The Dutch actress and singer Carice Van Houten, 38, has been playing the seductive sorceress Melisandre – The Red Woman – in Game of Thrones since season two. A priestess of the Lord of Light, she is a close adviser to Stannis Baratheon in his quest to seize the Iron Throne.
Set the scene for us about the position Melisandre is in as we begin season five.
We are in Castle Black. We know that I’ve seen Jon Snow. We want to go back to Winterfell to take it, and we want Jon Snow to come with us. But he’s basically married to The Wall – he’s sworn an oath, he’s not going to just follow us. And so I will have to seduce him to get him to do so.
What is Melisandre’s motivation? What is her goal?
What I’m trying to do is to show that whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it for a greater good, that she’s doing it for a purpose that nobody knows about yet. She knows that what we’re dealing with is way more epic than the little wars we’re fighting now and therefore she feels that people have to make hugesacrifices.But yeah, I still feel that she’s not doing it for her own good – there’s a higher power she feels beholden to. And she’s a true believer; she’s not a phoney.
What practical skills have you had to learn for Game of Thrones?
Well, horse riding – but I couldn’t say it’s a skill I’ve mastered. I don’t do any stunt work or spectacular stuff. I mean, I have to go for a lesson sometimes just to not fall off. Plus, I’m quite allergic to horses. So the last time I went on one, I’d dosed myself up with antihistamines. That made it more enjoyable, shall we say.
Has playing Melisandre meant you get lots of scripts asking you to play fierce, driven women?
When I walk into rooms – auditioning, new meetings or whatever – people are always completely surprised because they expect this very stern, older, very mature woman, and I’m quite ... I’m small. I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve always played the nurse or the joker.
How do you feel being on one of the biggest television shows in the world?
I feel very lucky. I’m just sometimes, like, “Really? I’m in that series? That’s so cool”. I can only be very grateful about that, but the great thing is it’s a show that’s more than just an action movie or a fantasy. We’re trying, in a small way, to hold up a mirror to the modern world – although it’s fantasy and it’s set a long time ago. But still, the topics are so modern.