EXCLUSIVE: Shaun Thomas on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

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The Rise of an Underdog in Westeros

Shaun Thomas is no stranger to transformative roles. From his breakout performance as “Swifty” in The Selfish Giant to his award-winning turn in Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex, Thomas has consistently proven his ability to embody characters with depth, nuance, and authenticity. Now, he steps into the sprawling world of Westeros in HBO’s highly anticipated prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a story set a century before the events of Game of Thrones.

In this series, Shaun plays Raymun Fossoway, a squire whose journey offers a fresh lens on the world of Westeros — one that contrasts sharply with the dragons, White Walkers, and epic battles that fans of the original series might expect. For Thomas, stepping into this universe presented both exhilarating opportunity and immense responsibility.

“The first thing that struck me about this period of Westeros was how fun it seemed,” Shaun explains. “It’s set in pretty much one location, told through the eyes of an underdog named Dunk. This period felt very different from the Westeros I knew at the time — there were no dragons, no White Walkers. And the first thing that struck me about Raymun Fossoway was his likeability. Despite being a squire in a difficult time, treated as lesser by his older cousin, he still has a pure heart and high spirits, along with some more edgy traits when pushed to them.”

The challenge for Shaun was to bring Raymun to life organically without inheriting traits from prior Game of Thrones characters. “I didn’t overindulge in the Game of Thrones world when I first started building Raymun,” he says. “I wanted him to come to life on his own terms. My main focus was getting the correct tone, ensuring he felt authentic and grounded rather than a pastiche of the world’s previous characters.”

For an actor at the top of his game, the stakes were high. “I don’t think the pressure ever disappears,” Shaun admits. “But I wouldn’t call it a bad thing. It just means you care about what you do. I felt an enormous amount of pressure and relief the moment my agent told me I’d booked the job. The show has a huge fan base, so I felt the need to get it right. I immersed myself immediately into the world of Raymun Fossoway.”

This prequel is a departure from Shaun’s previous work, demanding skills he hadn’t relied on before. “A project like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms gets you to use muscles you never knew existed — mainly from horse riding,” he says with a smile. “The biggest challenge was keeping the grounded drama but still having a hint of myth-heavy storytelling, combining the two and balancing them appropriately.”

At the heart of Raymun’s story is his moral compass. Shaun emphasises the importance of capturing the character’s intrinsic sense of right and wrong. “It was very important for me to understand that Raymun is driven by doing the right thing, led by emotions and his own morals, which often go against his cousin’s teachings,” he explains. “It was satisfying that my character would be more about personality than spectacle.”

Shaun’s approach to acting has been shaped by some of the most celebrated voices in contemporary cinema. “Molly Manning Walker, Clio Barnard, Nicholas Hytner — they’ve all played substantial parts in my career,” he reflects. “If it wasn’t for Clio Barnard, I highly doubt I’d be acting today. I try to be a sponge on every set I work on, constantly learning. Working with these directors fuelled me with confidence and gave me the tools needed to take the next step into an HBO production, where I continued to hone my craft and adapt to much bigger sets.”

Indeed, the meticulous preparation and layered research Shaun undertakes has evolved significantly since his early days. “I’m much more meticulous now,” he notes. “I use research to gain a better understanding of the material and draw from experiences in my own life to relate to the character and their motivations. I’ve been enhancing this skill since being a child actor.”

Recognition has followed Shaun’s dedication. Winning Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 BIFAs for How To Have Sexalongside Paul Mescal was both shocking and affirming. *“When I won, I was very disorientated — I couldn’t believe it. I never thought I would be an actor, so to win a BIFA blew my mind. But it was also affirming, a reminder that I do belong in the industry.”

The actor’s recent work, particularly in Nicholas Hytner’s The Choral, prepared him for the scale of an HBO production. “Working on a piece of Alan Bennett’s writing under Nicholas Hytner was priceless,” Shaun says.

“It was an honour, and I learned so much from the incredible cast and crew. It gave me the confidence to move on to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I was lucky to do both projects back-to-back, despite some scheduling clashes — there was a lot going on behind the scenes to make it happen, and I’m very grateful.”

Shaun’s trajectory, from socially grounded dramas to mythic storytelling, is a testament to his versatility. But it’s not just about spectacle or scale — it’s about perspective. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms touches on many themes,” he says. “Most impactful to a modern audience, I think, is how it sheds light on the struggles of those at the bottom of the hierarchy in Westeros, giving a different perspective from what audiences are used to seeing.”

As the show prepares to launch, Shaun Thomas embodies the very underdog spirit of his character: resilient, principled, and ready to capture the imagination of a global audience. His journey from early promise to award-winning talent to leading man in a cultural phenomenon illustrates not just his extraordinary talent, but the careful, deliberate choices that have defined his career.

“I have such trust in my agent, Sarah, and her vision board for me as an actor,” he adds. “The roles, projects, and creators I’ve connected with so far have all been amazing. I just trust the process.”

For fans and newcomers alike, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms promises more than the grandeur of Westeros — it promises heart, nuance, and a new lens through which to explore the world of dragons, knights, and legacies. And at the centre of it, Shaun Thomas brings a character as compelling as the stories themselves: courageous, thoughtful, and endlessly watchable.

With his combination of grounded emotional depth and the willingness to embrace mythic storytelling, Shaun is not just stepping into Westeros — he’s staking his claim as one of the defining actors of his generation. And as Raymun Fossoway rides into this new chapter, audiences will undoubtedly be watching, enthralled, every step of the way.

Follow Shaun on Instagram.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is on Sky Atlantic now.

Tajinder HayerFebruary 16, 2026