Game of Thrones actor Jacob Anderson, who portrays Gray Worm since season 3, explains why filming the series didn’t feel like a big deal to him.
Game of Thrones star Jacob Anderson shares why filming the popular series did not feel like a big deal. Anderson made his series debut in season 3 as Gray Worm, a soldier in the elite army known as the Unsullied. After Daenerys Targaryen freed the Unsullied, they were forever loyal to her, and the Unsullied chose Gray Worm as their commander. Gray Worm remains an important character, particularly in Daenerys’ storylines. Anderson was featured as a recurring cast member from season 3 to season 7 and promoted to a starring cast member in season 8.
During an interview with NME, Anderson explains why filming the show that became a popular culture phenomenon didn’t feel like a big deal. He mainly felt this way because, for most of the series, Gray Worm only shared scenes with Daenerys, Missandei, Tyrion Lannister, and Varys. Since he mostly filmed with the “tight-knit” group of actors playing these characters, Anderson rarely filmed with the majority of the extensive cast and didn’t fully experience Game of Thrones’ massive scope until watching the finished episodes. Read Anderson’s comments below:
“The experience of making that show was so different to the way it was being perceived and metabolized by people who watched it. It was such a big deal, but it never really felt that way to me because the way we made the show felt quite quite small.”
How Game Of Thrones Improved & Failed Gray Worm’s Character
Game of Thrones made Gray Worm more compelling than he is in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series. In both mediums, Gray Worm is an Unsullied soldier deeply loyal to Daenerys and is chosen by his peers to command them. In the books, most of the focus is on Gray Worm being the face of the Unsullied, along with his undying loyalty to Daenerys and the knowledge and prowess he wields as a warrior. Game of Thrones builds on this by giving Gray Worm a more consistent presence and voice in the Daenerys storylines.
Gray Worm also has a budding romance with Missandei, the latter of whom is significantly aged up from the books. There is no romance between Gray Worm and Missandei in the source material, but in the show, their gradual romance gives the story room to explore Gray Worm beyond being a loyal and formidable warrior. This relationship provides new experiences for Gray Worm, who raises questions that challenge his view of the world and thinks about a future beyond the constant fighting that has consumed his life.
Unfortunately, Game of Thrones does fail Gray Worm in the final season. Other than a brief discussion about going to Missandei’s home of Naath after they helped Daenerys win the Iron Throne, the two characters and their relationship did not receive much screen time before Missandei’s brutal death. Gray Worm is then diminished to a ruthless killing machine who executes captive Lannister soldiers, but the show doesn’t fully commit to this characterization as he conveniently and begrudgingly allows Jon Snow to be sent to the Wall instead of killing him, even though Jon murdered Daenerys. Although Gray Worm had a bigger role, his Game of Thrones ending was sadly underwhelming due to the inconsistency with his arc.
