The actor behind the latest Game of Thrones bad guy, Euron Greyjoy, says that the character knows he is going to die.
Game of Thrones has been littered with cunning and vicious villains throughout the years, from evil child king Joffrey to the Machiavellian Littlefinger. And one of our heroes’ latest opponents has come in the form of the brutal pirate Euron Greyjoy.
The character made a splash in the most recent episode of season seven, attacking his niece and nephew, along with their new found allies, as they were sailing to fight Dany’s war for the Iron Throne.
Pilou Asbæk, the actor behind the psychotic Euron, spoke recently to Variety, telling them why the character revels in the show’s violent moments with seemingly little care for his own safety.
“He knows his time is spare,” said Asbæk. “He knows he’s going to die at one point. And if you ask me, it’s probably going to be spectacular. I hope so. But right now, he’s in for a ride.”
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The actor also gave an interesting response regarding his character’s reasoning for hating Theon and Yara.
“That’s a good question, man. I’ve done this two years and I haven’t even thought about the motivation for the character. Why does he want to kill them? I just do what the script tells me to do, bro. But, of course, in the Kingsmoot, she stood against him. His motivation has always been power. He was humiliated by his brother in the books. He was sent off and silenced. He was considered the black sheep of his family and now he wants to redeem himself.”
Asbæk is certainly an interesting character himself, not even feigning to be all that worried about his character’s motivations. Perhaps this is why Euron himself seems so unpredictable.
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Games of Thrones season 7 airs on Sundays in the US and on Mondays in the UK.
Originally published July 27, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
