Actor Sean Bean says that one of the things that he likes about his role of Ned Stark in the upcoming HBO series A Game of Thrones is that Ned is a “good man.”
“I think he’s a good man first and foremost,” Bean told TV Choice Magazine. “His loyalty and honesty to the King are good qualities, but they are also his weaknesses and prove his downfall.”
“He doesn’t like to see any manipulation or corruption,” he added. “And he doesn’t make any friends, because the people around him are backstabbers and cut-throats. So Ned’s living in a very corrupt world as a good man. He’s got his frailties and faults, but intrinsically he’s a good man.”
Bean also reveals a bit about the storyline for his character in the first season. What’s ahead may be SPOILER material if you haven’t read the book.
The first season finds Ned leaving his home to become the King’s Hand and traveling to the court at King’s Landing.
“[King’s Landing is] a pit of snakes really where these very corrupt people are gaining more and more power, all with their own agenda,” Bean says. “Nobody wants [Ned] there. He’s trying to find things out, looking into their affairs and finding skeletons in the cupboard.”
“You can’t just be honest and honorable in this society. It just doesn’t work. [But Ned would] rather die than lose his honor, his loyalty and his sense of duty,” he adds.
A Game of Thrones debuts Sunday night.
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