Game of Thrones has staged some impressive battles over the years, from the events at Blackwater Bay to Jon Snow taking on a fleet of charging horses. There was also that one time a record number of people were set on fire. But despite all the bloodshed and sword fights, there have been remarkably few workplace injuries — I can’t go a week without getting hurt, and I work from home. But in case something were to go wrong, a safe word was established.
“We had a sort of safe word, [so] that we could call it off at any point,” Thrones camera operator Sean Savage revealed in a video about the scene in “Battle of the Bastards” where Kit Harington climbs out of a pile of bodies. “We had to see that the light closed up on Kit’s face, and at that point, I just urged Kit to get off the ground and stand up again. And I think you can see that it is a true struggle.” But what was the safe word? Was it “minions”? It’s probably “minions.”
Close!
One of the ways [Game of Thrones stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam] does that is by using a safe word rarely heard in Westeros. “When we’re doing these battles and people are screaming and crying and dying, you might not know if anyone’s in trouble,” he explains. “So our safe word was always ‘banana.’ If someone started shouting ‘banana!’ at the top of their voice, you’d know they’re in trouble.” (Via)
Some people want HBO to release the unaired “piece of sh*t” pilot. Others (me) demand a cut of “Beyond the Wall” where the Hound yells “banana” while fighting a wight. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)