slapping down the Sand Snakes when they attempted to speak.

Spoiler alerts for season seven suggest at least one of the Sand Snakes gets killed in the upcoming battles, which might please some fans — but could also result in a little redemption for the Sand Snakes.

The Sand Snakes also helped finish off another one of Australia’s actors in DeObia Oparei, who played Prince Doran’s bodyguard and captain, Areo Hotah. Oparei, although born in the UK, lived and worked her for six years, including forming a theatre company.

DeObia Oparei.

Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand and Deobia Opaeri as Areo Hotah.

Hotah was a fearsome warrior who helped capture Jaime Lannister but was stabbed by a poisoned blade at the start of seasons six by the Sand Snakes. Another reason not to like them ...

One character who made a much better impression in season six was Essie Davis, who played Lady Crane, the star of a stage play in Braavos who is doomed to be killed by Arya Stark (Maisie Williams).

Best known as Phryne Fisher from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, she actually worked with Castle-Hughes on the film Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger.

Essie Davis.

Essie Davis playing Lady Crane, who is dressed for her part as Cersei Lannister in the street play.

Lady Crane doesn’t get killed by Arya but things don’t end happily for her. Arya’s mercy marks her for death from The Waif. After Arya is stabbed, Lady Crane tends to her wounds. Her reward is to have her throat slit by The Waif, although Arya gets her revenge by killing The Waif.

Finally comes one of the most legendary characters in GoT — Melisandre, the Red Woman. She is played by Carice Van Houten, a Dutch actor. But Van Houten’s partner is Australian actor Guy Pearce and they have a son, Monte. That’s certainly enough to qualify her as an honorary Aussie.

Melisandre first shows up in the second season and was quickly one of the most hated characters as she used witchcraft to seduce Stannis Baratheon, murder his brother Renly, tried to kill Gendry and burn little Shireen Baratheon alive.