Change of fortune

AS FANS eagerly anticipate the seventh season of Game of Thrones, one character who has evolved greatly over the seasons is Samwell Tarly, played by John Bradley.
We were first introduced to Sam as the soft-spoken son of a nobleman who was forced to go to the Wall by his father.
The men who man the Wall are other social rejects (read: criminals) or lesser members of Westeros' nobility who put their lives on the line to ensure the zombie-like White Walkers do not cross the Wall.
Sam befriends Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and over the course of the show, gets to display his intelligence and bravery, especially when he kills a White Walker and rescues a Wilding girl called Gilly (Hannah Murray).
Last season, Sam decides to leave the Wall, taking Gilly and her child, Little Sam, with him.
Along the way, Sam stops by his family home and ends up stealing the family heirloom, the sword Heartsbane.
Sam, Gilly, and the child then head over to the Citadel, where Sam wants to study and become a maester.
The last we see of Sam, he is gazing in awe at the massive Citadel library.
During a teleconference call, we asked Bradley whether Sam will have more pivotal moments in the series.
Bradley said: "I think when you have watched up to season six, you can see that Sam has undergone a huge and dramatic change.
"He eventually had to go home before going to the Citadel because it was all about closure for him. He had to show his father how far he has come."
The Citadel was the pinnacle of Sam's dreams.
"He was always told he would never amount to anything or live the life he wanted to live," said Bradley.
"Now, he has got where he's accepted and his particular set of skills are valued for the first time.
"Now, he can go on and achieve more in future seasons and be known for his big achievements.
"From now on, you will see more big moments from Sam. All that self doubt has been removed."
Bradley also revealed a darker side to Sam, noting that he can be as devious as the infamous Littlefinger.
He explained: "If you think about the course of the past three or four seasons, Sam is very capable of manipulating people.
"There has so many occasions with Jon where Sam manipulated him into staying at Castle Black, and manipulated the entire brotherhood into electing John Snow as Lord Commander, because that was the only way Sam could go to the Citadel.
"His political ability, his ability to speak to people ... makes him a master manipulator to get him where he wants to go."
George R.R Martin who wrote the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, that the Game of Thrones TV series is based on, once said that he himself identifies more with Sam.
Bradley said that naturally puts pressure on him as an actor.
He feels that Martin shares many of Sam's positive attributes such as being bookish and knowledgeable.
"George was a conscientious objector of the Vietnam War as well, and a lot of his attitudes towards war and fighting [are] shared by Sam."
He also addressed one frequent question from fans: how come Little Sam – who was born in season two – does not seem to be growing?
"That is a really interesting question," Bradley said. "People try and pick apart a plot and say why not this and that.
"[A better question would be] why isn't Sam getting any thinner?
"In a show where you see dragons and people being brought back from the dead, why is it so hard to believe that Little Sam is not growing?
"If you are prepared to suspend [your] belief when you enter a fantasy world, you have to prepare yourself to not ask these questions."

Game of Thrones season 7 will premiere on HBO (Astro Channels 411/431) on Monday at 9am, with a same-day primetime encore at 9pm. The series will also be available on On Demand and Astro GO.