It was arguably the biggest fight the characters of HBO’s Game of Thrones faced during the series’ eight season run: the Battle of Winterfell saw Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s combined forces and others face off in an actual fight for mankind itself in an epic battle against the Night King and the army of the dead. With a battle that significant and epic, it makes sense that once it’s all said and done the survivors might need a bit of downtime and for Gendry and Tormund that downtime meant a little gaming on a Nintendo Switch.
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Shared on Reddit’s r/gameofthrones community, a behind-the-scenes photo shows Gendry actor Joe Dempsie and Tormund actor Krisotfer Hivju still in full costume (with Dempsie wearing a coat for added warmth) playing video games. They even still have the blood and grime on their faces from their battle efforts. You can check it out here.
Playing a game on the Nintendo Switch seems like a pretty decent way to catch a break during filming, especially considering how much work had to go into shooting the Battle of Winterfell. The climactic battle was a major one and not just in terms of the series’ story. According to Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, filming the scene was a particularly difficult and grueling experience.
“And I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’” Williams revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “But nothing can prepare you for how physically draining it is. It’s night after night, and again and again, and it just doesn’t stop. You can’t get sick, and you have to look out for yourself because there’s so much to do that nobody else can do… there are moments you’re just broken as a human and just want to cry.”
This sentiment from Williams was echoed by Iain Glen, who plays Ser Jorah Mormont.
“It was the most unpleasant experience I’ve had on Thrones,” Glen revealed. “A real test, really miserable. You get to sleep at seven in the morning and when you wake in the midday you’re still so spent you can’t really do anything, and then you’re back. You have no life outside it. You have an absolute f—ked bunch of actors. But without getting too method [acting] about it, on screen it bleeds through to the reality of the Thrones world.”
What do you think about Gendry and Tormund (or at least their actors) playing Nintendo Switch after the Battle of Winterfell? Let us know in the comments below.
