In tomorrow night’s eagerly-anticipated episode of Game of Thrones, Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) is out for revenge against Ser Gregor Clegane (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) for the rape and murder of his sister Elia, serving as champion in Tyrion Lannister’s (Peter Dinklage) trail by combat in ‘The Mountain and the Viper’. Speaking to TV Guide, Pascal has teased the big showdown:
“He’s nearly a foot taller than me. He’s 6-foot-9; I’m 5-foot-11. I think he’s nearly three times my weight. He’s 420 pounds of muscle. It felt like I was with a giant. And then put him in the armor, and his sword alone was exactly my height. It was incredibly intimidating but also really delightful because I think that the character Oberyn really relishes that kind of challenge… Somehow he’s gotten that nickname ‘the viper’ from fighting.”
Pascal then went on to discuss his superb scene with Peter Dinklage where the Red Viper offered his services as champion (which you can watch here): “I was very moved. It was my first day on set so I was really quite nervous. But then I had this wonderful, compassionate director Alik Sakharov and Peter Dinklage, a completely generous and welcoming actor. I don’t know if I realized that the scene climaxes with such strong emotion. It was deeply moving for me to tell Tyrion the story and to see Peter Dinklage receive it. It fed me in a way that I’ll never forget.”
‘The Mountain and the Viper’ airs on HBO tomorrow night in the States and Sky Atlantic here in the UK on Monday; check out a batch of stills here, and watch a promo for the episode here.
Originally published May 31, 2014. Updated November 29, 2022.
