Bella Ramsey discusses her character Lady Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones

Lady Lyanna of House Mormont, the Lady of Bear Island, queen of epic badassery and kicker of asses is now one of the most admired characters on Game of Thrones after her introduction in episode 7 of season 6, The Broken Man. Despite her appearances on the episodes being short, Lyanna Mormont left a lasting impact on the show and its viewers. We’ve seen no ten-year-old as powerful a leader as her, and that says a lot about the actor who portrays Lyanna on the show, that is, Bella Ramsey. She not only manages to shut down people who treat her as a child, but also displays her loyalty to House Stark fearlessly. She deployed her 62 men for the Battle in the North, and even went to the field herself when Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton came face to face before the battle. Following that she stood by Jon and proclaimed him as King in the North after reprimanding the other Lords who hadn’t been on Jon’s side from the start.

Fans across the world agree that Lady Lyanna Mormont is ‘life-goals’, and the actress Bella Ramsay, a twelve-year-old, whose first acting gig was Game of Thrones, expressed her surprise at how much fans have loved her on the show. During an interview, she spoke about her character in detail and how she felt portraying Lyanna Mormont.

Revealing what she first thought about Lyanna when she read the script, Bella says, “I thought, “This is a character to really get my teeth into.” Lyanna is strong about what she believes, and wants to keep her family and island protected; she wants to be treated like an adult. She’s strong, and firm when she needs to be, and wants the best for her house and the North.”

Fans love Lyanna, and Bella thought it was quite surprising. “It’s crazy really. I didn’t expect anything like it. I am very, very happy that people like Lyanna Mormont. We had to keep it quiet that I had a part in GoT so now it’s out, my family have had lots of people they know contacting them, really excited they have seen me,” she said.

She says she didn’t immediately realise how big  her character would be, and said, “It took me a while to realize it. I actually woke up one morning and the first thing I thought was, “Wow, I really am integral to the storyline.” 

She then says that she loved playing Lyanna. “It was good, really good, being fierce. It all kind of comes naturally when I become Lyanna because it’s in her nature; it’s just who she is. I loved the script for Episode 10 [“The Winds of Winter”] – how she doesn’t care that she is the youngest person in the room, and proceeds to shame the three leaders.”

Bella later talked about how Ser Davos managed to convince Lyanna about joining the Starks. “I think Lyanna realized she was named after a Stark, and her house should be supporting them. Davos spoke to her as a leader of a house, rather than a child, which she was grateful for. He empathized with her, without babying her, which she respected. I think that influenced her decision.”

When asked what inspired Lyanna to join Jon Snow, she says, “She wants to get the other houses to follow him. She believes that Stark blood runs through his veins … and she believes he is the only one that can make a difference.”

We don’t think anyone else would’ve brought Lyanna Mormont to life in such an epic way, and all credit goes to Bella for making the character so powerful and adored by the fans. Hopefully there will be more of her in the coming seasons.

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