Liam Cunningham, who played the beloved, level-headed smuggler Ser Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones, has recently revealed in new book that the show-runners were bent on ‘undoing his hard work.’
The actor pushed back against the creators’ idea of having Davos develop a crush on the much younger character Missandei of Naath – played by Nathalie Emmanuel, who was at the time only 28 years old, while Cunningham was 56.
“There’s a streak in Benioff that’s willful. He likes to stir the shit. 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 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,” Cunninghum said.
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The actor appeared as a regular character for seven seasons, and became a darling grandfather figure to fans across the globe for his heartwarming display of affection towards pre-teen female characters Lyanna Mormont and Shireen.
Cunnimham did not want to risk his character’s reputation by being involved in a romance with Missandei. Thus, he said a resounding no to the GOT creators.
“You’re not undoing my hard work engendering the sympathy of the audience to have him be a perv.”
The Irish actor revealed these behind-the-scenes details in Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, written by James Hibberd, which was released on October 6, describing the story of how the popular show Game of Throne was made.
