'Game of Thrones' star Liam Cunningham refused Davos Missandei crush plot

Liam Cunningham wasn't afraid to tell Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss where to go when he thought they were wrong.

The Irish actor has revealed that he flatly refused to accept a plot in which his character Ser Davos Seaworth was to be romantically attracted to Nathalie Emmanuel's Missandei of Naath.

It's not until the show's seventh season that the two characters first meet, but Cunningham was adamant that a man of Ser Davos's moral standing would not be enticed by a woman half his age (Cunningham was 56, while Emmanuel was 28).

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He cited his character's protective stance towards two of the show's younger female characters, Shireen Baratheon and Lyanna Mormont, as his reason to kick back against his show bosses.

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“There’s a streak in Benioff that’s willful,” Cunningham told Insider.

“He likes to stir the sh*t. When we first meet Daenerys, Benioff and [director Mark Mylod] wanted Davos to have a crush on Missandei. And I fought them. I’m not f**king doing it. It’s the only thing I ever stood up to them on.

“The woman is a goddess, but with Davos’ history with Lyanna Mormont and Shireen, you can’t have him getting the hots for a young woman.”

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He explains that he went on to tell Benioff 'You’re not undoing my hard work engendering the sympathy of the audience to have him be a perv'.

Cunningham's chracter, a former smuggler dubbed the 'onion knight' who rises to become a confidant to some of the most powerful in Westeros, appeared in 42 of the 73 episodes of the show.

The prequel to the hit HBO fantasy series, House of the Dragon, is now gathering speed, following news that it has cast its lead.

British actor Paddy Considine will play King Viserys Targaryen in the show.

Per the official character synopsis: “King Viserys Targaryen is chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal.

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“A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather’s legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.”

The show is expected to arrive in 2022.

Watch: Paddy Considine lined up to lead GoT prequel