Gethin Anthony wasn’t given the easiest of roles to play in Westeros: that of a gay man in Westeros. Though the on screen version of Westeros is more accepting than that of the books, it’s still nowhere near our modern one, where the idea of “love is love” has been accepted by a majority in many countries.
We have, in the past, complained somewhat about the portrayal of homosexuality by the Game of Thrones production, though mostly in terms of how Loras Tyrell was reduced to a caricature of the man we knew in the books. But when it comes to Renly, there was something of a beauty to the way the “love that dares not speak its name” in Westeros was allowed to flourish on screen. In a recent interview, Anthony said that this was a deliberate choice.
Speaking to Attitude, Anthony reflects on his time with the show and says that he wanted to make sure there were positive portrayals of a relationship in the brutish world of Westeros, where marriages are more alliances, and many love affairs are unhealthy ones.
Credit: HBO/Helen Sloan
“Westeros is a very scary world, with all the politics and violence going on, so it was nice to play an affectionate gay couple within that world. We were very passionate about it being a positive thing. I still hold on to that and I’m still very proud of it.”
It was certainly a change from the books, where on the page no one ever says outright that Loras or Renly are lovers, and there are precious few references to anyone outside their immediate families even realizing they are gay. (So much so that Cersei at one point accuses Margaery and Loras of incest, completely oblivious to the idea that Margaery might not be his type.)
But the show’s choice to make them far more out afforded the show a chance to to deepen their relationship on screen. And Anthony sees it as a net positive for on screen LBGT relationships.
“I got some lovely letters,” he says, recalling the response from the LGBT community. “One that sticks out was from a gentleman who was about to propose, or has perhaps just proposed, to his partner. He said some really nice things about seeing a gay relationship on television. Whenever people connect to things you’re involved with or a story you’re telling, it’s a lovely thing.”
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/09/25/gethin-anthony-talks-positive-gay-role-models-game-thrones/
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