Comiccon

"Why did you have Sansa in that position where it didn't service the story? It was just for shock value."

"Well we only have 10 hours, blah blah blah, it was an important moment in the books, and whether or not that's Sansa or someone else it is a terrible thing, and when going through the writing process we felt that that wasn't something that should be undercut and it also gives you more perspective on Ramsay who, played by Iwan is just amazing, he also has this funny side but you have to remember he's a monster and given the needs to condense the two stories it felt like the natural way to combine the two. We'd love to do all of George's story as it was written but it's just not possible."

"Why did you write that Stannis burned his own daughter?"

"Well, as funny as Stannis can be at times, you have to remember he's a bad guy and he's been burning people alive since some of the first scenes we saw him. This is a guy who murdered his own brother. He's not a good person and he wouldn't make a good king. He's fueled by blind and religious ambition, and this sense of duty to carry that all out. Ya know, his last words are 'do your duty' which is also what Stannis is about, this sense of carrying out what he sees needs to be done. He's a very pragmatic individual. And in that context with his army stuck in the snow, and Melisandre's visions and the way Stannis thinks she has real power, he thought that her sacrifice was the only way to achieve victory, and in the end it caused his own downfall. Again, it's a terrible thing, but in that context and with the natural evolution of the story in ten hours a season, we felt that was just what Stannis had to do and it was fitting way for the show to bring his quest for the throne to a close."