Game of Thrones: Newbies Are Coming – Jessica Henwick 

While the lack of lead roles for women in film continues to be an ongoing discussion in 2015, we applaud shows such as 

for creating characters like Daenerys Targaryan, Brienne of Tarth and Arya Stark (to name only a few) – who, without doubt, are three of the most iconic, well-written women currently on our screens. In

 women are rulers, women are tough, and women are to be feared.

As season five unfolds, a few more headstrong females are about to rock up on the shores of Westeros. Tonight Jessica Henwick will make her first appearance as Nymeria Sand. A bastard daughter of the late Prince Oberyn, Nymeria and her sisters (who are collectively known as the Sand Snakes) are out to avenge their father: “We’re angry, but we’re not just angry at the Lannisters, there’s internal strife amongst the Dornish.”

Growing up, Jessica always wanted to tell stories, and around the age of 12 or 13 chose acting (over such other creative pursuits as singing and dance) as her medium of choice: “My parents had no clue what to do; my family doesn’t come from the entertainment industry. I remember speaking to my teachers, and they’d say: “You’d make a really good lawyer, and that’s kind of like acting. Can’t you choose something academic?” However Jessica stuck to her guns, pursued acting, and after just one term at theatre school, landed her first TV role after spotting a poster for a casting in China Town.

Six years later, not only are we about to see Jessica step into her most physically demanding role to date (in preparation for playing Nymeria, Jessica learnt to master an eight-foot bullwhip), but, if the rumours are true, later this year she’ll also star in the most hotly-anticipated blockbuster of the decade: 

. (That said, when we asked whether this is true, she simply smiled and said no more.) Ahead of meeting the Sand Snakes tonight in episode four, we caught up with Jessica to discuss joining the show, before putting her 

When did you first discover Game of Thrones? Were you a fan before you got the part?

Yeah, I was a big fan. I had read the first book and I watched the TV series religiously. My whole family are fans. Then when I found out that I had got the role I revisited everything. I loved it. I remember watching the pilot episode and going, “This feels like a film, it doesn’t feel like it should be on TV!” and just being blown away.

And how does it feel to now be a part of that world? Has it sunk in?

No and I don’t think it ever will. I’m waiting to feel… I don’t know what the right response is… It’s still very surreal and I feel quite detached [from the reality of it] – a year ago I was watching the show [as a fan]! Last year I was doing a TV series and everyone would joke that I was going to go on to

because two of the previous cast members had. They kept saying, “You’ll be the third, you’ll be the third!” My response was, “Yeah… I WISH! That’s never going to happen!” So it’s weird to be here answering questions about it a year later!

How have people reacted to you being cast in Game of Thrones?

The reactions have been mixed… For some people to love you, other people have to hate you. The fans of the show know exactly what they want. I’m sure that a lot of people are very upset that I don’t match up to the character [in the books]. I’ve had a really great response overall, but there are also some weird trolls on the internet. People love to try and rile you up; the worst is when they tag you on Twitter. You just have to ignore it. We’ll see. It’s hard to gauge what the public reaction will be until the episodes come out. My big episode is quite late in the series so I feel like I have another month to chill before things start to get crazy. I was expecting everyone to be constantly asking for spoilers but the first question I always get asked is “Do you die?” followed by “Do you get naked?” That’s what everyone wants to know!

Really, really painless. I think I had three auditions, originally for a different character. I met David and Dan, and really got along with them. The whole time I wanted Nymeria, and I was fighting for it. But they wanted a black actress, so I couldn’t get an audition! Finally, I managed to talk my way in and I got the part!

How did you convince them you were the best person for the job?

I just wouldn’t shut up about it, I think! That was it. And then when I got the audition I kind of went full tilt – I went in with the Dornish accent and was like “Fuck it, I think this is what Nymeria should be like!” It was really fast after that, about a week later I found out that I had got the role.

I have an eight-foot kangaroo skin bullwhip, it’s very Indiana Jones! There’s a big fight scene with it [later in the series]. In between getting cast and starting rehearsals and doing that fight scene, I had six months. There was a lot of preparation time as well as a lot of cuts and scratches and bruises. I trained with the bullwhip and a small hand dagger, although you don’t really get to see me use much of the dagger this season. It was good though. By the end of it my teacher would throw toilet roll and I would have to hit it out of the air as target practice. It’s cool, although it’s not the most useful skill; I need room for an eight-foot bullwhip in order for to show off my party trick!

I like doing a role that’s so physically active; this is probably the most physically active role I’ve ever done, and it’s so much fun. Nymeria is very interesting; all three sisters are very different. We disagree a lot, but we’re brought together by the fact that we want to avenge our father, and we all have different points of view about how we should do it. Obara, who’s played by Keisha Castle-Hughes, is very much “eye for an eye”, she thinks we should just go in and just kill them. Tyene, my younger sister who is played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, she’s trying to prove herself, because she’s the youngest of the three of us. Nymeria, she’s kind of observant, she sits back and watches and let’s other people talk and then makes up her mind. She doesn’t feel the need to be all “Oh look at me, look at me!” She’s very different from any role I’ve played before.

What makes the Sand Snakes such a good time?

Obara has a huge spear, Nymeria has an eight-foot bullwhip and Tyene has these two daggers. They’re very different in terms of long-range and short-range weapons, so we have to work well together or we’ll kill each other. We won’t kill anyone else, we’ll just hit each other. So despite our differences in terms of opinions, to work like that with someone, you have to know each other on an instinctual level. You need to know what your sister’s going to do, before she does it, so that you can get out of the way.

What’s life like for Nymeria when we meet her in season five?

It’s a slow introduction to the Sand Snakes. We come in pretty late in the game, so we’ve had time to really simmer and we’re feeling angry. Oberyn’s raised us saying, “One day we’re going to go and get revenge!” He wouldn’t have even gone to that wedding had Prince Doran [played by Alexander Siddig] not sent him because he is in a wheelchair and couldn’t make the journey. Oberyn went, and if Oberyn hadn’t gone he probably would have survived. We’re angry, but we’re not just angry at the Lannisters, there’s internal strife amongst the Dornish.

What’s the atmosphere like on set? Is it very hectic?

You’ve got a lot to do in a very small amount of time, so yeah there’s certainly a sense of pressure there in terms of us needing to get the work done. We can’t spend all day chasing the peacocks around the gardens! I got along with Keisha and Rosabell so well thankfully! The three of us are together in every scene so if we hadn’t got along it would have been a nightmare. The three of us just hung out all the time.

We shot mainly in Seville in Spain but also Croatia and Belfast. It was wonderful, so beautiful. Seville was incredible. The majority of our [scenes] were at the Alcázar Palace. I think in the documentary said that the palace received 8,000 visitors a day or something, and they had to close down for us! We just got to wander off; there were peacocks everywhere and massive fountains. It was an incredible backdrop, an incredible office; we were very lucky. I’d never been to Seville or Croatia.

Were you able to unwind at the end of the day? Did you have time to enjoy the different locations?

We’d always make an effort to go out. I felt bad for the main cast – a fair few were also filming in Seville on other locations – they couldn’t go out at night because they’d just get mobbed. They couldn’t walk down the street. There were constantly people waiting outside our hotel, at like four in the morning! We could just slide past because nobody knew who we were! I’m pretty sure someone thought I was an AD at one point because they came up to me multiple times to ask if I’d seen the actors come out of the hotel – I’d be like, “No, sorry! I don’t know where they are…” Nikolaj tried to go down to a Starbucks, that’s his fault, and got to the front of the queue and of course a hoard of women were jumping on him. We were lucky! We had a chance to unwind.

You said you’d read the first book. When you first receive the scripts, do you have a sudden rush to find out what’s going to happen?

Well this season I got all the scripts but I only read my scenes, because I didn’t want to read spoilers for everything else. But over the course of filming I learnt everything that happens, so I know it all now. I think for the next season I’m just going to have to read everything, because otherwise everyone else spoils it for me! So I know how the fans feel!

Game of Thrones airs Mondays, 9pm, on Sky Atlantic.

Click here to read part one of our Game of Thrones newbies series, in which we get to know Toby Sebastian who plays Trystane Martell.

Game of Thrones: Newbies Are Coming – Alexander Siddig

We talk cult shows, Malcolm McDowell and life on Dorne with new cast member, Alexander Siddig.

We learn why cats aren’t always the easiest co-stars.

This week’s short explores the annual Tickle the Ivories Festival in Liverpool

View our Facebook page View our Twitter page Vistit our Instagram profile View our YouTube channel Visit us on Vimeo

Rebel Wilson owes her acting career to malaria. No, really.

 talks dream roles and celebrity hacking with Matt Diehl.

One From The Archives: The Interview – Hayley Atwell

Cate Blanchett Speaks of “many” relationships with women

We kick off the 2015 edition of the festival with our special Cannes preview.

Here’s what happened when Colin Morgan came to our studios…

Talking humans versus robots with Colin Morgan.

Game of Thrones: Newbies Are Coming – DeObia Oparei

We meet the actor who’s just joined our favourite show as Areo Hotah.

Ahead of tonight’s episode, Nathalie Emmanuel shares her most memorable onset mishap.

Installation artist Christopher Lutterodt-Quarcoo shares his latest visual project 

Hayley Atwell tells us why female action heroes are more than fodder for male fantasies.

Geoff Andrew, co-curator of the Robert Siodmak season at the BFI picks his top five Siodmak films.

director discusses youth, politics and her latest film.

Go behind the scenes of Colin Morgan’s Hunger TV shoot.

One From The Archives: I Dare You: Russell Tovey

Bank Holiday Mix: Gorgon City Hunger Mix

Dirty Live: Everything Everything – Don’t Try