Game of Thrones spoilers: how much damage can Ian McShane do?
Name: Ian McShane.
Age: 73.
Appearance: Sultry and dissolute.
I think I remember him from Lovejoy, Deadwood, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sexy Beast, Dallas, Magnum PI, The West Wing , Roots, Grimsby, Coraline, Jesus of Nazareth and Kung Fu Panda. That’s right. File McShane under “much-loved British actors who have been in everything” and then add Game of Thrones to the list.
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I don’t remember him in that. That’s because his performance has not been broadcast yet. He plays …
Stop! … a character who used to be …
No spoilers! But how am I going to tell you about him giving away some of the plot of the next series without giving away some of the plot of the next series?
Just try. OK. Well, um, McShane is going to appear for an unspecified amount of time in season six as a character that I can’t tell you about. However, he has gone rogue in a number of interviews this month, and basically told everything – including what happens to his character, and some big news about a much-loved character from a previous season or seasons.
That’s outrageous. Game of Thrones fans might accidentally discover what happens if they go on to the internet and try to find out. I hope Mr McShane is feeling chastened? He doesn’t do chastened. “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape,” he said when questioned on the matter. “I was accused of giving the plot away, but I just think, get a fucking life. It’s only tits and dragons.”
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys in season six. Photograph: 2016 Home Box Office, Inc. Al
How dare he! The Game of Thrones cycle is a majestic vision of political and familial intrigue seen through a defamiliarising veil of magic-realist high fantasy. Only about three-quarters of it is tits and dragons. I doubt you’ll find he cares. Like his roguish characters, McShane is magnificently tactless. For instance, in the same interview he shared this view on Leonardo DiCaprio’s Academy Award: “Not the finest performance, just him grunting and being raped by a bear. The Oscars are ridiculous.”
To be fair, the Oscars are ridiculous. Ssh! Don’t give it away.
Do say: “I’ve heard a rumour that Frodo gets turned into milk by the Amulet of Qwertyuiop.”
Don’t say: “Look, the whole point of high fantasy is to take it very seriously.”