Dominic Carter: When I Died on Game of Thrones

In honor of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, IGN is taking a look back at some of the iconic characters who’ve fallen along the way, and the lasting impact they had on the story. These heroes and villains may not have made it to the end of the road, but their lives weren’t in vain – they stand as a fitting reminder that when you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die.

From commander of the City Watch to disgraced member of the Night’s Watch, Janos Slynt wasn’t known for his honor. In fact, he was a character who became a thorn in enough powerful sides over the course of his journey that he frequently found himself booted from the corridors of power he backstabbed and betrayed his way into. Let’s just say that if Arya Stark had ever encountered Slynt, he certainly would have ended up on her list.

Janos Slynt’s journey certainly wasn’t admirable over the course of the five seasons he lived on Game of Thrones until his watch, fortunately, was ended by Jon Snow – a fitting comeuppance for the man who facilitated Ned Stark’s imprisonment and execution. Below, Dominic Carter traces Slynt’s fall from grace in Part 5 of our retrospective series, “When I Died on Game of Thrones.”

What do you remember about your death scene?

It was such a great way to die. It’s great as an actor to be put into those really high emotional states, because you don’t face death every day, so it’s not like an emotion that you can readily muster. It was really challenging and good fun at the same time, because it was a very physical, very demanding sort of death. We had to do it over and over again to get that heightened sense of dread. I certainly did, anyway. I’m sure there are other actors that can just go straight away with it, but I had to build up to it. I had really good fun doing it.

I think the depth to the character is sort of shown in that moment, as well. When you read the books, my character was very much a sort of lowly person who’s worked his way up to the top. Obviously, by doing despicable things, but he’s obviously someone who wasn’t born into a rich family or anything. So he’s got to where he’s got by hard work, even though it’s not very nice stuff. But I always felt sort of sorry for him anyway, that he was suddenly just dropped into this world where you have to fight or die. That’s just the way it goes.

When people meet you, do they have the same sentiments towards him?

No, they don’t. I think people love to hate him, which is good fun as well. I usually play baddies. I think he did too many horrible things for you to let him off the hook.

For more from our “When I Died on Game of Thrones” series, be sure to see Esme Bianco talk about Ros’s tragic, unexpected end at the hands of Joffrey Baratheon.

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