The cast of Game of Thrones [1] swung by Comic-Con's legendary Hall H on Friday for a panel about the show, where they touched on everything from turning the HBO hit into a musical about a cyborg to how freakin' adorable Alfie Allen's dog is [2]. Though the topics ranged far and wide, a theme began to emerge in a lot of their answers: the show's female characters are ridiculously badass [3]. From Sophie Turner's thoughts on what the future holds for Sansa [4] to Gwendoline Christie's opinion on Brienne of Tarth's love life, check out the highlights below.
- Gwendoline Christie on what Brienne thinks of Tormund's flirtations: "What I love about Brienne of Tarth is that I don't think that at the foremost of her consciousness is a value system that's based on how men appreciate her. But who doesn't like being appreciated as both [a warrior and a woman], really? I don't think that's really what she's invested in at all."
- Sophie Turner on whether or not Sansa is under Littlefinger's control: "I think, initially, there was definitely some manipulation on Littlefinger's part. As Sansa has grown and been a prisoner by all of this master manipulators, especially Littlefinger, she's been silently absorbing and learning and adapting. In my opinion, she's just as good at playing the game as he is at this point."
- Gwendoline Christie on what law she would pass if she ruled Westeros: "What law would I pass? That women could be knights!"
- Nathalie Emmanuel on if Missandei should be Daenerys Targaryen's Hand of the Queen: "I do support Tyrion in that role, but it would be super cool to be Hand to your bestie. It's like girl power, double team."
- Gwendoline Christie on what drives Brienne to never give up: "I think the relationship between Brienne and Catelyn Stark, the moment when Brienne realized strength in another woman . . . I remember quite fervently that line she says to Catelyn Stark, 'You have strength.' Not a man's strength, but a woman's strength. I think it's that realization that Brienne didn't have to force herself into a mold of masculinity; she didn't have to take the path of men before her in order to be taken seriously or to do good. That she could be propelled by her own intuitive sense of what was right, in terms of a moral compass. There's something very beautiful about the way she's projected that into the future, that it doesn't matter if someone lives or dies, because that goes into that person's daughters, which feels significant. To Brienne, the Stark girls are her own. In her own way, I think Brienne feels that even if it's one small thing for one person or two people, that that's going to perpetuate a sense of good, which maybe subconsciously creates a greater sense of equality. That's what I think is driving her; she's connecting to an idea that's greater than herself."
- Sophie Turner on how Sansa views the idea of love and marriage now: "I don't think she's like season one Sansa, because she's not really looking for a relationship or love at the moment, since she's kind of done with that. She's always on the search for happiness, but she doesn't see the world through rose-tinted glasses anymore, you know? In terms of seeing men in a different light, I think she's the world in a different light. She's woke now, guys. She's real woke. [laughs] She's cautious; she trusts no one, whether it be man or woman, family member or not. She trusts no one, and I think that's important when you play the game of thrones."
- Gwendoline Christie on what it takes to woo Brienne: "In order to win Brienne's heart, it's about a mutual respect. It isn't about making overpowering or sexual advances. It has to be about a mutual respect that's borne out of skill."
- Jacob Anderson on his favorite scene of season six: "The scene when Yara Greyjoy and Dany meet, and they do that handshake. It's such a powerful scene to see these two women come together. It feels like the beginning of the women owning sh*t."
- Sophie Turner on the power struggle between Sansa and Jon Snow: "There's still that kind of sibling rivalry from back when they were really young. There's still that sexism that's just ingrained in the culture, where the men are the fighting figures and the women say nothing, even though Sansa is politically savvy. Especially during the Battle of the Bastards, she knew how to deal with the situation and with the Boltons. It's about finding that balance and finding that collaboration, but it's proving quite difficult. He's a military man and she's the politician, but I think they both need to realize they need to stop fighting for ultimate power and work together."