JOE DEMPSIE Photo by Jilson Seckler Tiu
Three seasons have already gone since Gendry (played by Joe Dempsie) was last seen in the wildly popular HBO TV series, “Game of Thrones,” rowing a boat—supposedly toward King’s Landing—after escaping from a cell at Dragonstone, with the help of Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunnigham).
Gendry, one of the numerous bastard children of the late King Robert Baratheon, didn’t know how to swim. And, looking at the way he attempted to navigate the tenuous-looking watercraft he found himself on, it’s safe to assume that he didn’t reach his intended destination.
This abandoned plotline has been a source of frustration for the character’s fans—many of whom still wish that somewhere out there, Gendry is alive and poised to make a comeback in the program’s final two seasons, to revive the practically extinct House Baratheon.
For Dempsie, it would be nice to see the character return because he feels that there’s still a lot left to explore about the young blacksmith.
“Because the show is vast and its stories disparate, you only get to scratch the surface of most characters,” the British actor said at the recent AsiaPop Comicon Manila, where he was one of the celebrity guests. “I had a lot of fun playing Gendry, but I don’t think I managed to find out everything there is to him.”
Should he get the opportunity to return, Dempsie, 29, said “saving Jon Snow’s beautiful hair from imminent death” would be a good way to do it. “There are many storylines I’ve conjured up for Gendry that would make him as cool as possible—not that it will happen,” he said. “But yeah, it would be nice to work with Kit (Harrington, who plays Jon) and shoot a few scenes with him.”
It would be great of course if Gendry could have a proper death, he added—if he still hasn’t perished, that is. “I want it to involve a battle, whether against dragons or humans,” said Dempsie, whose other notable project was the teen comedy-drama, “Skins.” “You don’t want something embarrassing!”
Plus, he said, a reunion with the rest of the cast—which dwindles after each season—is long overdue. “Since a lot of us are of the same age, many of us formed a close bond. “I’m good friends with Kit, Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) and Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell),” Dempsie said. “I miss them all, but especially Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), who I don’t get to see very often.”
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph