Westeros

We’ve just published an exclusive interview with Michael Shaeffer, who plays Aerys II Targaryen in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King.

Shaeffer discusses how he unexpectedly came to the role, why he approached Aerys through the traumas of Summerhall, Duskendale and his troubled family history rather than simply playing him as “mad,” and how The World of Ice & Fire and Westeros.org helped inform his research.

He also talks about returning to the world of Game of Thrones after his memorable season two death, the extraordinary response from fans, and the production’s towering Iron Throne—which, he reveals, George R.R. Martin has called his favorite physical realization of the throne.

Read the full interview with Michael Shaeffer!