Just like every other cast member of "Game of Thrones," Isaac Hampstead-Wright was terrified by the end of season 4 when showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss asked to talk to him.
"When I first heard the news Dan and David wanted to have a chat with me, I was like, 'Oh no!'" the young actor shared with Entertainment Weekly. "Usually that's to tell you (your character is) dead. So comparatively, missing a season was like, 'Phew!'"
What the showrunners explained to Hempstead-Wright was that they simply wanted to skip through most of Bran Stark's cave-based psychic training with the Three-Eyed Raven, because it would have been boring to film. They even compared his training with Luke Skywalker's in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," when Luke appears as a full-fledged Jedi master.
"And they're exactly right," the 16-year old actor said. "I would have just been sitting in a cave going, 'Oh, I can nearly do it now.'"
When season 6 of the show finally airs, there are changes fans can expect not only in Bran's appearance (Hampstead-Wright has grown at least six feet tall already), but also in casting. The Three-Eyed Raven will now be played by Max von Sydow of "The Exorcist" fame.
"There are certain lines that you think are almost fillers, like, 'He's over there,' but when Max von Sydow says them, he can make it sound like it's the most important news you've ever heard," Hempstead-Wright gushed.
The actor also revealed that being missing in season 5 is worth it because season 6 will be pretty pivotal for his character. After reading his scripts for the next season, Hampstead-Wright cannot help but react, "Oh! That's the best scene I've ever done! ... Oh! That scene is even better!"
Hampstead-Wright is kept from sharing too many spoilers concerning the show, but he was allowed to discuss the flashbacks experienced by Bran.
"Previously Bran's seen tiny glimpses of future or past but never has he been very much in control in the situation," he said. "Now we're given looks into very important events in the past, present and future of this world and Bran is beginning to piece them together like a detective, almost as if he's watching the show. Equally, he's now discovering how crucial he could be in the Great War. It's quite Inception-y."
