Richard Madden has come a long way since playing Robb Stark on Game of Thrones. The actor is currently the star of the successful series The Bodyguard, and fans worldwide are loving his performance as David Budd. Of course, folks were also quite fond of his portrayal as Robb Stark, but Madden said there's a difference between how David has been received versus Robb.
People are really engaged with me on Bodyguard, which is interesting, and people are heartbroken for this man and where he was in his life. I suppose nothing is going to be the same as the reaction to the Robb Stark death, which is a great way to die, and a lot of people are still very heartbroken by that.
Richard Madden may be phenomenal in The Bodyguard, but even the most glowing future television performances will have trouble outshining Robb Stark's exit on Game of Thrones. Richard Madden seemed to acknowledge that in his interview with Variety, and notes that a lot of people are still broken up over the Red Wedding. While his portrayal in The Bodyguard may not be as tragic as Robb's fate, Madden's getting credit from audiences for his emotional performance as David.
Richard Madden added that he's been surprised by the response to The Bodyguard, which set records in the UK. The series gained massive viewership in a short amount of time and earned the title as the biggest British show of the decade. The drama has celebrated even greater success on Netflix and has been well received by critics and audiences alike. Madden spoke about the phenomena surrounding the program, and how the response has exceeded his expectations.
I did not expect this many people to watch it. The numbers went up and up until we were nearly double by the end, which seems really strange. People were watching TV live again because it came out weekly in the UK. All of these things were really kind of overwhelming and really encouraging because there's a 160-something crew on this job and we all worked really, really hard for it. ... It's such a great payoff for everything. And then for it to travel across the water has been overwhelming and strange but I'm thrilled.
The success of The Bodyguard has left Richard Madden hungry for more episodes. Madden mentioned to other outlets like Digital Spy that he'd love to continue David's story in Season 2, although he's not sure how it would happen or whether or not it will. Madden noted Season 1 was easy to film due to the show's lack of notoriety. Should the series return for Season 2, folks will be paying closer attention and attempting to capture secrets during filming.
Curious audiences who have yet to check out Richard Madden's performance on The Bodyguard can do so right now on Netflix. For a look at other potentially great shows invading the air waves over the next couple of months, visit our fall premiere guide.
