Comic Con Copenhagen: Interview with Kerry Ingram

At 17, actress Kerry Ingram is mostly known as Shireen Baratheon on Game of Thrones. Last Sunday at Comic Con Copenhagen, I had the pleasure of meeting her for a one-on-one talk.

The Geekiary: Thank you very much for meeting us. Let’s talk about THAT scene of Game of Thrones [Shireen’s death]. Did you know it would have the impact that it had and that it would cause such an emotional reaction from fans?

Kerry Ingram: Yes, I guess from the moment I knew about the scene, I knew the reaction it was going to get. I was very interested to see how the reaction was going to play out, whether people would be mad about it for a long time, for short time or just forget about it. I think the overall reaction was good for me.

TG: Your character Shireen is still alive in the books. You’re now part of a club of actors that should still be on the show.

KI: The show and the books are two completely different things. The books are the books and the show is the show and I think they are going to do what George [R. R. Martin] wants to happen at the end but it’s how it gets there that they see differently. It is quite open.

TG: On the show, you worked with Liam Cunningham [Davos] & Stephen Dillane [Stannis]. How was it to work with them and did you learn anything from them?

KI: It was amazing because they are two completely different actors. Liam can switch in and out of character and that’s easy for him because his character isn’t too serious; whereas Stephen’s character is a lot more complex. He is a method actor so he will be in character from start to finish of the day. It’s really interesting to see to the two different kinds of actor that you get and being able to work with them because they are both unique in their own way.

TG: Do you stay in character when you’re on set as well?

KI: It depends on the character. For Shireen, less so because she was calm and happy and it wasn’t too much of challenge. But I have method acted in the past.

TG: How was it wearing the greyscale markings? Was it distracting?

KI: For most of the day, I kind of forget that it was there. But it would come back when we were eating lunch. I couldn’t open my mouth to eat any food (laugh).

TG: You shot the show when you were very young, have you watched it since then?

KI: Yes. I have watched up until season 5 and I’ve watched the first and last episode of season 6. I haven’t seen in between but I know what happens.

TG: Do you know what happens next? Do your friends from the show tell you anything?

KI: No, I probably won’t find out anything because they’ve only just been given the script this year so I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.

TG: You’ve been on stage on the West End with Mathilda The Musical & Oliver!. Do you prefer theater or being in front of the camera?

KI: I like them both the same in terms of they’re very different. In theater, you do the same over and over again every night and there’s a long rehearsal process which is more fun than the actual show. [..] Whereas with TV, you do something different every day. Because I only did [theater] shows as a child, I never did them every day. I would only have to do a few shows a week and I’d have the rest of the week off. If I were to do theater as an adult maybe I would enjoy it less. Until I have done it as an adult, I guess I don’t know. But I’d like to, I think it would be fun.

TG: Would you be open to go on Broadway?

KI: Oh yeah, definitely.

TG: More musicals or theater plays?

KI: I like doing musicals but I have never done a play before. I think it would really be interesting to have just a straight play with no singing or dancing. At the same time, musical theater is good because it keeps you healthy as well. You don’t have to go to the gym because you’re doing it every day. It’s fun and it doesn’t feel like a workout.

TG: It is tough for the voice though.

KI: When I did musical theater as a child, I got nodes. It is a tiring job, you have to manage it well.

TG: You are on a new Netflix show. Can you tell us more about it?

KI: Yes, it’s a Netflix original and it’s aimed to tweens. It’s all about a mysterious horse, Raven, who has a lot of background, who had problems when he was young. He never really lets anyone near him because he is quite a violent horse and a bit crazy. This American girl comes in from the States and she has this bond with the horse that no one has ever seen before. It’s all about their bond and the story behind it. She learns to ride and it’s all “happy, happy”. It’s all very different to anything I have done before.

TG: It definitely sounds different from all the other Netflix shows targeted towards adults.

KI: Netflix hasn’t got a lot of tween shows. It is really nice to get one that is not only a kids’ show but also British so you can get both audiences, America and British.

TG: You have shot half of the show so far, right?

KI: Yes, we’ve been shooting 4 or 5 weeks and we’ve got 6 left.

TG: Do you have any projects after?

KI: At the moment no because I am contracted to Netflix. Hopefully yes, but maybe not for the rest of this year because I have school and I am already missing the first 2 months.

TG: Do you find it difficult to balance school and acting?

KI: It is but it is just a case of managing your time, getting everything done. It’s more a case of extra homework, making sure I take responsibility to go and get everything that I missed.

TG: Would you like to go to university after or go straight into full-time acting?

KI: I would like to go to university but later on. I would like to take a gap before, see where my career takes me. If it all comes to a standstill, that’s maybe when I will take up university.

TG: Do you already have a subject you would be interested in?

KI: Something to do with performing, maybe directing. I would like to study something that is in the industry but not acting specifically. I feel that as a child actor you learn all that stuff when being on set so I would like to study something completely different so that if acting doesn’t work out I can do all the other stuff involved.

TG: At the Geekiary, our motto is “we are fans and we have a lot of feelings”, what gives you feelings?

KI: People reuniting with people they haven’t seen in a while, that makes me cry every time. When you watch a show and people have been separated for ages, then you see them and they’re like “oh my god”. And when there are animals involved. Animals make me cry. An animal could just be in the background of a scene and I would be “oh my god, look at the dog!” (laugh).

TG: Thank you very much for your time!

Author: Froggy

Froggy holds a Master of Science degree in Marketing and Management from Dauphine University in Paris. She currently resides in North Haollywood aka Vancouver, Canada where she works as a Project Manager. In addition to covering conventions across North America for The Geekiary, she is a sports photographer for Our Game Magazine.

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