Game of Thrones: season three

Game of Thrones won Best TV Show at this year’s ELLE Style Awards and last night, we came over all fangirl as we were treated to a VIP screening of the first episode of season three. (Don’t judge us. There was a life-size iron throne at the entrance; squeal!)

And, while we’re not allowed to give anything away – save the trailer, below – we will say it’s been worth the wait.

Many of the cast members attended the event and, after the screening, ELLE girl crush Gwendoline Christie – aka Brienne of Tarth – took to the stage with Charles Dance (Tywen Lannister), Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) for a Q&A.

When it comes to the portrayal of strong women on screen there are few better examples than Brienne, the androgynous, mould-breaking female knight. But it’s coming from a place of vulnerability that allows her to do that so effectively, she revealed.

Referring to a scene in which her character is verbally abused, she said: ‘As a 6 foot 3 woman, that’s been happening to me since I was 14. And it’s actually very liberating to be able to put that experience into a public forum – to be able to get people talking about that – as an artist.’

She also told a rip-roaring anecdote about an afternoon she spent in a speedboat off the coast of Croatia with Finn Jones, who plays Ser Loris Tyrell. But we should probably keep that under wraps, too…

Game of Thrones season three begins on Sky Atlantic on 1 April in the UK, with seasons one and two available on demand.

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