How would you characterize it?

Kind of mentoring, in terms of schooling Sansa in the ways of manipulation, the ways to play the game, or the ways to survive. Of course there’s a certain lack of clarity in what he’s after, and I think that’s the way it should be. I don’t think I should have to say anything about it.

Do you know his ultimate end game? Or are you in the dark, too?

For the last couple of seasons we have been in the dark — we don’t have books to consult anymore. I guess if you really wanted to hound the writers for your end game, they might indulge you. But I personally don’t like to know. I think if you know it, you play it, and you might do something obvious.

In the beginning Littlefinger was more inscrutable but he’s since become a more transparently villainous character. Which was more fun to play?

Even with the obvious villainy, you’re always trying to at least make it likable and for there to be some fun to it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of screen time. If you still have a lot of story to tell in a certain amount of episodes, sometimes you’ve got to get straight to plot detail. It might seem a bit more black-and-white or, in my case, villainous. There’s so much story going on at the moment. You’re living in the shadow of dragons.

The show has gotten much faster, narratively.

There’s a lot of story still to tell. But a lot of this is what people have been waiting to see happen, and alliances people have been hoping for for so long. No matter how you pace it, it’s probably going to seem like it’s happening pretty fast. But the audience has to always feel they’re privy to intimate moments. There was a beautiful moment in last night’s episode with Daenerys and Jon Snow — it’s great to see her show that vulnerability again. Despite the breakneck pace of development, it’s important for the makers to take their time with those moments.