George R.R. Martin is pretty happy with the television version of Game of Thrones, even if he wishes there were twelve episodes instead of ten so that more character-driven scenes from the books, not just plot-driven ones, could be part of the show. His one worry about that, though, is that it could be more fodder for some critics. “If we insert more character moments, the people who thought that it was slow may think it’s even slower,” he tells Maureen Ryan at AOL. “There were some critics in the early episodes particularly who felt they were slow and that word was used. Now, I don’t agree. I didn’t feel that, but some people said that.”
Some people also said there was too much sexposition on the show, which is another complaint Martin doesn’t agree with. “Perhaps that well was run to too often,” he says about the casual female nudity. “But I don’t know, it’s difficult to tell,” he says. Plus, you can’t please everyone! “I’ve got a few letters from gay fans who, while they were pleased by the naked male sexuality, were upset that the penises were not actually erect,” he says. Ah, fan mail.
Martin’s famously engaged with his readers and fans, so it’s not too surprising that he knows how to consider or deflect criticism or unusual praise about content or pacing or characterizations. But being on HBO comes with one additional issue: “What’s … frustrating to me, even from some of my friends, [is the response], ‘I’d watch it, but I don’t get HBO.’ Well, you know, they would give it to you if you just paid them $16 a month,” he says. “It’s not like you have to wait for a present from the sky. Go get it.” Snap.
Interview with ‘Game of Thrones’ Author/Producer George R.R. Martin: Part 1 [Stay Tuned With Maureen Ryan/AOL]
