If you’re afraid of Ramsay Snow, Roose Bolton’s illegitimate son, you’re not alone. You may recall how, in Season 3, he performed a number of depraved acts on Theon Greyjoy, and did so with an unsettling sadistic pleasure.
Well, as zap2it found out, even Roose Bolton is kind of afraid of his son, as explained by Michael McElhatton, the actor who plays Roose:
“He’s very wary of Ramsay, but he is his son,” McElhatton says. “He does say that he should have thrown him down a well or something, but that the babe had his eyes, so there’s something there; the survival of the species of Bolton. He is his only child. His other child is dead, he suspects Ramsay of killing him, but I think there is something very primal of that even though he’s very, very wary and he’s aware that he is a psychotic.”
Later on in the interview, McElhatton even expresses empathy for Ramsay:
McElhatton admits that he, like Roose, has a bit of a soft spot for Ramsay. Yes, this character is evil, but McElhatton believes he also has some redeeming qualities.
“I think he’s got ambition and he’s got drive, and they’re the things that really are the engine of Roose Bolton,” McElhatton explains of why Roose gives Ramsay the time of day. “He’s a political animal, and it’s just survival of the fittest and moving on. He’s not a lay about. He’s not a guy who runs and hides behind — if he had a mother — her apron strings. He’s out there in the thick of it.”
In fact, McElhatton finds the relationship between Ramsay and Roose to be fascinating.
“The one thing Ramsay craves more than torturing people and maiming them is the love and respect of his dad, and I think that’s played out. I think that’s really interesting,” he says. “Later on, it’s very moving actually. There’s a scene and you go, ‘Oh my god,’ even though it’s totally weird and quite epic. There is something about a child craving and needing the love of a parent, and the parent not giving it to them. It’s a brilliant dynamic.”
To see the full interview and article, click here!