Bertie Carvel on 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms': 'Was delighted to find heroism in a world of cynicism' - EXCLUSIVE

It is that time again when 'Game of Thrones' fans hoist their house banners as we head back to Westeros with 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'

With the new series set to roll out today, ETimes sat down for a conversation with Bertie Carvel, who is set to take on the role of the famed Baelor Targaryen, aka Hand of the King. In a universe tainted with distrust, scorched by dragon fire, and soaked in dynastic bloodshed, this tale emerges as a welcome change.

Thoughtfully circling Baelor’s magnetic charm and command, Carvel begins, “Baelor’s a thinker, for sure.” He says and adds, “The animal I think of, when I think of this character, is a silverback gorilla. Something that could wrap its arms around you or tear your arms off.”

As a Targaryen, Baelor arrives with inherited assumptions about character, beliefs, and morality. Bertie elaborates, "He’s a Targaryen, so we come with certain preconceptions about that family, and where they might sit in the pantheon of Westeros. But, one of the things I really love about this world is that there’s more to almost all the characters than meets the eye. It feels quite humane and recognizable to me that way. Characters are quite niche. They’re quite real. Nothing is what it is at first glance.”

He adds, “So in order to give the character any depth, you have to keep an audience on their toes, thinking, 'is he a good guy or a bad guy?'”

Reflecting on Baelor’s defining moment in the show, Carvel notes, "There’s a moment where he’s trying to work out how to help this idiot who’s come in front of him. He’s looking, as it were, through the law books, trying to find a way out. He believes in the spirit of the law and feels bound by the letter of the law."

Drawing links between fiction and reality, he shares, "This is kind of a story for our times, I think. If only we felt that our princes and leaders today had as much respect for the letter of the law and its spirit as Baelor Targaryen does, that would be a good thing. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world."

In a roundtable conversation attended by ETimes, Carvel further expanded on why Baelor’s presence feels almost radical within the 'Game of Thrones' universe. “If you’ve kind of loved 'Game of Thrones', as I did, you’re expecting a world of hard-bitten cynicism in which everybody ends up dead. One of the things I loved so much about Game of Thrones is that you’re continually being wrong-footed about where the protagonist sits. Like our world, you shouldn’t attach too greatly to your heroes, because the world is unstable. It’s unpredictable. They might get hit by a truck."

Those tuning in to 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' can expect to see something rather different. Bernie explains, "In this corner of Westeros, I was delighted to find that heroism can still exist in a world of hard-bitten cynicism. There is still such a thing as goodness and champions. That is a story I want to see today. I want to believe that in this darkening world, there is still such a thing as goodness, and there is still a space for heaven and truth."

Reflecting on Baelor’s decisive moment, he admits, "The moment where Baelor turns up and does the right thing, it really answered something I needed. I cheered. I wept. And I wanted that for an audience."