Taking place in some Nordic-looking hinterland where all the seasons are out of whack, 'Game of Thrones' is the most aggressive example since 'Battlestar Galactica' of a genre that's perceived as adolescent aspiring to be fully adult.

It's a reasonable thing to tell somebody, 'I've watched 70 hours of 'Game of Thrones.'' That's a totally normal, boring thing to say about yourself. But if you were like, 'I just spent 100 hours playing 'Skyrim,'' people think you're a weirdo.

If you tried to make a 'Game of Thrones' movie, you'd have to eliminate two-thirds of the characters, and there'd have to be one storyline, but on TV, you can really get to know the characters in a way that there just isn't time to do in a movie.

If you compare the violence in 'Happy Valley' to the violence in something like 'Game of Thrones,' it's nothing. But it is shocking because it's so real and grounded. The characters could live next door to you - they're not in a remote fantasy world.

Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving toward a crisis or climax, it has no true protagonist, and it's structured less like a TV show or a movie than a soap opera.

The challenge is, in terms of a canon like 'X-Men,' it's more like 'Harry Potter' and Hogwarts, or 'Game of Thrones.' It needs time and space to evolve and to bring the reader or viewer in and give them a result that's worth the investment of that time.

I really like to have a moment alone at the house, either in the morning or when I come home from work, when I can just zone out at my computer, relax, stare out the window, get into a 'Game of Thrones' episode, go up on my roof, whatever, then go out to dinner.

I watch a lot of television. The stuff that they're putting on television, series like 'The Americans' and 'Game of Thrones,' it's so superior to most of the films that are coming out of Hollywood in terms of drama, certainly in terms of what we're interested in.

I don't think there's any show comparable to 'Game of Thrones' in terms of the way it does the fantasy element to such a high standard: everything is created with so much care and detail. You really feel like you are transported into this entirely other fictional place.

I've never done a big series like 'Game of Thrones' before. All I knew was that it was HBO, and I'd seen what they had done with 'The Sopranos' and 'The Wire.' But when I started reading the script, it was a no-brainer. Yes, yes, yes. Gold. Every time I turned the page.

You realize, no matter how great, books are not shows or movies; each operates on their own different rules. 'Game of Thrones' is no different. Being forced to come up with those scenes on short notice helped how we were viewing the show and forcing it to come into its own.

'Game of Thrones' cares about children. Children are heirs. There's no hemming and hawing about how they're desensitized to violence or they cost too much to send to college. They're a blessing - in many ways the only blessing - and even the evil ones have parents who love them.

My old man, he's done it very differently from me. He had years of honing his craft and years of doing all that stuff before he even had to worry about 'Game of Thrones.' So he's absolutely established himself as an actor without the fear of having to have a personality as well.

Funnily enough, I had a real giggle with Gary Oldman when we were doing an interview together for 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.' Because I joked I was probably the only British actor who wasn't in the 'Harry Potter' franchise. The same is true of 'Game of Thrones.' Also 'Star Wars.'

I couldn't enjoy 'A Dance With Dragons,' unfortunately. Of course, I enjoyed it, but it was the first of the books I read as a writer on 'Game of Thrones,' so all I could do is think, 'We're going to have to shift that,' 'We won't be able to afford that,' or 'That's a great scene.'

I think that it's interesting how shows like 'Walking Dead' or even 'Game of Thrones,' with all its fantasy elements, have become so popular. Sometimes, though, I get a little bit annoyed because the whole nerd thing taking over and is now cool, and it wasn't cool when I was younger.

'Game of Thrones' has kind of got the Midas touch, certainly for the lead actors and those recurring guest stars. It's the show that can do no wrong because it's so well produced. My contribution is short, but I think, in my mind, it was sweet because it involved such elaborate scenes.

Speaking from personal experience, I watch zero shows when they air. The only shows I watch live are awards shows or sports. Shows like 'True Detective' and 'Game Of Thrones,' I watch every episode, but I don't watch them as they air, and I think that's becoming the case for people more.

I really do believe that no one is too pious to fall or too far gone to be redeemed in some way. Jaime Lannister on 'Game of Thrones' did terrible things, and now I feel so bad for him because his sister won't kiss him. Isn't that weird? Does she not love him? He lost a hand! It kills me that I care.

I love how 'Game of Thrones' has resonated with so many people around the world. I feel like it has really tapped into our need to hear stories about the human condition, love, death, good, evil... For me, it really is a modern version of the old Greek theatre or cave men sitting around fires telling stories.

If, like me, you've never watched 'Game of Thrones', the podcast 'Binge Mode: 'Game of Thrones'' ought to be unlistenable. It isn't, thanks to the energy of the two expert presenters Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion, who have the wit to laugh at their own deep-dive devotion and are helped out by some smart editing.

My ultimate game - or at least one I would really like to see - would be something where it was like the beginning of George R. R. Martin's 'Game of Thrones', where you're Ned Stark, and you know that one of your friends has been murdered, and you go to the capital city and you have to navigate this web of court intrigue.

Sunday is like this entertainment scrum for me, because I've only got a day, one day of fun. So I want to have brunch, and I want to see a movie, and I want to watch 'Game of Thrones,' and I'm trying to watch 'The Sopranos' from the beginning, and I want to play four hours of video games. So, it's, like, as regimented as my work life.

When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole - it creates an engaging experience. We don't dip in and out of an episode of 'Game of Thrones,' after all - we take it in as a whole. Why have we abandoned this concept when it comes to publications, simply because they exist online?

What I'm doing is making sure that I have a balance, and that allows me, I think, to be a better actor and to more easily and quickly access all of the emotions on the scale. I make sure that I read a book on the weekend or read something or do my knitting or do the things that I need to do for myself, like 'Game of Thrones.' Get that balance.

The smells are very strong on 'Game of Thrones': the incense, the fire, the heat of all the burns. The smell of Lancel's Faith Militant cloth is very thick in my nostrils right now. And I think the warmth of it all: the hard work ethics, the ambiance, the temperature of the set. There are so many sensory memories of it, which will never leave me.

Good people never survive on 'Game of Thrones.' That's the problem.

Game of Thrones' was my first big role and to be a part of that is definitely life-changing. It doesn't matter who you are, it will change your life forever.

Dialogue is something I don't get a lot of on 'Game of Thrones.'

It's part of the magic of 'Game of Thrones,' all the secrets.

I always feel for the younger cast members in 'Game of Thrones.' They're really clever and smart.

Since I've joined 'Game of Thrones,' it's been such a pleasure.

I'm a bit of a 'Throny,' as I think the 'Game of Thrones' fans refer to themselves.

I think the beauty of the writing of 'Game of Thrones' is not that the characters are fearless; it's how they overcome their fear, you know?

For years, I was just Joe Bloggs. There was no excitement until 'Game of Thrones,' and then people started recognizing me.

I struggle with reading a bit. I'm slightly dyslexic, so reading takes me quite a while, and in general, I'm not a big book reader at all. And something like 'Game of Thrones' seems very daunting to me!

With 'Game of Thrones' you're not really dealing with anything that is based in reality. You have dragons and magic and all of that.

On 'Game of Thrones,' all of my closest friends are 30 upwards, which is quite strange.

There doesn't seem to be a religion in 'Game of Thrones' that's totally peaceful... we haven't seen any Buddhists.

The piano is not really in the language of the 'Game of Thrones' score.

Most people don't know who I am in the industry. I'm far from 'Conan' and 'Game of Thrones.'

Whether you're a history buff or a fantasy fan, Druon's epic will keep you turning pages. This was the original game of thrones. If you like 'A Song of Ice and Fire', you will love 'The Accursed Kings'.

It's funny because 'West Wing' is similar to 'Game of Thrones' in some ways, as it was very hard to pull off back then.

When 'Game Of Thrones' came out, lots of interviews were coming in, and people asking me to do certain things which would push me out there. Like this whole Instagram and Twitter thing - getting more followers doesn't bother me at all.

I hadn't watched 'Lord of the Rings' - I'm gonna get so much flack for this, but I hadn't watched 'Lord of the Rings' when I started watching 'Game of Thrones.'

'Game of Thrones' is a fantasy show not dedicated to any specific time, but it seems to exist in sort of a 1400s medieval fantasy world, and in that setting, I wouldn't have had a six-pack.

I think six seasons are telling us one thing about 'Game of Thrones': Everyone should watch their back. No one is safe. That's what I love about the show. I love that it's so unpredictable.

'Game of Thrones' is a good one to binge-watch, except you realize at the end of every episode that you've been holding your breath for, like, 30 minutes, which is probably not good for your brain.

I didn't go to drama school, so I didn't really have many true friends in the business; 'Game Of Thrones' has definitely brought me that.

After my last audition for 'Game of Thrones,' they said, 'Congratulations, princess.' I was like, 'Bye-bye, call centre.'

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