Curtain Call: Eugene Simon 

To salute Eugene Simon’s performance as Brother Lancel, formerly Lannister, we have a guest post by WotW friend and surveymaster James Rivers.

On most television shows, an actor must portray how his character changes over time. Sometimes that change is transformative and quick, but usually it happens more slowly.

Eugene Simon did not have that luxury in his portrayal of Lancel Lannister on

. The first two seasons, he played an intimidated pushover devoted to his older cousin (and queen), Cersei. After two seasons off, he returned to the role and had to immediately sell his character’s unseen metamorphosis into a pious religious fanatic.

He pulled off both “versions” of Lancel with seeming ease.

We first see him in episode 3 of the first season being mocked by King Robert as he serves wine: “Gods, what a stupid name. Lancel Lannister. Who named you? Some halfwit with a stutter?”

With Lancel’s reply, “It’s empty, your grace,” referring to his wine pitcher, Simon was off and running. In Season 1, he helped Robert into his ill-fitting armor, as well as his grave, and hooked up with the king’s widow. In Season 2 he tried, and failed, to go toe-to-toe with Tyrion and eventually was forced to be his reluctant informant — at one point having a now-forboding conversation about Cersei hoarding wildfire.

during Season 2, Simon described Lancel as “fundamentally not made of much,” someone “dutiful” to his house who has ambitions, but “doesn’t have the tools available to him psychologically to actually be anything more than a boy.”

After Lancel’s injury at the Battle of the Blackwater, Simon vanished from the

figured he might show up again. Turns out Simon thought so too, and had been preparing for a possible return.

in another interview, for Season 5, “for people to see just how this boy figure in the first two seasons could become someone of such influence and intimidation through really being at first an underdog.”

And so at the start of Season 5, Lancel re-appeared as a “sparrow” devoted to the faith of the Seven, clad in a simple robe and with shorn hair.

If Simon returned to play a character transformed in looks and spirit, so too, did he return to a show transformed — to use his own words — from an underdog to something of influence. That had to make playing Lancel 2.0 that much more intimidating. But he pulled it off, giving a performance in his first big scene back (in which he seeks forgiveness from Cersei for what he did with and for her) that effectively demonstrated Lancel’s new nature, called back to previous events, and made fans of Cersei worry.

Simon continued to recur through Seasons 5 and 6 as the Cersei vs. the Sparrow plot advanced through its varied power shifts. And the Lancel we ultimately were left with, staring at death in the form of green fire, is a far cry from the one who once poured Robert wine.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss almost certainly didn’t randomly assign Lancel to be the one featured in an excruciatingly tense scene as, knife wound and all, he dragged himself in vain to nearly melted candles set in a pool of wildfire. With him, we witnessed the horror of the initial explosion. They needed someone familiar to the audience to witness the horror of the initial explosion, and likely wanted wanted to give Simon’s long-time character closure.

“They told me I had a scene coming up in the season finale which Lancel is at the very centre of,” he told the Independent after Episode 10, adding that he has several offers involving “psychologically impaired characters.” Wonder why…

And while he’d probably rather remain on what is now the biggest show in the world, he told the paper he is “very happy with the way Lancel went out.”

He went out, of course, with a proverbial bang.

Have you already read all the books and/or don\'t care about spoilers? You can reveal/hide all the spoilers in the comments with the click of the buttons below.

Place the spoiler remarks inside this short code:

Remove the extra spaces between the word spoiler and the brackets, and the front slash and brackets before publishing your comment.

Go fetch me the breastplate stretcher! I love Eugene and how good natured he is IRL. I follow him on Instagram which is always filled with positive vibes. His scenes in season 1 and 2 were some of the funniest in the series. I will miss him on the show and wish him the best! 🙂

He never found the breastplate stretcher, poor kid.

Beat me to it! I was going to make a joke about that ahahah

Always a huge deal when someone dies that has been with the show since Season 1. Good luck with all your future endeavors Eugene! You’ll be missed.

Eugene delivered on all aspects of Lancel’s character. Another great performance in a minor but pivotal role. His death scene was brilliant: Eugene clearly displayed Lancel’s determination and resulting horror at what was about to happen in near silence.

Awww…Eugene! So interesting to watch Lancel’s change and development over the seasons. Well done! So glad that they gave you a good, meaty ending on your own. Thank you for sharing your talents and looking forward to seeing you again soon! Seven Blessings!

Did he have the best death scene of the entire show?

Lancel came such an incredibly long way. That was a really great end for his character, and I applaud Eugene for his development as an actor over the years.

Lancel was certainly more memorable to me in season 6, but thats just because I have mush for brains. I rewatched those first episodes recently and I realized who this character was and watched how frustrated he was to have so little power. Wow, that changed! Eugene managed both sides of the character perfectly, and oh that last scene – I knew he wasn’t going to be able to put out the candles but really hoped he could!

this interview with him that showed how much he knew his character and the change that was demanded of him. Very good actor, hope to see him again in the future in other roles!

(BTW mods, that Independent interview is impossible to read due to an ad blocking it. is there another way to access it?)

Ya know – just possibly. Certainly of he season.

A great actor. Convincing in both the roles of the naive squire and the religious zealot. Hopefully Lancel found the breastplate stretcher in heaven.

Eugene Simon is such a charming young man, certainly he will have a long and fruitful career. Good luck and sure enjoyed your depiction of Lancel – one of my favorite scenes of the show is his moment with Tyrion discussing wildfire…funny stuff!

His character was destined to be killed off pretty quickly. I want Margary to come back and get her revenge on Cersi but it won’t happen. It’s too bad they were all blown up so they can’t even come back as white walkers.

I couldn’t understand how he couldn’t walk after the kid stabbed himbin 5he leg? And, when he finally reached the candles, I kept going BLOW! BLOW!

Great job by Eugene! Loved his portrayal of the hapless Lancel in the early seasons. He and Tyrion were great together. Glad he got to be the center of the final scene! Best of luck, Eugene!

Funny. Though would have been funnier if I didn’t have to look up “TFW.”

(BTW mods, that Independent interview is impossible to read due to an ad blocking it.is there another way to access it?)

I can see it just fine, ash, but I’m using Chrome and AdBlockPlus.

Eugene was so different for his roles as dainty squire and buff zealot that I was convinced he was a different actor. I IMDbed to confirm and was shocked to find that Simon said he was the same Simon.

Someone on here met Eugene just a few weeks ago at the Texas Comic Con in Houston – a poster who has been on here for ages. She said Eugene was completely adorable and wonderful. May television and film find him many more roles to come.

A relatively minor but still important character and yet another who undergoes quite a transformation through the run of the series. Eugene certainly played both in a very believable way where they could have been performed clumsily in lesser hands.

Seems like a splendidly likeable chap too!

Remember that scene from Blackwater? 😀

“Game of Thrones: Blackwater (#2.9)” (2012) Joffrey Baratheon: Hound, tell the Hand that his King has asked him a question.

Tyrion Lannister: Sir Lancel, tell the Hound to tell the King that the Hand is extremely busy.

Lancel Lannister: The Hand of the King would like me to tell you to tell the King that…

Joffrey Baratheon: If I tell the Hound to cut you in half, he’ll do it without a second thought.

Tyrion Lannister: That would make me the quarter-man. Just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

How I loved his transformation. From Little Lord Fauntleroy to stone cold sparrow, I don’t think I’ve ever changed my mind about a character so quickly. Fantastic. Eugene, you are a treasure.

He did an amazing job with a rather thankless character and good for him.

Btw, I don’t think I’ll be able to handle a curtain call for Natalie Dormer *cries

Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale – The Winds of Winter Open Chat ( 1,179 )

Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale – The Winds of Winter Recap ( 720 )

Sophie Turner and Aidan Gillen on the Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale ( 428 )

Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale "The Winds of Winter" Written Recap Round-Up ( 337 )

Game of Thrones cast visits IRC refugee programs in Greece, calls on EU for action

Sophie Turner and Aidan Gillen on the Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale

Tycho Nestoris on Curtain Call: Eugene Simon

ACME on Sophie Turner and Aidan Gillen on the Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale