‘Game of Thrones’ star returns, no longer ‘a kid on the set’

ISAAC (left) now with Max von Sydow

SINGAPORE—Isaac Hempstead Wright was 10 when he was cast as Bran Stark, a boy who lost the use of his legs but gained mystical abilities, in the celebrated HBO fantasy series, “Game of Thrones.”

Now almost 17 (his birthday is on April 9), Hempstead Wright returns to the show after a yearlong break, following his character’s lengthy, secret training under the enigmatic Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow).

“Bran now has a grasp of what his role in the world is,” the teen actor said in a roundtable interview at the Grand Hyatt last Tuesday. “He was training with the Three-Eyed Raven and accepting his power… . When we meet Bran in Season Six (airing April 25, 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.), he’s still not quite a pro with his talent yet, but he now has an idea of what it might be used for.”

Few characters possess psychic visions and the power to “warg”—perceive through animals’ senses and control them—in the brutal world of “Game of Thrones.”

In this realm torn by warring kingdoms, not even the most popular or beloved figures are spared untimely, unthinkable deaths.

Being unique may not spare Bran, either, Hempstead Wright insisted.

“No one should feel safe in ‘Game of Thrones’—the second you do, that’s when they say you get killed,” he told the Inquirer, smiling. “Yeah, Bran is a unique character. What’s nice about the magic element of the show is, it’s like how [it’s] looked at in our world. Everyone’s skeptical about it… . Bran is part of that storyline. [It’s powerful], to be able to turn the tables, but in a different way,” he explained.

Getting into the business was “an accident,” Hempstead Wright recounted. He had no idea how big the show would be (it was merely “a pilot” then), and he was forbidden from watching it because of the violent and sexual content: “My parents were quite protective. But I do watch it now.”

Four years into working on “Thrones,” Hempstead Wright was asked to skip the fifth season by showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, as it was decided that Bran’s magical education would happen offscreen.

SAAC Hempstead Wright

Hempstead Wright, now a tall, charming teenager sporting short hair, said that things are much different after his hiatus: “When I started, I didn’t necessarily register it as acting. I would turn up and do the stuff on set, then I’d have fun the rest of the time. But as I’ve grown up and especially this season, coming back after having a year off, and now I’m 16—in the acting industry … you’re [considered] an adult—I [have] actual responsibilities, instead of being just the kid on the set. It really made me look at it quite differently.”

Now that he’s watching the series, he recalled missing deceased characters, and had difficulty narrowing them down. “There’s a vast array to choose from,” he said. “I was devastated when Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) [was killed]! He was such a good guy. I’d like to bring him back [somehow]. He was cool!”

On the eventual winner of the show’s bloody “game,” he elaborated that another Stark would make a good leader. “I don’t think Bran should necessarily rule. He’d be perfect to enable someone else to rule. He could be the magic sage … who could provide advice or counsel. I’d like to see Sansa (Sophie Turner) on the throne.

“She’s been exposed to so much of the politics, and she’s been through such horrendous stuff herself. She’s very thick-skinned and [has] a very cunning mind, exactly what she needs as a leader. She can be the queen, and [our sister] Arya (Maisie Williams), can be her bodyguard.”

Hempstead Wright is close friends with a fellow “Game of Thrones” actor, Dean-Charles Chapman, who plays teen king Tommen. There are no plans for their characters to meet, according to Hempstead Wright.

“Sadly, we haven’t done any scenes together,” he said. “We met a year ago. We’ve had a lot of fun … it’s nice to have a friend in the industry who understands how it all works, the politics of the acting world and so forth. We’ve understood each other on that front. More than anything else, he’s just a nice guy. We have a funny time together.”

Another former child actor and costar, Jack Gleeson, quit acting in 2014, after years of playing the much-reviled King Joffrey.

Hempstead Wright sees himself continuing his career when his time on the show ends. “Definitely, I’ll carry on with it,” he told the Inquirer. “I’ll have a great time with it, yeah.”