In most cases, straying too far away from the source material is a recipe for disaster. While there have been exceptions, such as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, fans, including George R.R. Martin, often don’t entertain filmmakers enforcing their own vision into adaptations of beloved stories.
But alongside filmmakers, fans also expect the actors to be well-versed about the work they’re adapting. However, this isn’t the case for Harry Collett, who plays Jacaerys Velaryon in House of the Dragon, and fans aren’t taking this revelation kindly.
Harry Collett Revealed He Isn’t Much of a Reader
On asked about what book he’d like to erase from his mind to read again during a sitdown with Buzzfeed Celeb, Harry Collett answered Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Additionally, the actor revealed that this was the only book he ever read.
He said:
I’m going to say The hungry games that’s, you know, that’s the only book I’ve read ever
Bamboozled by this revelation, the rest of the cast joked, “You’re outing yourself… you’re not embarrassed you… you will be”. They weren’t wrong, as the general reaction to it wasn’t pretty, especially considering how seriously Game of Thrones fans take the sanctity of Martin’s work.
Collett clarified he prefers audiobooks, stressing he’s “not a good reader”. The actor further expressed he wants to read A Court of Thorns and Roses, despite having no idea what’s it about.
George R.R. Martin Isn’t a Fan of Producers Enforcing Their Vision on Existing Stories
In a blog post, George R.R. Martin detailed his issues with most adaptations. Martin shared that in most cases, producers and screenwriters are eager “to take great stories and ‘make them their own”. The novelist added that irrespective of how great a book or story is, there’s always someone “who thinks he can do better”.
However, in their pursuit to “improve” on the existing story, the writer stated “Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse”. He explained:
Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and ‘make them their own’ …No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and ‘improve’ on it.
‘The book is the book, the film is the film,’ they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own. They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse.
But The Winds of Winter writer acknowledged that there have been exceptions. In House of the Dragon season 1, the writer shared the HBO show ended up improving the character of King Viserys Targaryen.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on Max.
