Stephen Dillane can look like a downright surly fellow until he smiles. Even then he seems like he could become dour at any moment, though he seems to be a pleasant enough guy when he really gets to talking. Some of the roles he’s taken over the years however make it seem as though he’s anything but a nice guy since he’s had to play as some of the most terrible people you would ever not want to meet. That kind of look seems to have paid off for him since he’s done pretty well since starting up in film and TV. For some of the characters he’s played he really has had to be the kind of guy that would rather spit at you than look at you, and might even wipe his feet on your face if you spoke to him wrong. But on the outside, off screen, he’s actually a pretty nice and engaging gentleman.
Here’s a few things you might not have known about him.
10. He was a reporter for 3 years.
Stephen was a journalist for the Croydon Advertiser right out of college and did this for a while before getting turned on to acting. If you really think about it a lot of actors had pretty normal jobs before they became stars no matter when they started.
9. He played Stannis Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
Stannis is one of the coldest, hardest men in Game of Thrones and would do absolutely anything to obtain what he believes is his rightful place as king of all the realms. He even burned his daughter at the stake when prompted to do so and followed the Red Lady no matter how much ruin came to his forces.
8. He didn’t start acting until he was in his mid-twenties.
Today that might seem kind of late to get into acting but in all honesty some actors don’t start until later in life when they’ve decided that they want something more that they can look on proudly. Some actors don’t even get started until later.
7. He was in 44-Inch Chest.
This was a seriously messed-up film in which a young waiter is kidnapped and verbally and physically tortured after having an affair with a man’s wife. The men in the room are just merciless when it comes to berating him and this scene alone is probably one of the best in the entire movie.
6. Apparently he didn’t enjoy his time in GoT.
To Stephen it was just a job, something he did for the money. It’s not really a bad thing since when it comes down to it a lot of actors are there for the paycheck, but a lot of them loved being in the series as well. This kind of attitude definitely made Stannis come to life though.
5. In his estimation the act of creating a character is more like creating a mask to hide behind.
There’s a lot to say about an actor that is scared to death to get up in front of people and will gladly put on a mask to make it seem as though they’re someone else. In some cases it seems as though this would an accurate description of many actors, as some seem kind of timid away from the spotlight.
4. He’s an experienced theater actor.
Being timid isn’t really his problem since being a theater actor one has to be in front of people all the time so that mask has to be on and ready to go continually in order to keep the performance going.
3. He was in Hamlet.
Despite the scope and the true feeling and story within this tale few renderings of it have ever seemed to make this epic into anything that a large number of people can stand to watch more than once. But many people have done their best.
2. His career started in 1985.
So he’s been around for a while, over twenty years in fact, and he’s likely seen quite a bit in his career and even watched Hollywood change as the decades have gone by. Just think of what actors from back in the 80s have seen in their time and what they had to do in order to keep up with the upcoming talent. They’ve done well, most of them.
1. He went by a different name early in his career.
He went by the name Stephen Dillon for a while when he first got started but switched back to his real name in the 1990s. It’s one thing for authors and other artists to do this, but it’s still interesting to think how actors would do it.
Stephen Dillane is an interesting actor since he can be charming and nice in one moment and make you think he’s going to roast you alive the next.
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