Jerome Flynn singles out Bronn’s ‘moment of glory’

Jerome Flynn plays Bronn in HBO’s “Game of Thrones” —Photos by Macall B. Polay/HBO

LONDON—The long night is coming, and the dead come with it. And it looks like that isn’t just a vacuous threat when HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” the world’s most popular TV show, begins its eagerly anticipated six-episode final season on April 15.

The series will take you, dear readers, on a thrilling roller-coaster ride before you see the last of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her fire-breathing babies.

If you’ve been hooked to the show even before Ned Stark (Sean Bean) was shockingly beheaded by Ser Ilyn Payne (Wilko Johnson) in Season 1 while his daughters Arya (Maisie Williams) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) watched helplessly in horror, it wouldn’t be a spoiler to tell you to expect something spectacular for the series’ finale.

Will Episode 6 be as bloody? Well, “GoT” is no stranger to brutal deaths, but given its penchant for wince-inducing demise, it would be reasonable to expect something just as jaw-dropping as seeing Oberyn Martell getting his eyes pierced by The Mountain, or Viserys Targaryen getting crowned in boiling gold by Khal Drogo, or Meryn Trant getting stabbed in the eye by the vengeful Arya Stark, or watching the Red Wedding in its entirety. Unsurprisingly, Season 8 promises to up the action-packed ante.

That much was clear when we recently came face-to-face with Jerome Flynn—yes, Bronn himself—to talk about his career-boosting stint in “GoT,” and what it was like shooting the final take of his last scene in Season 8.

There was as much excitement as bittersweet fondness in the tone of the 55-year-old actor’s voice when he was asked how he felt about his final day on set.

Emilia Clarke (left) as Daenerys Targaryen and Kit Harington as Jon Snow

“I found myself going through a mixture of emotions,” he recalled. “You know, sometimes, you don’t meet some of these actors for years, if at all—and it just so happened that in my final scene, I was acting with some of these guys for the first time, so there was also a newness to it.

“I am such a big fan of the show, so I sometimes got starstruck. I was dealing with that and enjoying the experience at the same time, because it was lovely to come together with all the characters you love.

“It was a two-day scene, and then suddenly, the clock was ticking, and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s coming to an end!’ That realization was quite surreal—and very sweet. It’s such an amazing opportunity to be working on something like this for eight to 10 years with a bunch of people. It’s a particularly long show and a great one to be involved in, so it was pretty emotional.”

Asked what he would miss the most about his low-born but pragmatic sellsword character from Westeros, the actor said, “I can’t say I love Bronn, but I loved inhabiting him and being inhabited by him. I enjoyed being able to indulge in his ‘Bronn-ness’ (laughs)—it’s been a real joy. Yeah, he’s going to stay with me, but his [qualities] just have to come out legally (laughs).”

The series is known for its take-no-prisoners approach to violence. When Jerome was asked what, for him, was the most shocking scene through the years, he quickly singled out Shireen Baratheon’s death—when Stannis reluctantly allowed Melisandre to sacrifice his own daughter. He quipped, “When Shireen was burned at the stake … that made my skin crawl!”

Speaking of memorable characters, does Jerome have a favorite other than his own?

“The series has so many wonderful characters—they’re key to ‘Game of Thrones” success,” he said. “But while the show owes its popularity to the string of wonderful characters it has developed through the years, I think viewers also like the way it depicts the human condition and [the drama that goes on behind stories involving] history and colonization—they’re all in there somewhere. People recognize and relate to the human journey they see in it.”

While it was hard for the actor to single out a favorite character, picking a favorite scene wasn’t as difficult. “In terms of excitement, the Loot Train battle was easily my top pick,” Jerome replied with a twinkle in his eyes. “Shooting that whole bit allowed the cast to hang out and get together. We had a month to shoot it in Spain in this beautiful national park. To be given that time and space to create this spectacular battle was something else.

“But more than that, it was Bronn’s moment of glory—he was given a chance to take on the dragon and save Jaime Lannister’s life.
“Personally, I’ve been craving a good battle for Bronn because I’ve been seeing too many characters getting theirs in previous seasons. So, I was happy to finally get one, too. It was wonderful to work with hundreds of Spanish actors—and we all had a good time!”

The eighth and final season of “Game of Thrones” will debut in Asia same time as the US on April 15 at 9 a.m., with a same-day encore at 10 p.m., exclusively on HBO Go and HBO. New episodes will premiere every Monday at the same time.