Conleth Hill says he “had no idea” Game of Thrones would take off like it did

Game of Thrones has a lot of interesting characters, and actors playing them, together taking on the journey of character development, one of the primary things making Game of Thrones the brilliance that it is. While Season 7 has finished filming, it still has a few months to go before it premieres in summer, most likely in July. For now, we are surviving on cast member interviews, and the latest one comes from Conleth Hill, who plays Lord Varys on the show.

Hill is currently going around to promote Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, in which he will be starring alongside Imelda Staunton, taking him back to theater. He talked a bit about Game of Thrones in a recent interview with What’s On Stage. Read on!

When asked if Game of Thrones made it hard to fit in theater and film, Conleth said :

“Not really. It’s such a large cast that you are never overused. It’s not so taxing. I suppose earlier in my career I wouldn’t have been able to do film and TV as much because I would have been in a play for so long. I did a lot of long runs when I was younger. But with Game of Thrones we do six months a year at the most. So when you’re not working on it you get to do something else. It’s a bit like being semi-retired.

It’s a very great and rare thing for an actor to have that. So I suppose Game of Thrones has given me financial independence. But it’s never been about the money for me. I always did things I really wanted to do.”

He also echoed his previous sentiments where he had said that he was unsure about being on Game of Thrones at first. When asked if he saw the show being as successful as it did, Conleth said :

“No, not at all. I had no idea. I think there’s only 15 of us who have survived so far too. I resisted doing it for a long time too. I kept thinking: ‘I’m not interested in that kind of thing’. And I think some people think that about watching it too. But that’s fine, because we have enough people watching it without them. The writing is exquisite, the production values are second to none. I am proud to be part of it. It’s the best job in the world. I’ve always said that.”

He also said thatPeter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, with whom Conleth Hill shares the most screentime with, is “a wonderful human being and a fantastic actor and a great friend.”

While Game of Thrones is still months away from return, you can watch Conleth Hill in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, where it will be running between March 9–May 27. Are you planning on catching a show? Tell us in the comments, below!