Curtain Call: Joseph Mawle 

He came, he saw, he conquered, he disappeared….He waited 5 seasons, he came back, he saw, he conquered, he disappeared….He briefly returned once more, he briefly saw, he briefly conquered, and he disappeared for good. Uncle Benjen Stark’s tenure on 

was (as mentioned) brief, but it was always memorable. This is due in no small part to one of the only supporting cast members who has the distinction of appearing in the pilot: The one, the only, the incredible Joseph Mawle.

In one of his first scenes, Mawle masterfully held his own against the legendary Sean Bean:

Benjen: Of course I did. Just a lad. But he was tough, Ned…a true ranger.

Ned: He was talking madness. Said the Walkers slaughtered his friends.

Benjen: Direwolves south of the wall, talk of the Walkers, and my brother might be the next Hand of the King…Winter is coming.

I’ve always been floored by how natural this scene is. He’s just so blunt – Mawle doesn’t put any excess spin on the dialogue he’s spewing, and it sounds…amazing. Remember, this pilot episode was many peoples’ first foray into fantasy. Mawle is talking about things that could quickly lose peoples’ interest if they’re not the most devoted fantasy fanatics. Yet he casually talks about these occurrences as if they were an everyday activity, thereby inviting us into the world of Westeros world with open arms. His shared ‘Winter is coming’ exchange with Bean was an inside joke between brothers, and yet its delivery is a feast to behold, and most fittingly, the name of the pilot episode.

(season 6, episode 6), marking the end of a 52-episode absence. Very sorry to all my Gendry fans out there, but I do believe this is the longest absence for a single actor – quite the feat when you think about how twitchy the producers’ recasting fingers are. Clearly, Mawle struck a chord with the producers, and with the viewers at home. Endless speculation raged for 5+ years as we waited to see what befell the fateful ranger after his horse returned to Castle Black, minus one Benjen Stark.  This is a testament to Joseph Mawle and the warm practicality he brought to his portrayal of Benjen.

In this interview, which came out between seasons 3 and 4, Mawle recalls filming the pilot and bonding with Kit Harington (Jon), whom he viewed as a little brother, and Sean Bean (Ned), at whom he was initially intimidated, but felt better once Bean embraced him as a brother:

After his initial disappearance, in the two times Benjen returned to our screens, it was with the noblest of intentions: to save the Starks (already rolling eyes at those who will nitpick and say that I should call Jon a Targaryen). Bran and Jon were at their lowest lows when “Coldhands” rode to their rescue and saved them from their darkest hours.

We, the fans, sincerely want to thank Joseph Mawle for agreeing to come back for season 7; his dedication to the role shows how much he cares. In fact, when I fortuitously ran into him on the streets of London (see below and ooze jealousy!!) during my visit at the tail end of 2016, little did I know that he would soon thereafter show up in Belfast for filming. His was one of the nicest celebrity encounters I’ve ever had: “Are you Joe Mawle?” I bluntly asked him as he barreled past me on my way from Leicester Square. “…Yes?” he proclaimed, stopping to turn around, extremely surprised that someone was able to identify him so quickly by name. He was gracious enough to take a picture with me, and was happy to hear that I was such a large fan of his work. Speaking of his work…

Ask anyone who knows me my favorite show of the last two years, and they’ll say

? Joe freakin’ Mawle! Mawle shines as always, playing a crafty and manipulative drug dealer; talk about a versatile actor! He also had a role in 

, where he starred alongside GOT favorites such as Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) and Donald Sumpter (Maester Luwin) – I guess the Starks and their retinue like to keep it within the family.

I leave you with the reminder that Benjen was Jon’s original role model in wanting to join the Night’s Watch:

Benjen: You got bigger. Rode all day. Didn’t want to leave you alone with the Lannisters. Why aren’t you at the feast?

Jon: Lady Stark thought it might insult the royal family to seat a bastard in their midst.

Benjen: Well you’re always welcome on The Wall. No bastard was ever refused a seat there

Jon: So take me with you when you go back!…Father will let me if you ask him, I know he will.

Oh isn’t it, Benjen? Is that what you think…? We’ll miss you, Joe. You did us proud.

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I’m so glad he came back, even for a little while. He has a great face, I love seeing him turn up in other shows too. I wish he was on GOT for longer but them’s the breaks. RIP Uncle Benjen, and thanks for your contribution, Joseph Mawle.

*whispers* I always thought he would have made a great Ned, tbh. *runs off*

He was awesome. I only wish he’d had more of a role than he did. Thank you Joe Mawle for a great portrayal! 👏

I really wanted Jon to have his Uncle around at the end 😕

Happy they decided to bring him back! 🙂

Yeah, when I first saw him as Benjen, I thought “THAT is the way Ned should look.”

Joseph did a great job in what could have been a very short-lived role overshadowed by other storylines and it was terrific to see him come back as Benjen after several seasons away. Of course there was always the endless theorizing about whatever happened to Uncle Benjen, so there was always hope of a return!

I haven’t seen that much of him elsewhere except in Ripper Street where he plays a very different role, as a hard-nosed Victorian detective that you seriously don’t want to get on the wrong side of!

“The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”… *cue uncontrollable crying*

Wish we could’ve had more time with Benjen, but I suppose that being scarce and incredibly hardy helps keep the legend of the First Ranger alive. Joseph Mawle was perfect in the role! Hope he gets lots of job offers after GoT.

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