Earning the title of the worst person in Westeros is no easy task, but Ramsay Bolton not only earned his reputation, he seemed to relish it. The character was so dark, it's impossible not to wonder how his portrayer Iwan Rheon came up with his unique take on Ramsay. Much of the credit has to go to the Game of Thrones writers and the creator of the book series, George R.R. Martin, but the actor reached beyond the script to shape his monstrous character. In an interview with Mashable, Rheon revealed he drew on three unlikely figures to help him bring the former King in the North to life.
A character as unabashedly sadistic as Ramsay is sure to have some equally evil inspirations, right? Well, two out of three are evil, one just has a spectacular walk.
Rheon revealed Heath Ledger's Joker was his biggest influence. He said, "how difficult he is to read, and how maniacal he could be and how he could just turn around and kill someone" all informed how he played his villainous character. The Joker connection isn't too surprising. All you have to do is watch a blood-soaked Ramsay grinning and begging Asha for a fight to see shades of the DC villain in Rheon's portrayal. However, his other two influences were a little bit more surprising.
He told Mashaable, "I took the walk from Liam Gallagher [of the band Oasis], and his mischievous side from Dennis the Menace. Those were the three influences for Ramsay Bolton."
And no, he's not talking about the adorable, American Dennis, who accidently turns everything he touches into chaos. He's talking about the British Dennis, who is an absolute terror, nonstop. The British Dennis the Menace hates authorities and the "Softies" — boys who aren't into the whole ultraviolence thing.
As magnificent as Rheon's performance on Game of Thrones was, it's safe to say most viewers were happy to see the character dispatched in Season 6. The actor seems to agree it was time for Ramsay's reign to come to an end. In his interview, he said:
"I think it was the right time for Ramsay to go. There was nowhere left for him to go; he'd done so many terrible things, what's he going to do next? I felt that he had a good life, cause he almost got there."
Thankfully for the citizens of Westeros, Ramsay didn't make it all the way to the Iron Throne. As appealing as the idea of watching Rheon break out his Gallagher swagger in the Red Keep is, a Bolton on the throne would likely have been far deadlier than an ice zombie invasion in the long run.
