Curtain Call: Alexander Siddig, DeObia Oparei, and Toby Sebastian

A guest Curtain Call by Jared Kozal

Game of Thrones is a program that does what great art should always do under the best circumstances. It inspires fervent passion, spirited debate, lively engagement, and intelligent analysis. Above all, it engenders a deep and abiding sense of love – for the characters, for the story, and for everyone who works behind the scenes and in front of the camera to bring that vision to life. With such love inevitably comes the potential for heartbreak and disappointment when that story takes an unexpected turn, and the dreams that many may have harbored for certain characters are dashed. In such turbulent moments, the often-blurry line between this fictional world and our very real emotions can all but disappear. At that time, it is important to step back and separate the art that thrills, surprises and often horrifies us from the artists who dedicate their talents towards achieving that end.

The sun has set on House Martell, but three stars are rising to join the grand constellation of luminaries who have departed from the world of Game of Thrones. Their names are Alexander Siddig, DeObia Oparei, and Toby Sebastian. As they head off towards new and exciting ventures, carrying with them the memories of their time on the show, they deserve the best sendoff that we here at Watchers on the Wall can offer. Their characters met a bloody end, but the actors depart with grace. Now is our time to honor them.

Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell

“Many in Dorne want war. But I’ve seen war. I’ve seen the bodies piled on the battlefields. I’ve seen the orphans starving in the cities. I don’t want to lead my people into that hell.”

When news broke that Doran Martell would be cast on Game of Thrones for Season 5, members of this community gathered together to discuss which actor might play the ruling Prince of Dorne. One name topped all of the lists: Alexander Siddig. “In Nina Gold We Trust” is a common saying among fans of this show, for she has proven that her eye for talent is second to none. But in this case, the trust proved to be mutual, and the fan’s choice actually won the desired role. When Siddig appeared in a “New Cast Members” video that aired at Comic-Con in 2014, no name drew louder cheers from the adoring crowd than his.

Born in the Sudan, but raised primarily in England, Siddig has been a veteran of film and television for almost 30 years. Previously credited as Siddig El Fadil, a shortened version of his birth name (which is quite long), he adopted the stage name “Alexander Siddig” in 1995 and has worked under that ever moniker ever since. Siddig is most famous for his work as Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, on which he was a starring cast member for all seven seasons. He has also appeared on numerous other television shows including 24, Da Vinci’s Demons, and Atlantis, and in films such as Kingdom of Heaven, Syriana, and Cairo Time. He has won great acclaim during his long career, and the respect of his peers.

While talents are numerous and his range is immense, Siddig has excelled above all at portraying men of principle, honor, and dignity. This made him the perfect choice for the role of Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne who shared little with his younger brother Oberyn beyond a family name. The much-beloved Red Viper was the adventurer, brimming with life. Doran was born to rule, and a combination of duty and poor health conspired to keep him bound to the land that was his birthright. Crippled by gout, Doran rarely smiled – the cares of his Kingdom wore heavily upon him. Considering that Siddig has a brilliant grin that could light up even the darkest room, it’s sad that we never saw Doran do the same. But like the best rulers, Doran prioritized his people’s best interests over his own. If only those same people had reciprocated his care.

Seeing Doran as a genuine man of peace who wanted to keep his people out of a destructive war makes him a rather tragic figure.  Over the course of Game of Thrones’ run, we have witnessed the grand plans of many traditional leaders fall to ashes. Robb Stark, Tywin Lannister, and Jon Snow were all undone by those closest to them, betrayed their supposed allies or worse, their family. Those men were brought down by those who were too impatient or opportunistic to see the greater vision they were striving to achieve, or by old sins that their aggrieved parties could not forgive.

Photo: Jack Buster/HungerTV

Doran Martell now joins that unfortunate list. But unlike the others, he never picked up the sword or the spear. For him, there was another way. Many have lamented that the Prince apparently lacked any sort of a plan. For me, learning that his grand objective was nothing more ambitious than to keep his people out of a terrible and unnecessary war that will ruin their country makes his death more tragic, not less.

Peace is a sadly underappreciated state, and never more so until the moment after it is destroyed. Those who survive the ensuing chaos are likely to look back at a moment when such senseless death and horror might have been averted, if only cooler heads had prevailed. That was Doran, and as his blood runs through his beloved Water Gardens, it’s worth remembering that the grass doesn’t just hide the viper. It nourishes and sustains other lives as well. Like Doran, it keeps those who depend on it safe and well-fed, but such necessities are frighteningly easy to take for granted.

With Dorne now on the brink of war, it will not be long before all that was once green and lush turns as brown and lifeless as sand. Those who are consumed by a thirst for vengeance often overlook how easily that pursuit can lead to further crimes that ruin innocent lives … or worse, they simply don’t care. That’s the terrible price that so-called justice can demand from those who seek it, stripping them to the point they can no longer be called just at all. How easily Fire and Blood can become ashes and dust!

With his thoughtful gaze, calm demeanor, and perfectly measured voice, Alexander Siddig excelled at showing us Doran’s enduring spark of decency, something that has become all-too-rare as Westeros slides back into hell. Perhaps those both within Westeros and without shouldn’t have been so eager to toss that spark onto the tinder in the hopes of starting a fire. Who knows what it will now consume?

Siddig was recently cast as the star of the Fox pilot “Recon”, playing a character named Omar. Whether or not the project goes to series, this well-respected screen veteran is sure to be in high demand. He won’t be idle for long.

DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah

“When you were whole, it would have been a good fight.”

A London-born actor of Nigerian descent, DeObia Oparei made his feature film debut in 1992 with a small role in Alien 3. He went on to appear in Moulin Rogue!, Doom, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, among several other projects. Oparei is also a playwright who has received recognition for writing and starring in Crazyblackmuthafuckin’self, which was lauded upon its release for exploring important issues of race, culture, gender, and sexual identity in a vibrant and humorous fashion.

It’s a testament to the range of Oparei’s talent that someone so gentle, kind, and full of life could also so convincingly portray such a fearsome warrior. Few characters on the show have cut a more imposing frame than Areo Hotah. Yet at their core, Hotah and Oparei shared the same strong heart and good intentions, even if the outward manifestations of those qualities couldn’t have been more different.

Oparei at the season 6 red carpet premiere

When his role was announced at Comic-Con in 2014, Oparei declared that he was “completely stoked” about joining the cast of Game of Thrones. His enthusiasm was no affectation. He proved to be as loyal a soldier for the show as he was for Doran. Not only did he advocate for it on his various social media platforms (he’s a great follow on Twitter), but he also participated in numerous charitable endeavors and relief campaigns sponsored by the show, including the recent IRC campaign to aid refugees.

While the Dornish guards stood by during Doran’s assassination, only Hotah remained loyal and joined his Prince in death. The sudden and ruthless method of his demise was as shocking as it was brutal, to the point that it strained credulity for many. At the moment, it’s difficult to say whether it is the ignominious end for Areo or the loss of such a passionate actor as DeObia that stings more. Being stabbed in the back is a rough way for any character to go, though even time and experience have proven that the greatest warriors can fall that way.

Jaime Lannister once claimed that there were maybe three men in the Seven Kingdoms who could have bested him at his peak. Areo Hotah seems like a strong candidate to have stood within that number, had he been given the chance. We would have loved to see him fight, for seeing DeObia wield that famous longaxe would have been a privilege. I expect that few could have done it better.

Oparei can be seen next in the upcoming summer blockbuster Independence Day: Resurgence, playing the role of Dikembe.

Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell

“I have learned the value of mercy from my father.”

Toby Sebastian is a young actor, just starting his career. Born in Oxford, England, he spent part of his childhood in Andalusia, and was primarily known as a musician before winning a role on the world’s most popular show. His onscreen roles prior to joining Game of Thrones include After the Dark and Barely Lethal, where he co-starred alongside none other than Sophie Turner. The two became friends, and they could often be seen goofing around on Instagram together, before and after Sebastian joined the show that Turner had been starring on for five years.

Like many of the younger children in A Song of Ice and Fire, the character of Trystane was aged up for Game of Thrones. His younger counterpart spends most of his time playing cyvasse in the gardens – a fitting pursuit for a young Prince learning strategy. But sooner or later, one must leave the games of childhood behind and join the greater game, and in doing so risk exposure to the cruelty of the world. The role of Trystane wasn’t especially dynamic, but Sebastian was well-suited to play an archetype all too familiar to fans of more traditional fantasy stories: a young Prince driven by love.

Over Cersei’s stringent objections, Tyrion arranged Myrcella’s betrothal to Trystane in Season 2. It was an incentive to keep House Martell from joining the brewing rebellion against the Iron Throne, and a match of political convenience. Affection was neither expected nor desired. Yet as Jaime would tell his secret daughter moments before her demise “We don’t choose who we love.” Once again, that old axiom proved true. In time, even the fathers of the two young lovers came to appreciate their bond, even as other members of their respective families seethed and conspired against the nascent union.

“A Lannister and a Martell,” Doran mused, as he watched his son and heir stroll through the Water Gardens with the daughter of a family that had brought so much pain to his. “They don’t have any idea how dangerous that is. We must protect them.”

A Lannister and a Martell. It was an incendiary combination that somehow came together to create something hopeful rather than destructive. Or so it seemed for a time. As it turns out, the love that Trystane and Myrcella shared was as doomed as it was true. Calling them Romeo and Juliet might be generous, but the paradigm they embodied is familiar to all. Two young people from two warring families meet by chance and forge a connection. Plagued by an enduring mutual enmity for one another, their families seek to tear them apart. But their young eyes don’t see the calcified hatred and resentment that blinds their forbearers, because they only see each other.  This particular Prince and Princess proved to be well-matched, both in temperament and in tragedy.

In a more forgiving story, their love may have healed decades of resentment. But for this particular story, Myrcella was too gentle, and Trystane was too trusting. As a consequence, both were labeled weak by those entrenched in the old ways of this unforgiving world. Both were slaughtered like lambs, and neither one saw the blade. But they shouldn’t be condemned for their relative innocence. Putting aside blood in the hopes of finding a better future isn’t weak. Some might go so far as to call it bravery. Trystane spent his last moments painting funeral stones for his fallen beloved, but when death came for him, he rose to meet it, sword in hand. Alas, there was no one left to watch his back.

Sebastian can be seen next in Music, War, and Love, a film about a relationship between two musicians living in Poland before and after the Second World War.

Conclusion

I am deeply grateful to Alexander Siddig, DeObia Oparei, and Toby Sebastian for their contributions to Game of Thrones and to the characters of Doran Martell, Areo Hotah, and Trystane Martell. I hope that some among you in the WOTW community share those feelings, and I hope you’ll join me in raising a glass of the finest Dornish red (or the spirit of your choice) to the noble men and loyal servants of Westeros’s southernmost Kingdom.

Gentlemen … Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken! May the old gods and the new smile upon your journey, and good luck with whatever projects await you in the future!

One final note:

Everyone knows that the Dorne storyline, and particularly the developments that occurred in “The Red Woman”, have been controversial among the fandom. People have strong feelings about it, as is their right. But this article was not written to provide yet another forum in which to argue about how the Dornish story was written. We’re here to celebrate, not to condemn.

The Curtain Calls have been a time-honored tradition for this community since the very first season of Game of Thrones. They are an opportunity for us to celebrate the actors, and to thank them for devoting their time and creative energies to this show that many of us love so dearly. While it’s always sad whenever characters die and cast members leave the show, I’m come to embrace the Curtain Calls as a welcome part of the healing ritual. I consider them my favorite recurring feature of this community, and I look forward to them each and every year.

In that spirit, please keep your comments focused on the actors. Given the nature of how these particular characters were portrayed and dispatched, many people feel that they were mishandled, or that the actors were underused. You are more than welcome to express that belief, but please be considerate. Whatever issues you have with the writing, the actors are not to blame.

If you have opinions about how Dorne in general or these characters in particular were handled by the show, there are other articles on this website where you can share them and discuss them with your fellow fans. Please visit this Rountable discussion dedicated to Dorne, where a lively and productive debate is happening even now.

This post is to celebrate Alexander, DeObia, and Toby, and to thank them for their contributions to Game of Thrones. Please do so respectfully.

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