'Game Of Thrones' Battle Of Blackwater 'Off The Scale'

'They've spared no expense in making an awesome episode,' Richard Madden tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner

Richard Madden
Photo: MTV News

So, how about Sunday's episode of "Game of Thrones"? Have you recovered from all the fireworks? 'Twas a doozy, for sure. Thank goodness there is still one more episode left in this action-packed season.

Fans of George R.R. Martin's source material had an inkling of what to expect from the highly anticipated Battle of Blackwater, but the sheer spectacle of it all was something to behold, even for the actors who had prepared themselves for it.

"It was off the scale," star Richard Madden (a.k.a. Robb Stark) told MTV News of the production that went into the sequence. "I know in season one we started a battle and we saw the end of a battle, and I know some people weren't too pleased about that, but season two makes up for that and then some. They've spared no expense in making an awesome episode."

So, how many days did the cast and crew actually spend working on the battle? "Days and days and weeks," Madden said. "I know there was months of CGI work to get those episodes looking awesome. If you've read the books, you know what that battle entails: It's pretty visual, like a lot of George's stuff. I think people won't be disappointed."

Looking ahead to what's to come for the would-be king, we also asked Madden if he has read ahead to find out what's in store for his character.

"It's one of the things I try to avoid doing. I only read season by season: I don't read ahead," he explained. "It's one of the great things about the books that I loved is that you are constantly surprised by these characters and the story, and as an actor, I want to try and stick to that.

"I know if I read too far ahead, I'd start preempting character traits or decisions he makes," he continued. "I'd much rather be an actor and make one decision and stick to it and then have the challenge of turning it around and going in a different direction. I try and keep it like that as much as I can so the audience gets as surprised by the journey as I do when I read the books and when I read each script."

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