Warning: This post contains — for once, cute — spoilers for Game of Thrones.
Westeros isn’t exactly a romantic destination, so it’s exciting when actual love blooms on Game of Thrones — as it has in recent episodes for Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju).
Fans went crazy when the wildling shared a charged glance with Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) in the fourth episode of the HBO drama’s sixth season. Episode director Dan Sackheim later confirmed that Giantsbane’s feelings were romantic in nature.
Christie discussed the wildling’s instant crush on her character in a recent interview, telling Entertainment Weekly that she could hardly keep a straight face during filming when Hivju made his character’s romantic intentions clear.
“[Tormund’s] a wildling, he’s very sensual and animal-like and very forthright with his emotions and feelings — which is really the opposite of [Brienne],” Christie said. “I enjoyed trying to navigate that and the beauty of her embarrassment. She can totally deal with the situation, and with him, but she’s just so embarrassed about it.”
Read the rest of the Entertainment Weekly interview here.
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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com