GOT: George RR Martin Thought The Show's Osha Was More Interesting Than The One He Wrote
Most fans of HBO's hit show "Game of Thrones" know that the series was based on George R. R. Martin's best-selling book series, "A Song of Ice and Fire." Whether or not fans of the HBO show have read the novels themselves, they've likely familiarized themselves with Martin's work and opinions on the television adaptation to some degree.
While "Game of Thrones" was highly praised over the years for being an excellent series (notorious resolution aside), the HBO show has always had some creative differences between it and its source material.
Naturally, Martin has often been asked about the differences between the characters and plot he wrote and compared to the live-action adaptation. People always ask him what he agrees with and doesn't like, but even someone as talented as George R. R. Martin can admit when improvements have been made.
In fact, Martin believes that the show's portrayal of Osha (Natalia Tena) was better than the character he created for his books. In an interview with Sky Atlantic, Martin admitted that the show vastly improved on Osha because she was never so engaging for him. " "Her Osha [Natalia Tena] is actually a far more interesting character than my Osha," Martin admitted.
Natalia Tena was a breath of fresh air for Osha
George R. R. Martin gave a lot of insight into his thoughts, feelings, and involvement with "Game of Thrones" in the Sky Atlantic interview, and the author's feelings about Natalia Tena's Osha were made clear quickly. "The character in the book fulfills a certain function, but never mesmerized or made you just want to, you know, watch this character and learn more about this character and see more scenes with this character the way that Natalia does when she plays that role on screen," Martin continued, emphasizing how compelled he was by Tena's portrayal and elaboration of the character that he originally created. "When I bring Osha back in the future books, I'm probably gonna have to make her more interesting."
That's high praise coming from such a masterclass world-builder like Martin. Tena's liveliness as Osha inspired him so much that he realized he would need to up his game if he ever decided to bring her back into his work.
Tena starred as Osha in 16 episodes of "Game of Thrones." As a Wilding who grew up North of The Wall, Osha fled to escape the growing threat of the White Walkers who had taken her husband from her. Her group wished to go as South as they possibly could to outrun the deadly winter. Osha was a prominent figure in Seasons 1 through 3, who found herself intertwined with the Stark boys, especially Bran. Ramsay Bolton ultimately killed her in Season 6 when he learned of her connection to the Starks.