‘Legends’ Star Sean Bean Thrilled ‘Game of Thrones’ Fans in his Reddit AMA: ‘F*ck Jon Snow’
Sean Bean, star of the upcoming TNT series “Legends,” based on the spy novel by Robert Littell. In “Legends,” Bean plays an FBI agent named Martin Odum who can shift into different people, becoming who he needs to become for each investigation. Yesterday, however, he just played himself for a Reddit AMA to promote the show, discussing a range of topics including accidental stabbings and Nicolas Cage’s ancient bear skeletons, among other things. Here are some highlights from what he shared:
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There are some things that could only happen to Nicolas Cage.
When asked for an anecdote from the set of “National Treasure,” the 2004 film in which he plays antagonist Ian, Bean went straight to a sad story about his co-star. “There was one where I went back to Nic Cage’s house, and we’d had a few drinks, we were playing pool and he accidentally knocked over his prehistoric cave bear skull and smashed it. And he was really upset about it, and the next day went and buried it in a field.” Seriously, that could only happen to Nic Cage. The poor guy.
People can get hurt doing action sequences.
“Yeah, that happens on occasions,” Bean said of accidents on set, “Fortunately there’s been nothing too drastic, but they’re usually very well-choreographed, very well-thought out.” He also tipped his hat to stunt actors: “A great bunch of people, very talented bunch, and they know exactly what they’re doing. And I feel very safe with them in their company.” Accidents do happen though, as in one case on the series “Sharpe,” in which Bean starred in the 1990s, where an actor was actually stabbed in the midsection while shooting a sword fight. (He turned out to be okay.)
Bean has a rather unusual collection, thanks to his roles over the years.
In “Sharpe,” Bean played a soldier from Napoleon’s era, while “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones” are medieval fantasies and his two most famous roles. The result? Sean Bean has a lot of swords lying around, including a historical artifact. When asked about what props he has from his works, he said this: “I’ve got a couple of swords, quite a few swords actually. One of my favorite ones is my ‘Sharpe’ sword, which is an original cavalry sword from the late 19th century.”
His favorite book is a “nice, cheerful book.”
Scores of fans asked Bean his favorites in a number of categories, from comfort foods, to composers, to ice cream flavor. But the most interesting answer came when he was asked his favorite book. A star known for dark period and fantasy films, and for his knack for a good death, Bean’s favorite book is a lovely English novel named “The World of Little Foxy.” “And me favourite book, it’s an old book, called The World of Little Foxy, by Norman Smithson, and it’s about this young lad, you know, young kid growing up in Yorkshire, all the fun and frolics he gets up to. Just a really nice, cheerful book.”
The Fellowship, where are they now?
In the first installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Bean’s Boromir becomes a part of the Fellowship of the Ring, along with other famous movie stars. A fan asked during the AMA, does the Fellowship still keep in touch? Said Bean, “Occasionally we bump into each other, you know, doing our rounds. Yeah. I bump into Viggo occasionally, or Orlando Bloom.”
The differences between theater, film and television.
Known now primarily for his television and film work, Bean has also worked on stage, most notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company in a modern production of “Romeo & Juliet” in the 1980s. “I guess they’re different mediums, they both have their pros & cons, you know?” said Bean. “But I would like to do more theater, it’s just that sometimes it takes quite a while and it’s very intense, but it’s a big thrill, it’s exciting doing live drama. And I did perform in Romeo & Juliet, I was Tybalt.”
Lastly, a “Game of Thrones” moment.
Sean Bean played Eddark Stark in the first season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” and when asked if he’d rather apologize to Frodo or actually explain to Jon Snow who his mother is, Bean answered “I think I did apologize to Frodo. And fuck Jon Snow.” That is all.
“Legends” starts August 13, and the entirety of Bean’s comments on Reddit can be read here.
