Jeremy Podeswa was a new addition to the Game of Thrones directing roster last year. He directed episodes 5 and 6 of Season 5: “Kill the Boy” and “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.” Along with David Nutter, Podeswa was one of two Thrones directors nominated for an Emmy for Best Directing. Podeswa got the nod for “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” a decision that surprised some people, as that episode was harshly criticized after it aired.

Podeswa will direct another two episodes in Season 6: the premiere and the second episode. Gold Derby sat down with Podeswa for a terrific interview in which he expounded on the decisions he made when shooting “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” teased what’s coming in Season 6, and more.

Emmy nominations and “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”

The first topic Podeswa covered was his Emmy nomination. Apparently, he was “dumbstruck” when he found out, which matches the reactions of many fans who wondered how “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” could be nominated while a terrific episode like “Hardhome” was ignored. Even Podeswa talks about how great “Hardhome” was a couple of times during the interview, so the choice remains a bit of a mystery.

In any case, Podeswa did talk insightfully about his favorite moments from “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” paying special attention to the introduction of the Hall of Faces in the House of Black and White. “I had a lot to do with the design of that and how it was going to be conceived and shot,” he said. From where I was sitting, the Hall of Faces had the kind of “magical, otherworldly quality” that Podeswa was going for, so kudos on that.

Podeswa also talked about Sansa’s wedding. “She’s a very strong woman and she’s entered into this situation that…she thinks she can handle,” he said. “It’s a situation she actually cannot really control, and she’s in deeper than she thinks she’s going to be. And I think from a dramatic point of view those things are very, very strong.”

On Sansa’s rape scene, Podeswa said that he tried to bring “a certain sensitivity in dealing with the actors on the set” and to “understand how viewers are going to receive it.” This scene caused an uproar after it aired, and Podeswa doesn’t talk about whether his understanding of how the scene would be received accounted for that. He did, however, think that it resulted in a “valid discussion,” and assured people that the fan reaction was “heard.” It’ll be interesting to see if perceptions of that scene change as we get more of Sansa’s story in Season 6.

Also, it must be pointed out that Podeswa says almost nothing about the events in Dorne during “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.” Huh.

Season 6, Jon Snow, and worlds colliding

Speaking of Season 6, Podeswa reasserts what we already know: Season 6 will be the first year of the show where there is “no precedent” from the books. “Right now…what we’re shooting currently, it’s not based on anything in the book. It’s only based on discussions that the writers have had with George Martin, because…the series has now surpassed the books in terms of what’s available.” Things are gonna get wild.

What will Season 6 entail? According to Podeswa, “the one great thing about Season 6” is that there’s a sense of the world “collapsing” and characters “converging on each other.” That’s something that started in Season 5, and it seems like Season 6 will keep the momentum going. “It’s very interesting from a narrative point of view,” Podeswa said.

Gold Derby also asked Podeswa about Jon Snow, because this is an interview with a Game of Thrones crew member. The director was understandably cagey. “I have no comment whatsoever,” Podeswa said after Gold Derby editor Matt Noble asked him whether Jon Snow showed up in the first two episodes of Season 6. “I got nothing. Watch the show. It’s gonna be great. That’s all I can tell you.” He did praise the decision to kill Jon Snow, saying that “it’s the definition of a cliffhanger…I think it’s ‘Where does the story go from here?’ I think the audience is dying to know.” Well, Gold Derby tried.

More generally, it’s good to hear that Podeswa thinks that Season 6 is “really, really strong” and that the writers “have done a brilliant job of extending the storyline and taking it somewhere really exciting.”

“All I can say is that it’s a very exciting season. There are characters coming together again that you haven’t seen before. Everybody has a very interesting journey through the season. There’s a lot of spectacle. There’s a lot of everything that people love about the show, and great moments for actors, and great scenes. It’s another great season of Game of Thrones.”

Leaving Croatia

It’s also worth noting that Podeswa may have unintentionally confirmed a rumor that the show will have a greatly reduced presence in Croatia this year. When discussing his schedule, he says that he’s shooting in four different areas in Spain, which tracks with all the filming currently underway there. Curiously, he also says that the show shot in Croatia “last year,” implying that they’re doing little to nothing this year.

Thanks again to Gold Derby for conducting this thorough interview.