It has been revealed in the upcoming book, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, that the late Dame Diana Rigg's co-stars and directors were somewhat intimidated by her on the set of Game of Thrones. Several interviews detail moments in which co-stars such as Emilia Clarke, Natalie Dormer and others, became awestruck by her acting abilities and her command of the set itself.
Showrunners D.B Weiss and David Benioff recalled that she attended her first table read having memorized all her lines. Director Mark Mylod -- who has won Emmy Awards for his work -- stated, "My very first scene with her, I asked her to do a very minor thing. Like, 'Would it make sense if you close the door and walk a few paces before this moment?'" He revealed that she responded asserting that she wished to perform her own way "then said: 'Thank you! Go away!' I became a five-year-old boy. I could feel myself blushing and creeping back to my monitor, stripped of any kind of dignity or authority."
Similarly, actor Jessica Henwick, who played Nymeria Sand, described Rigg on set when filming the meeting between Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand. "She walked onto the set, and she went, 'I'm ready now!'" Henwick continued, "A cameraman came over and went, 'Well, okay, but we haven't finished setting up.' She interrupted him and said, 'Roll the cameras!' And she just started doing her lines. She did two takes, and then the guy came over and was like, 'Great, now we’re going to do a close-up.' And she just stood up and she went, 'I'm done!'"
While Rigg's other co-stars acknowledged the power the actor had while filming, they also remembered her as an inspiring figure. Clarke, for example, thought back to her experience filming with Rigg. She stated, "Like with Peter [Dinklage], it was watching an acting master class. I kept thinking: "Okay, not my line yet, I'm not just watching you — really! I'm acting with you." Additionally, Dormer said, "When you have someone who has that many accolades, you just shut up and watch."
Dame Diana Rigg passed away on Sept. 10, at the age of 82. She was best known for her performances as Emma Peel on The Avengers and Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, a role for which she received four Emmy Award nominations. Rigg was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for services to drama.
(via Entertainment Weekly)