Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon reveals hit show 'didn't make us millionaires'

The Welsh star, 35, who played the murderous Ramsay Bolton in the billion-euro franchise, told the Sunday World that he still misses hanging out in Belfast with Liam Cunningham and his fellow cast members.

And he said, that despite what people think, they were not paid millions of euros by TV giant HBO.

“There was a good bunch of people and a great ethos about the way it ran, certainly from my point of view, because the show was the star.

“So, everyone was working together at the same level.

“There were always a couple of units filming in Belfast and it was a good bunch of people and we got to know one another and we would go out and go for dinner and it was a very social vibe.

“There are good pubs in Belfast I have to say, and I frequented a few.

“And we were generally left alone which was great - the locals really bought into it.

“It was a great job because the character was so good.

“The script is very important but as you get older and life goes on sometimes you have to think about paying the bills, especially in these days.

“It would get pretty boring playing the same part all the time. Of course, I’m not, a multi-millionaire after Game of Thrones.

“No, it didn’t quite work out like that anyway.”

While Iwan’s gruesome performance as the blood-lusting Bolton in GOT made him a household name, he is still iconic for playing anti-superhero Simon Bellamy in Misfits.

The low-budget TV hit was the launching pad for Iwan and Love/Hate star Robert Sheehan. And Iwan reveals was a nightmare to film with due to his on-screen antics.

“Misfits was kind of like the opposite to Game of Thrones, where you were joining this huge machine.

“It was really ambitious with regards to shooting on such a low budget and the really tight time we had to shoot it.

“That was really stressful at times but I felt that we were really a team and I loved doing it.

“Rob was good craic to film with, he is quite hard to work with because he is so funny.

“That was the main problem for me when we were on set.

“Most of the time we were trying not to laugh during the entire time we were filing because he was just cracking us up all the time.

“I think what ended up going out on television were the only scenes where we managed to get the through without corpsing. He is very funny and a great lad as well.”

Misfits was set in the concrete jungle of London’s inner city, while Game of Thrones sent Iwan to the coldest reaches of Northern Ireland.

But Sky One’s slick drama Riviera gave the actor a pleasant change of scenery, upping sticks to the sun-drenched south of France.

And he said that it was writer Paul McGuinness and not the stellar cast that really stole his attention.

“Paul was on set a lot and he was great.

“He was really encouraging and is surprisingly hands on. He has this aura about him and I had a great time with him and we got on really well.

“He led the ship quite well I thought and it was great to meet him.

“Paul has lived one hell of a life and the stories are incredible and he just has this aura about him which makes him amazing to be around."

Meanwhile, this Halloween will see Kraken Black Spiced Rum teaming up with Iwan to star in a terrifying new “real life video game” - Screamfest 4: The Kraken’s Revenge.

The game will run over four high-octane evenings from Wednesday 28th until Saturday 31st October, with player tickets for the 10-minute slots available.

Tickets are only €10, from Eventbrite, and that gets you a survival kit with the makings of two Perfect Storm cocktails and a pass to the game

This one-of-a-kind, real-life video game will be a world-first as players will be able to remotely-issue commands to the Hollywood actor Rheon and watch him respond immediately on a live video link.

The stalker-like game will see fans guide Iwan using a single torch light, directing them through a series of terrifying rooms, tiny cramped cells and damp, well-trodden corridors to safety - before it’s too late.

“It is going to be a bit strange but exciting,” he said.

“This is really cool and new and exciting and it is a real job.

“Basically, I am going down in to this terrifying set and I am going to be controlled going through this horror maze by members of the public.

“It is not a green screen or anything like it. It is this fully immersive, interactive set and it looks really cool and is a welcome gig in these times.

“It is basically a real-life video game. For me it is like immersive theater and I am playing this character who is controlled by the game players in this Victorian dungeon."