Iain Glen is in Belfast, reading the final episodes of Game Of Thrones (GoT), as we chat up on phone. Good scripts excite him as much as acting them out, the stage and screen of Scottish origin tells you, and he is looking forward to getting into the boots of maverick Ser Jorah Mormont once again.

"Always expect the unexpected in GoT. That is what works for the show, and season eight has loads of surprises," declares the actor, about the final season of the blockbuster TV show, scheduled to be aired in 2019.

"In the next and last season, Ser Jorah will happily become a permanent fixture in Daenerys Targaryen's inner circle, as the battle between good and evil draws to a spectacular finale," he informs.

Glen has been a respected name in the English theatre, film and television scene for over three decades now, and he is amused when you tell him his global fame primarily rests on being Ser Jorah. "I find that ironic," he laughs. "I am surprised and delighted by the popularity of Ser Jorah. But people on the streets of London also recognise me for Hamlet or Henry V," he adds, referring to his unforgettable plays.

"Ser Jorah is a massive global hit, I know. It is bigger than anything I have done."

Glen has also been popular as Dr Alexander Isaacs, his evil avatar in the Resident Evil flicks. He has reprised the manic tycoon's role in three of the six films in the horror sci-fi franchise starring Milla Jovovich, including the sixth and last instalment, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Also read | Game of Thrones Season 8: Finale secrets every fan wants to know

Unlike many purists hailing from a theatre background, Glen feels Hollywood franchise films such as the Resident Evil flicks have a value. "Big Hollywood grossers trigger off big public interest, so they help an actor take his craft to a wider audience. I do not think Hollywood stereotypes an actor. Rather, if you sign the right films, you get a sort of recognition that is hard to find anywhere else," says Glen.

Numbers underline his point. The six Resident Evil films have cumulatively earned nearly $1,235 billion worldwide, with The Final Chapter grossing over $310 million. Glen feels playing the arch villain in such a blockbuster franchise helped him become a familiar face in markets beyond America and Europe. Also read | Game Of Thrones won't film multiple endings: Maisie Williams

"These are staggering box-office numbers," says Glen, about the film's global haul.

"And I love the response my evil character gets at Comic Con," he says. "The series has only grown bigger in the global market - especially Asia - with each new film." In India, particularly, the franchise is a rage, with the sequels being dubbed and released in Hindi and other regional languages. Sony Pix ratings of telecast reveal the response has been overwhelming on the small screen, too.

Doesn't mainstream Hollywood restrict an actor's talent? Glen has done a range of roles in films including Gorillas In The Mist, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Kingdom Of Heaven and Kick-Ass 2 over the decades, and he feels it is up to the actor, really, whether he steps into an image trap Also read | Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams takes a dig at Donald Trump.

"Getting stereotyped is not about Hollywood roles. It happens if you focus your skills only on Hollywood. Then, it starts constricting you. I have the advantage of living in London, which lets me be a part of the best theatre scene anywhere in the world.

Theatre keeps me rooted as an actor," he says, and adds as an afterthought: "I don't really care what the medium of acting is."

He is equally non-committal about an artist's role in leaving a message through his work. "Imparting a message (though one's work) is not something one necessarily gets into. Good art is something that lets viewers take whatever they want to from your effort," he says. His role of Ser Jorah, for instance, could mean different things to different people. Also read: F.I.R actress Kavita Kaushik approached for Game of Thrones? Here's the truth

"To me, Jorah stands for loyalty. He is admirable for the way he supports goodness at any cost." Season eight of GoT will have only six episodes and the makers have promised each episode will be nothing short of a massive movie.

"The scale on which the final season has been mounted is amazing. GoT is the biggest TV show ever and the finale will reflect that. The production values are immense and shoot is taking long because the sequences are more complicated," informs Glen, explaining the gap between seasons seven and eight.

"If you ask me, the gap between the final two seasons will only increase fan frenzy. The six episodes of the final season are taking roughly the same amount of time to shoot that 10 episodes on an average would take in the past seasons," he says.

Being Ser Jorah is mostly all about being in midst of spectacular action. Talking of the spectacular, we cannot resist asking him if he has ever sampled Bollywood masala. "I would love to watch a few Bollywood films but living in London I do not get much scope," he says.

Showbiz has changed a lot since the time he first faced the camera three decades ago. Glen is happy about certain changes - particularly, efforts as #MeToo campaign that encourages women to name and shame sexual predators.

"The time has come for people to think very carefully about such matters. The loud warning is whatever men might have gotten away with in the past will not be tolerated anymore," he sums up.