Game of Thrones season 5 preview: ‘Sansa is playing Littlefinger now’, says nyota Aiden Gillen 

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Game of Thrones season 5 preview: ‘Sansa is playing Littlefinger now’, says star Aiden Gillen

Queen Elizabeth visits set of U.S. TV series Game of Thrones 0:59

Queen Elizabeth and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh visit the set of the U.S. TV series Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland. Rough cut, no repoter narration.

Fifth season ... Aidan Gillen predicts a big power shift between Sansa and Littlefinger in Game of Thrones.

NOW that it’s got the real royal stamp of approval — The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Belfast set last month —

Game of Thrones is set to roll cameras on season five.

While the show has sometimes veered off on different tangents, the fifth season will mark the first time it really ventures beyond the storylines of author George R.R. Martin’s published A Song of Fire and Ice novels.

SPOILER ALERT: Proceed with caution if you haven’t seen all of season four.

Same look, different role ... Gillen (right) couldn’t shake the GoT facial hair in his film Calvary, with Brendan Gleeson.

Game of Thrones has meant that even while the show is in hiatus, its stars remain visible — for example, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) in 24: Live Another Day and, arriving this week in Australian cinemas Aidan Gillen in Calvary, the blackly comic follow-up to The Guard from writer/director John Michael McDonagh and leading man Brendan Gleeson.

Irish actor Gillen is Game of Thrones’ Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish — the one-time Small Council member, brothel proprietor and master manipulator is one of the few original players still alive and well and scheming his way up in Westeros.

While discussing Calvary with News Corp Australia, Gillen also cast his eye forward to the new season of Game of Thrones, musing especially on the shift in the balance of power between Littlefinger and Sansa Stark (played by teenager Sophie Turner).

Last season Littlefinger “rescued” Sansa, whisking her away from King’s Landing after King Joffrey’s death.

Turning point ... Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) confronts Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) in Game of Thrones.

The pair ended up forging an unholy alliance — Sansa covering for Littlefinger after he pushed her batty aunt Lysa to her death through the Moon Door in The Eyrie.

They were last seen in the third-from-last episode, charging with intent down the castle stairs: innocent, vulnerable little Sansa now a transformed woman with black hair and a palpable strength.

The question remains, what are Littlefinger’s motives with Sansa? Does he want to bed her or mould her in his manipulative image?

“I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” says Gillen.

“I don’t think it’s all about trying to seduce her ... Maybe in contrast to his dynamic with other characters, there’s more honesty in this one (with Sansa) and more spontaneity and things happening that he’s not in control of.

“She’s playing him now. I think that’s what’s gonna happen there. I don’t know what she’s doing, but she could be playing him. It can only get more interesting.”

Gillen doesn’t believe Littlefinger has any desire to sit on the Iron Throne, but the shady character’s days of pulling strings are not over.

Certainly, Gillen is still having fun playing the shifting alliances.

“Season four, for me, was quite different to the previous three ... And one was different to two, you know. Characters form these relationships with other characters and appear to be learning new ways to play this game; particularly like what was going with Sansa and Littlefinger.

“Just speaking for myself, the mood changes and the pace changes ... It’s nice to see characters develop like that.”

Scheming Littlefinger ... tells Robyn Arryn (Lino Facioli) it’s time to man up.

Gillen has read Martin’s books, so has until now had an idea where Littlefinger was headed.

As he prepares to board the new season, he can see only unchartered waters ahead.

“One of the really interesting things about it, for everybody, is that we don’t know where it goes after the latest book. Which would be interesting enough, if it wasn’t that the thing is so widely watched and anticipated now and people have these ideas of who these characters are.

“Even though the books are hugely, widely read, percentage wise against those who have seen it on TV, it’s probably hugely incomparable at this point. So it’s an adventure that everyone is on — the audience, the cast. Not knowing where it’s going, that’s good.

“People playing (towards) end games could work ... but if you don’t know what the end game is, maybe you won’t play the obvious thing.”

Gillen isn’t one for the limelight, but says being recognised as Littlefinger is better than the alternative: “not working.”

Game of Thrones. Even though he was never much into fantasy, Gillen reckons he’d watch it if he wasn’t in it too.

“It’s quite gripping and rooted in human reality. There’s a lot of resonance with real life, real world politics and family, society and power. The production values are really high. The writing is slick and there’s a lot of good action in it.

“So yeah, I’d probably watch it, but I’m never really going to be able to answer that question properly.”

Foxtel channel Showcase is currently replaying earlier seasons of Game of Thrones. Season five will premiere in 2015.

For more on Aidan Gillen and Calvary, pick up today’s Hit entertainment lift-out.

Originally published as ‘Sansa is playing Littlefinger now’

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