There have been plenty of interesting changes to the characters introduced a year ago in “Game of Thrones,” but easily one of the most pleasant to watch in Season 2, is the hero’s journey taken by “the young wolf,” Robb Stark.

Played by Scottish actor Richard Madden, Season 2 began for the King in the North winning battles and showing off – so far – some shrewd logic (like keeping the most valuable prisoner, Jaime Lannister, with his forces).

But life slaying Lannister forces can be tough on a young man, and viewers recently saw Robb strike up a couple of conversations with the raven-haired Tulisa (Oona Chaplin, BBC America’s “The Hour”), the latest of which certainly revealed Robb in the first blush of a crush.

Richard actually played another young character, Romeo, who became quickly smitten by a woman — Juliet – in the Shakespearian play when he was barely 20, so do those first pangs of infatuation give Robb and Romeo something in common?

“Hmmm…,” he paused, after AccessHollywood.com asked if there were parallels among the young men. “I think it’s different. With Romeo, he’s kind of, very quickly head over heels and Robb’s got much more kind of reserve there, where he’s never been in a situation with a woman before, where he’s been taken by someone. Whereas I think Romeo [has] kind of been there, he’s fallen in love how many times already… Robb’s never been there and he doesn’t know what it is yet. And also, rather than kind of knowing how much he likes this woman at this point, he’s just kind of surprised and intrigued by her, and wants to kind of get to know her, this woman that challenges him, and is a kind of light in the darkness for him,” Richard added. “He’s not taking it all too seriously yet.”
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Richard Madden knows how lucky he is that “Game of Thrones” executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss didn’t follow George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” books exactly for Season 2 of the HBO hit.

If they had, he would not have been in it. His character, Robb Stark, would not be arguing with his mother, defeating the Lannisters in battle or, maybe most importantly, meeting the woman of his dreams.

“It was a huge compliment for me that David and Dan kind of believed in what I was doing enough to allow that to happen and me to run with it,” Madden, 26, told me last week during a phone interview. “It’s allowed me to do scenes that no one has seen because they weren’t in the books. So I was very thankful and very pleased.”

In the latest episode, “Garden of Bones,” Robb’s army wins another battle and afterward he meets Talisa (Oona Chaplin), a healer helping the injured on the battlefield. It isn’t clear if Talisa is meant to be Jeyne, a character from the books, but one thing is certain: She has cast a spell over Robb.

“She’s a breath of fresh air, kind of light in this darkness. He’s never met or seen anyone like her before,” he said.

The romance gave the Scottish actor another chance to interpret Robb in his own way, and to play emotions he hasn’t had a chance to explore with the character. This being “Game of Thrones,” it also gave him a chance to ditch Robb’s heavy costumes of leather, furs and armor.

“Umm, without spoiling it, I think you’re going to see Robb wearing less armor than normal,” Madden said, laughing. “How’s that?”

I’m sure fans will be happy to hear it. Madden and I talked more about Robb’s evolution, working with Michelle Fairley (who plays his mother, Lady Catelyn), and whether Robb’s honor could lead to trouble like it did for his father, Ned Stark.

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The three strapping lads from Game of Thrones, HBO’s mega-awesome adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, visited Miami yesterday to reflect on their roles and announce the show has been renewed for a third season.

Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), and Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) met up with Cultist for a spell, where we found out that in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, you can expect to see Lord Theon Greyjoy in ladies’ clothes. Well, kind of.

Allen did tell us that he would have liked to play the role of Arya, and that he was excited to say the deviously manipulative line “Try smiling with your lips closed” to an on-screen lover with unfortunate dental aesthetics.

“When I read that line I was just like, I couldn’t wait to deliver it,” he said in a lovely London accent, tapping on his pack of Parliaments. About the scene as a whole, in which his character roughly ravishes an ingenuous naked girl on a boat, he added, “Is it uncomfortable? Noooo!”

Allen said it takes roughly five months to film a season of Game of Thrones. Allen, Harington and Madden spent most of their time last summer filming in Iceland.

Harington told us none of his scenes in the show’s second season were shot in a studio. In Iceland, “It was minus 30 degrees [Celsius] most of the time,” said Harington. That’s roughly -22 F, for you Americans.

And sadly, the guys didn’t get to do much other than work in Iceland. “We did see the Northern Lights, which were really beautiful. But we didn’t go sightseeing, because we were seeing all the sights while driving from one filming location to another.”

Miami, of course, offers far more comfortable climes. But their visit is mostly for work, so the nice weather may be lost on them. Still, Allen said he’s gotten out to Soho Beach House in Miami Beach, and planned on checking out the Delano on Tuesday.

“I like to party. Do you like to party? Do you wanna party tonight?” said Allen, with a totally straight face. (Um, yes. Yes we do.)

Richard Madden, however, would rather Skype with his family while he’s away.

“I’m not shy of a party,” he said, adding, “I don’t get to see my family very often. I miss out on birthdays and weddings, and as an actor, if you want to engage in the studio, sometimes you have to sacrifice those things unless you get really good at Skype.”

Madden and Harington both said they share some of their characters’ qualities, or at least try to. Of course, if you played the righteous Robb Stark and the heroic Jon Snow on screen, you’d probably want to be like them too.

“I’d like to say that as a person I’d do the same things Jon did,” said Harington, about his character’s need to save and avenge people. Madden said, “I think Robb lives by certain rules, and I try to live by certain rules.”

Madden added, “Sometimes I get taken over by the character…. So you gotta make sure you have a beer at the bar,” to maintain the lines between acting and reality.

Allen made clear he loves his character’s devious nature — he’s neither a hero nor a villain, even more so in the show than in the books. However, he’s open to trying different things.

“I’d love to play a female role,” he said. “Why not? Just give it a go. I’d also love to get into that comedy side of things. I think as an actor you can’t be too picky about stuff, you just got to get on with it.”

All three of the guys admitted they try to stay away from Internet commentary and fan’s reactions — the good and the bad — to their characters, to avoid people’s opinions from influencing their performance.

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Thanks to my dear friend Mariana we have the translation of this interview, enjoy it!

The heartthrobs of “Game of Thrones” Richard Madden and Kit Harington, who play the brothers Robb Stark and Jon Snow in the series, praised the beauty of Brazilian women during a press conference with journalists in Rio de Janeiro, this Friday morning (13). The British actors landed in the city last night to promote the new season of the series based on the books of George R.R. Martin and, despite their short stay, have already been surrounded by fans. (Note: THEY SAIS HARASSED BUT IN ENGLISH I THINK THE MEANING IS EVEN STRONGER THAN IN PORTUGUESE AND THEY DIDN’T MEAN IT AS A BAD THING. THEY WANTED TO EXPRESS HOW POPULAR THEY WERE, THAT’S ALL.)

To UOL, Kit Harington, who plays Ned Stark’s bastard son, told what a woman must to be like to have a shot with him. “The queen of my ‘real’ life must be funny. Brazilian women definitely have a shot with me. I’m loving Brazil”, he said. Richard Madden, who plays one of the candidates to the throne of Westeros, Robb Stark, showed himself to be more shy, but, an observer. “I can’t answer this kind of question. You make me shy, this way. But, yes, Brazilian women are beautiful”, he assured, with rosy cheeks, heavily praising Rio.

The two of them have already met a few bars and made a walk by the beach. “We arrived last night, so we didn’t have much time. But everything’s very beautiful”, complimented Kit. Richard seemed very enthusiastic about Rio nightlife. “Last night we went to a few bars and I intend on doing it again tonight. So, maybe fans will bump into me. I made a short walk and, because I’m jet lagged, I watched the sunrise. The sun rising on the beach is beautiful”, told Madden, who’s staying with Harington in a hotel at Copacabana Beach.

When we last saw Robb Stark (Richard Madden), he was leading the North to war against King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) to avenge his father’s death, and after a string of victories that stretched south into the Riverlands, it looks as if the King in the North is on an unstoppable streak. However, as the late Ned Stark’s eldest son will learn, this game of thrones is not all about winning the battles.

In Season 2 of HBO hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones” (Sundays at 9 p.m. ET), the newly-appointed King of the North will need to start using his head more than his sword. He’s already sent his mother Lady Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) off to negotiate an alliance with King Renly (Gethin Anthony) in Highgarden, and he also has his captive, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), at his — and his direwolf Grey Wind’s — mercy.

Yet, Robb Stark is still his father’s son, and his honorable nature is something that actor Richard Madden says might get the Young Wolf into trouble. After all, fans of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” know that oftentimes, honorable men have no place in war.

“Honor is a Stark trait, and it’s going to be a real problem for Robb,” Madden told HuffPost TV. “What I love so much about him is that he follows his heart in everything he’s does. He’s one of the only characters where everything comes from a sense of good, and being just and fair. But this whole situation has become much bigger than him just looking after his family. He’s looking after 20,000 men, and they’ve all got mothers and wives and daughters and sons all behind them, so now he has 20,000 families to look after. He’s got a great heart, and he cares about people a lot, but that will also end up causing him a lot of problems later.”

Madden also talked to HuffPost TV about what’s to come for Robb Stark. Apparently, this means that viewers will get to see a bit more of Robb this season.

SPOILER ALERTS

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