To this day, Ramsay Bolton remains one of the most memorable, and most hated, villains from HBO’s acclaimed series Game of Thrones. Welsh actor Iwan Rheon brought a perfectly psychotic tone to the character, providing some of the series’ most disturbing scenes. In an interview with CBR’s Kevin Polowy, Rheon not only discussed his new series for Peacock, Those About to Die, he revealed that Game of Thrones fans have a surprising reaction to meeting him.
Ramsay Bolton was not only insane and cruel, he was masterfully devious. In the series, he started as an ally for House Stark, and retook Winterfell from Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) for them. However, he betrays the Starks and joins with the Lannisters, who force Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) to marry him. He spends his free time torturing Theon while ruling over Winterfell, until Jon Snow arrives and exacts his revenge.
In a series filled with despicable characters, it could be easily argued that Ramsay was the worst villain on Game of Thrones, even surpassing the universally-hated Joffrey Baratheon with his psychotic cruelty. That sort of evil character often affects how an actor is perceived, but according to Rheon, Game of Thrones fans treat him surprisingly well. He said:
People go, ‘Yeah, I hate you, you b-stard,’ but it’s always a bit tongue in cheek.
It appears Game of Thrones fans are sophisticated enough to separate the actor from the character, and those who can’t appear to avoid him. Overall, Rheon seems to enjoy his interactions with them.
People generally know that I’m an actor, I hope…I don’t really get (any negativity). But other people, maybe they don’t speak to me, because I suppose if you really thought I was the character, you wouldn’t come up to me and talk to me. Because you really don’t want to talk to someone like Ramsay Bolton. It’s a risky business.
Rheon only appeared in 20 episodes of the series, beginning in season three, but he certainly made an impression over the four seasons in which he starred. His character is remembered particularly for his cruel treatment of Sansa and his torture of Theon, whom he renamed “Reek.” There’s been a renewed interest in the series with the premiere of the prequel series House of the Dragon, although Rheon admits he has not yet seen the series.
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Iwan Rheon’s New Series Draws Game of Thrones Comparisons
Rheon’s new series isn’t too far removed from Game of Thrones. Peacock’s limited series Those About to Die is set in ancient Rome, and follows the underhanded business behind the gladiator spectacles that played in the Colosseum. He plays Tenax, who rises to become a powerful figure in the gladiator world. “There’s less dragons in our show,” he jokes. “Obviously, there’s a dynastic struggle at the very heart of our story, and there are rich families vying for power…but it’s based on history, so it’s a very different thing.”
Those About to Die is created by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan), with Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) and Marco Kreuzpaintner as executive producers and directors. In addition to Rheon, the series stars Sara Martins, Dimitri Leonaidas, Jojo Macari, Gabriella Pession, Moe Hashim, Tom Hughes, Daniel Stisen, and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Game of Thrones
is streaming on Max. All episodes of
Those About to Die
are streaming on Peacock.