Vladimir Furdik, the Night King from The Game of Thrones, talks about his love for India, horses and an early start in the movie business. By Asmita Sarkar
Vladimir Furdik’s character, the Night King, in The Game of Thrones has come to be one of the pivotal ones. When the show began, the Night King was almost a myth but of epic proportions.While humans struggled for thrones and waged bloody wars, the king of the winter rode long and hard to overtake the human civilisation with his army of zombies.
And while fans are waiting with bated breathe for April 2019, which is when the final and eighth season of the epic fantasy show comes to an end, either in tragedy or in heroic victories, Furdik is making a detour to India and will soon head to the country for the Delhi Comic Con.
No stranger to India having visited two decades ago for filming the movie Alisea and the Dream Prince, he said, “I was in India for almost two months and met a lot of nice people. I also had the opportunity to see the beautiful countryside and to taste traditional Indian food. I am looking forward to a similar experience. I’ve never met such friendly people as I have in India. After Comic Con I only have two days, then I have to go back. But I promise to come back soon for at least four months.”
To look his part in the film based on George RR Martin’s novel, the entire transformation process takes almost six laborious hours. “My make -up consists of eight parts which stick to my face. It is not that hard to wear and it also protects you from the cold and wind,” he said. That is certainly a blessing as they shoot in extreme conditions.
However, Furdik was not the first choice for the role and was asked to step in later. But as it developed, the character has come to be known as one of the most brutal villains in a fiction series.
“I was offered to play the role as I had prepared and created a lot of stunts for the production in the past. I think working on any project is the same but the people you work with are different. Some are better prepared and some are worse. On GOT people were super ready and everyone knew what to do,” he said.
How then was the transition from being a stunt supervisor and performer to playing one of the central characters in GoT?
“I have been working on movies since I was 15-years-old. First, I helped with horses because horse riding was my hobby at that time I loved doing that. I trained horses, cleaned their stables, groomed and cared for them during the shooting. That was my first contact with the movie business. The next 15 years I watched and learned. Of course I still do that. Every new film project gives me a new experience. I never forget that it’s because others, especially teachers helped me that I am successful. Stuntmen and actors are close and need to help each other,” he said.
The Comic Con will have multiple experience centres such as an Amazon zone, and cosplay remains one of the biggest attractions. This year there will be professional cosplayers and regular folks will also be encouraged to dress up as their favourite fictional characters. It might not be a surprise if the reel Night King chances upon someone playing it in real life.
(Delhi Comic Con will be between December 7 to 9.)
