- Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Game of Thrones.”
- Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran Stark on “Game of Thrones,” appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday.
- He talked to Kimmel about his character’s famous death stare, a recurring theme of Sunday night’s season-eight premiere.
- He said the intensity of his stare was aided by the fact that he can’t see on set without his glasses.
- Bran’s various staring appearances in the episode were quickly turned into a meme, which Hempstead-Wright leaned into.
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The new season of “Game of Thrones” is here, and it looks as if the Three-Eyed Raven is set to play a bigger role than ever.
The actor who plays Bran Stark, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, previously told INSIDER’s resident “Thrones” expert, Kim Renfro, that his character had “one of the most extraordinary arcs” on the show.
However, it wasn’t Bran’s plotline that got people talking after Sunday night’s season-eight premiere – it was his creepy death stare.
Appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Wednesday, Hempstead-Wright said the intense staring came naturally to him because he basically can't see on set.
"Yeah, I'm kind of getting good at this intense stare," he told Kimmel. "But it's actually aided by the fact that I'm completely blind when I'm on set.
"I don't have my glasses, and I don't have contact lenses."
The actor recalled shooting a scene with his costar Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, who he said was particularly impressed by the power of his gaze.
"She said, 'Isaac, your stare is like you're staring into my soul!'" he said. "And I was like, 'I can't see you! That's why.'"
Watch the exchange:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMdp6rgrruk?start=304
Bran's various staring appearances in episode one of the new season were quickly turned into a meme.
Me: *grabs glass of water at 3 am*
Bran:#GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/wClSKEZn2e
— Joe Brueggemeyer (@JoesTakeOnStuff) April 15, 2019
People walking around Winterfell:
Bran: pic.twitter.com/kCIEsili5u
— sam (@samclarissee) April 15, 2019
— mito 🤘💙 (@jcrodriguezm20) April 16, 2019
— euqi 🍪 #ForTheThrone (@angieliquerskie) April 16, 2019
— Natalie 🐱 (@eilatan82) April 16, 2019
Hempstead-Wright leaned into the mockery though, tweeting on Tuesday: "Loving these #BranStark memes, keep em coming #ForTheThrone."
Loving these #BranStark memes, keep em coming #ForTheThrone
— Isaac.H.Wright (@Isaac_H_Wright) April 16, 2019
He even re-created a real-life version of the meme that the show's account tweeted.
Kimmel Staff & Crew:
Bran: #GameOfThrones @Isaac_H_Wright #ForTheThrone @GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/HC2fVWUKmP
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) April 18, 2019