https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=rHfyvSgvgoo
There are a few contenders, but Ellaria Sand, chained to a wall under the Red Keep and forced to watch her daughter slowly die was one of, if not the most intense scene of Game of Thrones season seven. Cersei Lannister’s revenge was a dish best served in the cruelest way possible, and the performances by Indira Varma and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers were so brutally real that it almost made you forget that they poisoned Cersei’s innocent daughter.
Now we get to see the behind-the-scenes of the episode because HBO isn’t going to just let Game of Thrones fade quietly into the night. The most impressive little tidbit that comes from the featurette is that this was the first scene shot for season seven. It’s a testament to their acting, and to their ability to deal with staying chained to a wall, that sounded like a terrible time.
“Rosabell and I had to wear manacles and we were tied to the wall and we had trouble, because either they’d come undone, because we were fighting against them, or couldn’t get them off. Literally, at the end of the day, I was like ‘mate, I can’t get it off, can someone help me?’ and everyone’s gone. Pete from props is like, ‘I think we need a saw,’ and I had to be sawn out.”
So not only did the actresses have to dig down deep to reach a dark, emotional place, but the crew ditched them chained to a wall? Maybe it was method peak TV creation. Either way, now is as good a time as any to rewatch that sadistic and yet, understandable, moment from Cersei, isn’t it?
