IRISH GAME of Thrones star Liam Cunningham has revealed how he fought back against plans to turn his character, Ser Davos Seaworth, into “a perv”.
According to an extract from the new book, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, an oral history of the hit HBO fantasy series, the creative team behind the series pitched an idea to have the Dubliner’s character develop a crush on Natalie Emmanuel’s Missandei of Naath.
The plotline would have seen Davos attempt to woo Missandrei during the penultimate series of the series based on George RR Martin’s books of the same name.
However, according to an interview Cunningham gave in Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, he was vehemently opposed to idea of his character, who was 56, flirting with a 28-year-old.
Cunningham said: “There’s a streak in (showrunner David) Benioff that’s willful. He likes to stir the s***. When we first meet Daenerys, Benioff and [director Mark Mylod] wanted Davos to have a crush on Missandei.
“And I fought them. I’m not f***ing doing it. It’s the only thing I ever stood up to them on. The woman is a goddess, but with Davos’ history with Lyanna Mormont and Shireen, you can’t have him getting the hots for a young woman.”
Davos served as a mentor and father-like figure to Lyanna Mormont and Shireen, two pre-teen girls who featured prominently on the show.
Cunningham argued that having his character make moves on another younger woman would cast the doubt on the nature of his relationship with the two girls.
The Dublin actor apparently told the showrunners: “You’re not undoing my hard work engendering the sympathy of the audience to have him be a perv.”
Cunningham played Davos for seven years on the show, appearing in 42 of Game of Thrones’ 73 episodes, right up to the series’ finale.
