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G E N D R Y B A R A T H E O N
By Arya Stark
Photography by Podrick Payne
Gendry Baratheon was born in the capital of Kings Landing. His thick Fleabottom accent is both his bane and his power – not that it ever stopped him from receiving a Golden Hand nomination for his role as a mute teenager in the 2009 film Tower of Ghosts. After the success of the film, the young Baratheon struck out on his own, moved to a share house in the main city, and developed his strong love for acting. He hasn’t looked back since.
Gendry is self-deprecating but optimistic, even if it doesn’t come through in his current acting gamut. The pragmatic 28-year-old has favoured independent dramas over Westerosi blockbusters and before picking up a role in A Song of Ice and Fire as the bastard blacksmith Clovis (also known as The Bull), he’s had his eyes set on working on stage. And recently, behind the lens as a director.
In Gendry’s upcoming television series, Hollow Hill, he plays a hot-headed foster father of three, a character he describes as a “true disciplinarian with an incredible soft spot”. The project gave Gendry the opportunity to play against a type, and it sparked a unique friendship between him and the series creators whom Gendry is in collaboration with to direct an episode – his first ever.
The actor has a habit of putting himself in situations that are as close to the usual as possible. For instance, he takes every opportunity to commute to work and is often found grocery shopping at his local food markets early on a Saturday in his grey t-shirts and jeans. But it’s the shining eyes and easy smiles that has captivated the masses outside of his trending performances onscreen.
The notoriously press-averse actor eyes journalists with scepticism but approaches his interviews with respectful panache nonetheless. Good thing the person asking the questions is none other than Arya Stark herself. It’s as intimate as one could get to the very busy actor.
ARYA STARK: Hi Gendry!
GENDRY BARATHEON: You sound far away. Where are you?
STARK: I’m at our hotel sipping mimosas and gorging on room-service cheeseburgers. You know, the usual.
BARATHEON: Are you on loud speaker?
STARK: Yep.
BARATHEON: Come a bit closer. I can’t hear you properly.
STARK: Is that better? This interview isn’t starting off well, you know.
BARATHEON: You should’ve just waited for me. I’m on my way back now.
STARK: Where’s the fun in that? Anyway, did you know that it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow?
BARATHEON: I did. I’m going to a group Valentine’s dinner with my wife and four other friends.
STARK: That sounds awful. Can she bail? She may have better plans that includes staying in and not talking to people.
BARATHEON: Does it involve more room-service cheeseburgers? And maybe a bottle of wine or two?
STARK: Now you’re talking.
BARATHEON: I’ll make the calls. But tell me how you are first. Did you see Sansa today?
STARK: Yes. And stop asking me questions. I’m supposed to be doing that.
BARATHEON: Okay, I’m sorry. Shoot. Ask me anything.
STARK: How are you? Why did you answer in the first ring? Aren’t you busy?
BARATHEON: Traffic’s bad, really bad. Might be an hour or so before I get to you. I got in the car as soon as you called so I answered.
STARK: Is me interviewing you weird?
BARATHEON: You haven’t exactly asked me anything personal yet, Arya.
STARK: But you’ll answer when I do, right?
BARATHEON: When have I ever said no to you?
STARK: You put up a good fight though.
BARATHEON: Only sometimes.
STARK: Don’t be mad but I just sent you a link to this twitter thread that someone made of Clovis making googly eyes at Nan throughout the series. Your character was so whipped for Nan. You know, it’s been almost a year since the finale and people are still not over that ending?
BARATHEON: Why would I be mad? And well, it kinda sucked, didn’t it? They deserved each other. Or at the least found some closure. One final scene with them talking it out would’ve appeased most of the fans, I think. Are we going to get in trouble for this?
STARK: Probably.
BARATHEON: You left a surprisingly sweet voicemail on my last day of shooting Ice and Fire. Do you remember? You had just finished filming that scene on the boat and you had a bit too much to drink and you kept telling me that at least we’re together in real life so the fans won’t be too upset by their ending.
STARK: How dare you out me like this, Baratheon. That was supposed to be our moment.
BARATHEON: Every day is our moment.
STARK: Oh my gods, stop.
BARATHEON: Did you know that Clovis actually prefers his hair shaved?
STARK: Is that why you kept that cut long after shooting wrapped?
BARATHEON: It’s so hot in Kings Landing, Arya.
STARK: When is it not? Now tell me what it’s like playing Clovis. He’s pretty similar to you in real life. Less snarky, maybe, but still.
BARATHEON: It was lots of fun playing Clovis. I love how he’s got quite unique weapons throughout the series even if he’s not an actual fighter like Nan or something. But I loved his sincerity the most. I think we’re similar in a lot of ways, Clovis and I.
STARK: Isn’t it weird that we play characters so similar to who we are in real life?
BARATHEON: I think we’re drawn to them because of that connection. It also makes it a little easier to play when you can identify yourself with the character.
STARK: You’ll be playing someone completely different from Clovis in Hollow Hill. You’ve started shooting that.
BARATHEON: Wrapping up my character for the season tomorrow. It’s definitely…different.
STARK: How so? And don’t say because you’re playing a father figure. You’d be great at that.
BARATHEON: Are you implying that we have kids right now?
STARK: Seven hells, Gendry, how did you get that from what I said?
BARATHEON: So that’s a no then? With having kids right now?
STARK: No. Yes! Stop confusing me.
BARATHEON: Should I talk to you about Hollow Hill? Get down to business?
STARK: Right this instant. Tell me about how you started off as an actor. Did you always see yourself as a performer?
BARATHEON: Mum was a performer and I didn’t know it then, but I think, subconsciously, I always admired it to the point of wanting to imitate it. When she passed away and my siblings and I lived with [his adopted father] Davos, it became much clearer.
STARK: It was an outlet for you in high school, wasn’t it?
BARATHEON: Yeah, exactly. And when I moved out after graduating, it just felt right.
STARK: We met on set pretty much after that, didn’t we?
BARATHEON: A little before that. Your dad introduced us, remember?
STARK: Oh, right! Wow, that feels so long ago now.
BARATHEON: I remember it very clearly.
STARK: Of course you do. You had a tiny, boyish-looking girl openly ogling you.
BARATHEON: [laughs] You were very hard to ignore.
STARK: Still am.
BARATHEON: That’s true.
STARK: Do you remember when Sandor [Clegane] came in for the season 3 rehearsals and we almost lost our shit?
BARATHEON: To be fair, he was our favourite character.
STARK: Yes, because it’s The Brotherhood, Gendry. The Brotherhood. And then you tried to pretend that you weren’t as massively obsessed with him as I was.
BARATHEON: Because he was scary, Arya. A part of me wanted to impress him and another part just wanted to throw you over my shoulder and get you as far away from him as I could.
STARK: He’s the biggest sweetheart.
BARATHEON: To you he was. He adored you.
STARK: Honestly, it was very mutual. So, it’s been a while since Ice and Fire aired and now you’ve moved on to doing other shows and perhaps a behind-the-camera gig. What’s the process like with this transition?
BARATHEON: I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’ve grown more attached to telling stories as opposed to being part of them as a character. Not that you’re not telling a story as a character. I think it’s to do with the process of planning and setting up shots and so on. I’m good with working with my hands and I thought I could give it a shot.
STARK: When did you get this epiphany?
BARATHEON: After we got married, I think.
STARK: I knew you were distracted during our honeymoon. We double parked for nothing, Gendry Baratheon.
BARATHEON: What? No! No. I was thinking about you so much and how you made a decision to take a break from acting to pursue your other interests and passions and I thought to myself, why couldn’t I? Not that I have other interesting passions apart from you and work. But at least there’s that side of it I could try.
STARK: You have other interesting passions! You like travelling and camping. And you’re very good at fixing things.
BARATHEON: Maybe I should try my hand on doing a trade like Clovis. What do you think about refrigeration?
STARK: I’m pretty sure you can’t fix refrigerators. I was thinking more like broken furniture or some loose electrical wiring. Electricians get a lot of money.
BARATHEON: Good thing my wife’s not a gold digger.
STARK: She could be, you know. She’s full of surprises.
BARATHEON: That’s true. How about a chef?
STARK: You could be a chef. But wait, I’m the one on the non-acting route here. Stay in your lane please, Gendry.
BARATHEON: What would you have me do then, my lady?
STARK: Play 20 questions with me. You ready?
BARATHEON: Let’s do it.
STARK: Who’s your nemesis?
BARATHEON: Tormund Giantsbane.
STARK: [laughs] Tormund! Why?
BARATHEON: He beat me in Mario Kart. No one beats me in Mario Kart, Arya.
STARK: Excuse your adorable ass but I’m pretty sure I’ve beaten you more times than you can count.
BARATHEON: Tormund will beat you. I mean it. He’s too good.
STARK: We’ll invite him to dinner next time we’re in Winterfell. I’ll destroy him. Okay, if you were a suburban mum, what kind of a suburban mum would you be?
BARATHEON: Definitely the one that makes and packs their lunch.
STARK: Would you wear a hat that says ‘Daddy’?
BARATHEON: Um…
STARK: The answer is yes, Gendry. Yes, you will absolutely wear a hat that says ‘Daddy’.
BARATHEON: …okay.
STARK: If you had to be trapped on a desert island with one friend, who would you choose? And no, you can’t choose me.
BARATHEON: Probably Jon.
STARK: You can’t have Jon! I have Jon.
BARATHEON: You’re not the one stuck in a desert island here.
STARK: But still!
BARATHEON: Okay if you were trapped on a desert island with one friend, who would you choose then? And you can’t say Jon ‘cause I already chose him.
STARK: Probably Sansa then. Oh, wait no - Podrick.
BARATHEON: Excuse me what?
STARK: I’ll never get bored with Pod around since he’s always up to spar with me and he can sing. He’ll lure the sea animals with his incredible voice and we can build a raft and they’ll pull us back to civilisation. As much as I love Jon, he’ll just brood and bore you to death. You can definitely have him.
BARATHEON: Is this what it feels like to be betrayed?
STARK: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you think you need to like a character in order to play them?
BARATHEON: Not necessarily. It’s my job to understand and empathise with a character to be able to play them and play them well. Even if I haven’t actually played an extremely wicked person, I’d enjoy the process of playing him.
STARK: I remember watching your short stint in that teenage drama Crossroads, I think it was called? Your character was an absolute asshole. I’ve never hated any other character you’ve played more than him.
BARATHEON: Yeah, I never liked him either. But like in that instance, he was very fun to play because he was very different from who I am in real life. Like, who sleeps with three women all in one day after confessing your love to someone else the night before?
STARK: A complete jackass would. Thank the gods you’re not a jackass.
BARATHEON: Thank you that means a lot.
STARK: Can you sing?
BARATHEON: I’m going to say no.
STARK: You can hum pretty well though. I like it when you hum the theme song for Ice and Fire. Even better when you play it on a kazoo!
BARATHEON: Should I get a kazoo? Start a kazoo band? I can get Jon and [Arya’s brother] Rickon to harmonise kazoos.
STARK: Oh my gods, that is the greatest idea you’ve ever had. Please make this happen. Please.
BARATHEON: Maybe we’ll do a special performance at the family Christmas party this year. Speaking of family, have you found out what we’re getting your parents for their anniversary?
STARK: You know Sansa always pulls through. We’re going to need to visit Oldtown though. Fancy a road trip?
BARATHEON: You bet. We could probably drive up to Highgarden too. Margaery’s been leaving me messages asking me to convince you to come by.
STARK: As much as I want to answer this, we’re getting off-topic again. Stop distracting me, Gendry!
BARATHEON: I’m sorry. It was probably not a good idea to do this over the phone. I’m 10 minutes out, can you wait till I get there?
STARK: No, it’s fine. We can do this! Where would you like your career to be in five years’ time?
BARATHEON: I don’t want to be settled into a specific role, I think. I want to experiment with different genres and maybe have enough skills to work behind-the-scenes more. Pretty excited about what it could hold.
STARK: Name your top three Westerosi stars that you’d like to play opposite with on a project.
BARATHEON: Torgo Nudho.
STARK: Okay, that’s one.
BARATHEON: That’s it, just him.
STARK: Right, I forgot about your weird man-crush on him.
BARATHEON: Alright, I take it back.
STARK: Too late! Were you wild in your twenties? Are you wild right now?
BARATHEON: Arya, you should know that I wasn’t and am not. Not even close.
STARK: You can be though. And not in an incriminating way or anything but I’ve got plenty of stories about Gendry Baratheon’s hidden wild side.
BARATHEON: Sweetheart, please.
STARK: What do you think about being labelled as this year’s Sexiest Actor in Westeros?
BARATHEON: What? That’s a joke, right?
STARK: No, seriously. I’m reading the article right now. Apparently, you’re in the top three with Jaime Lannister and... no. No, no, no, no, no.
BARATHEON: What, what, what’s wrong?
STARK: Robb’s…in the running.
BARATHEON: [laughs] Really?
STARK: I’m going to gouge my eyes out.
BARATHEON: Your brother’s a good-looking feller.
STARK: Don’t you dare.
BARATHEON: Just got here, reception will cut off in the lift. See you in the room in a few.
Arya Stark is a Golden Hand-winning actress for the popular television show A Song of Ice and Fire.
