Spoiler alert about Sean Beanās acting career: He dies. All the time. And he does so spectacularly well.
The actor is most famous for a pair of spectacular onscreen deaths: going down swinging while being skewered by arrows as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and especially his shocking Game of Thrones demise as Ned Stark, who seemed to be the showās star until his head was stunningly chopped off late in Season 1.
But Beanās death toll didnāt stop there. For decades, he has made his living by dying in films like GoldenEye, Patriot Games, and The Island. Heās been shot, blown up, hanged, buried alive, impaled, crushed, drawn and quartered, and even, somehow, run off a cliff by a herd of cattle (in 1990ās The Field). His 20-plus deathsāso many that even Bean himself has trouble remembering them (see below)āhave been chronicled in the Sean Bean Death Reel, which has been viewed more than 2 million times. (Yes, heās also made it through several films intact, including National Treasure, Ronin, and Troy, but whatās the fun in that?) Bean is to dying onscreen what Kevin Bacon is to being connected with every other actor.
But TNT is giving Bean a new lease on life. The actor stars in Legends, the networkās new drama (debuting Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT) as Martin Odum, an undercover agent in the FBIās Deep Cover Operations division. Martin can expertly morph into his different ālegendsā (FBI-speak for a fabricated identity)āeverything from a weapons broker to a corrupt copābut his work has left him so psychologically scarred that heās no longer sure whether even Martin Odum is real or just another legend. The showās clever marketing hook: #DontKillSeanBean.
Certainly, starring in a TNT series would indicate that Bean will finally enjoy some onscreen longevityāafter all, Rizzoli and Isles certainly arenāt meeting their maker anytime soon. āThe only thing I will say is, he doesnāt die at the end of the season,ā promises Legends showrunner and executive producer David Wilcox. āHe does not die. He really anchors the show, and heās amazing.ā
Spending time with Bean is somewhat disconcerting after seeing him play so many somber, doomed roles. His infectious smile is permanently plastered on his face, and he punctuates most sentences with laughter, emotions that are foreign to almost all of his characters over the years. The actor talked, and laughed, about life after onscreen death, his toughest death scene to film, the time he almost died for realāand why we may not have seen the last of him on Game of Thrones.
It seems like you have the best of both worlds: the stability of a regular TV gig, but multiple characters to jump around to and play.
Absolutely, yeah. When I first talked to [executive producer] Howard Gordon, his enthusiasm is infectious and when he outlined the premise, I was totally blown away by it. As opposed to a regular cop show, itās got these wonderful, psychological dreamlike qualities, which excited me very much. Itās such a joy to have this opportunity as an actor, not just to be playing the part, but as you said, playing multiple parts. Itās like me playing a part, playing a part. Iāve never done anything like that before.
Martinās legends are bleeding into his real life. Is that something youāve struggled with as an actor, burrowing too deeply into a role that you canāt shake it?
I donāt, but thereās a certain residue that kind of filters through, which you do carry on to some extent. But Iāve known people who have been Method actors, and that can take its toll. It can be very difficult to get out of. I tried to apply that to this, but without having to be a Method actor.
David Wilcox says he tapped into your wry sense of humor, which we havenāt seen much from you onscreen. Has it been fun to finally show that side of yourself?
Yes, it is. You donāt necessarily equate me with humor! [laughs] Weāve had some very good directors on this who have brought out the humor in general with all the characters. Which it needs, because itās quite brutal and quite intense, and you need that humorous intermission. Itās a bit tongue-in-cheek on occasion, which I think is good. Weāre not treating it that reverentially and seriously. Itās not all [groans] doom and gloom.
Given your past roles, many people will hear youāre starring in a show called Legends and tune in expecting to see a medieval drama, where you have armorā¦
And a horse. Itās quite the opposite!
Legends is based on Robert Littellās 2005 novel, and the term is used heavily throughout the show, but I canāt recall ever hearing it on TV or movies before in this context.
No, I hadnāt either before I began this. So when Iām explaining things to people ā āmy legendsā¦āāthey think Iām showing off. āIām legend-ary!ā [laughs]
Last month, TNT gave reporters a shirt that said #DontKillSeanBean, which was funny, but I didnāt realize they would turn into a whole marketing campaign.
Neither did I! [laughs] Somebody just said, āStick this on and weāll take a picture of you.ā āWhat?ā
What was your reaction?
I thought it was funny. I mean, Iām still quite bemused by it. I donāt exactly know what to say about it. I guess Iām flattered that people want me to stick around for a little longer. So thatās good. But it seems to have taken off.
TNT has never killed off the star of one of its shows, but I guess they could skirt around that by killing one of your legends off.
Well, thatās true! I guess I put [one of his legends; spoiler redacted] to rest. And thatās quite a poignant moment, because Iāve invested so much time and fondness in this character, itās almost like putting somebody to rest. So I guess you could say that I died! [laughs] I died!
Youāve had so many memorable deaths that have resonated with audiences. What is it like being known for dying?
Thatās good. I think my deaths have gotten better recently, in the last few years. First it was just usually like ābang,ā but since Iāve become a little more of a name, they seem to take longer! They stretch it out a little. Like Lord of the Rings, thatās one of my favorites because thereās a pathos to it, a heroic demise. But Iāve not died for awhile, actually.
Probably because itās hard to top how you went out on Game of Thrones.
Yeah, that was wonderful, the shock and like, āWait a minute, we made a deal!ā That was pretty shocking and that was very well put together. But I guess part of the reason is that Iāve played quite a lot of villains. As you know, the villains usually all die.
Can you remember what your very first death was, either onstage or onscreen?
Letās seeā¦I did a lot of Shakespeare. Romeo, that was a good death. I did that at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Which death was the toughest to film?
I did a film called Patriot Games with Harrison Ford and we actually shot three different versions of my death. And they settled on the third. But they were flying me back from London to L.A. because they put it together and they would go, [shakes head] āUh...ā They drowned me first, and me and Harrison were underwater. They sent me back to England, then they said, āSean, we need you back next weekend. It didnāt work, that death.ā That happened three times. In the end, they finally settled on me getting an ice pick in the back of my head or something. [Editorās Note: He was actually impaled on a boat anchor, and then blown up.] That was a very long, labored death scene, which worked very well in the end. And there was the one in Henry VII, with Ray Winstone, where I was drawn and quartered. That was cold, and I was covered in sticky blood in winter in England, on a castle wall. I quite enjoyed it, actually, looking back! [Editorās note: His Henry VII death actually involved him being hung from the castle in chains; he was drawn and quartered in 2010ās Black Death.]
Have you had any real-life near-death experiences?
I once fell through a glass door when I was only 4 years old. That was like a guillotine. I always would lose my temper when I was at home, and banged on this glass door, and one day I banged straight through it and nearly took my leg off. I still remember the pattern of the blood on the carpet. My mom used to have to take me around in a pram for about six months, and I couldnāt walk. And it just missed a main artery, apparently. I was very lucky. I can still remember it now, and that was 51 years ago.
That was your left leg?
Yeah, I have a big scar down here. [points to above the knee] The scar looks like a shark bite. Thatās what I tell people! āI was in Australiaā¦ā [laughs]
Your recent comments in interviews about Jon Snow not actually being Ned Starkās bastard son have people buzzing that you have confirmed the "R+L=J" fan theory, which suggests that Jon is in fact the son of Nedās sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen. Do you have inside information?
I didnāt, no. I think Ned knows, but I donāt! I always treated him, and especially my wife Catelyn, by her reactions, whenever Jon Snow is around, sheās kind of frosty, kind of cold towards him, but she thinks itās because I had a son with someone else, that I was unfaithful. And I guess thatās what everybody believed. But now thereās this other theory, and I think itās probably a very good one, that heās really not Nedās son. I donāt know. Have they said?
The books havenāt said anything definitive yet, but there are still two more to go.
Itās very clever. I mean, [George R.R. Martin] keeps coming up with these things that keep people in the dark, and then itās subsequently revealed. And I think thatās part of his success.
Do you still watch Thrones?
I do. I havenāt watched every episode but I do like to dip in and keep in touch. Itās one of those things where youāre traveling, andāone day I want to get the box set and catch up and see whatās going on. Itās funny because you see them now and theyāre all growing up, like Bran and Arya. Because itās been four or five years now, and theyāre growing into woman and men! And seeing how theyāve adapted to their parts, and how the directors have adapted to them growing up. Itās fascinating.
Any word yet on whether theyāll want you for Season 5, if they delve into the flashback sequences that are coming up in the book?
Still nothing! Iād like to! You could weave it in, and itās very believable. Because he was a good presence, he was a moral compass. He was a man with a straight, moral principle. He was the only one who was keeping them together. I think thatās why people miss him.
How hard was it to keep Nedās death under wraps? Of course it had happened in the book, but most shows find a way to keep their leads around.
Iām very good at keeping a secret. Personally, I didnāt tell anyone. I didnāt make any sneaky phone calls, not even to my family!
So what was their reaction?
They were shocked. āSean, you should have told us!ā and āWhy did you do that?ā Hey, I didnāt do it, itās not my fault! But it was good that it was kept under wraps, because it made it so much more shocking.
Right until the end, viewers kept assuming youād somehow get out of it, and then you didnāt.
I love things like that. And if you can kill Ned Stark, then you can kill anyone.
Same with Lord of the Rings. If one of the nine members of the Fellowship can go, then any of them can, except probably Frodo. Thatās another reason those deaths are so memorable, because theyāre so surprising.
Yeah, absolutely. Both of them were very good men as well. Boromir was a good man apart from his obsession with the ring. But he was a very good man, and you forgive him for his obsession by his death, and his redemptionā¦And when you talk about things like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, it takes me back. And now Iām reminiscing. They were very fond memories.
Yet both of them are still ongoing. Game of Thrones will return next year, and Peter Jackson is still making films about Middle-Earth. So everywhere you turn, youāre still reminded of them.
Yeah. Theyāre good ones, arenāt they? Theyāve made a big impact. And theyāre long-lasting, quality productions that Iām really proud to have been involved in. Iām very lucky.