STACK NZ Mar #71

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T he New Zealand actress, best known for her Oscar-nominated role in Whale Rider , has been a fan of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series since reading the books at school. And the Sand Snakes were among her favourite characters. “I loved them,” she enthuses. “They are definitely some of the most badass female characters in the books. When Pedro Pascal turned up as Oberyn Martell last season, it was so exciting. I started thinking that I could be related to Pedro Pascal. "I put it out there into the universe; I got in touch with my manager. They announced that they were auditioning the Sand Snakes, and from that point on, I became very persistent about making sure anyone who was involved in the show knew that I was gunning for it.” Castle-Hughes plays Obara Sand, probably the most warrior-like of the three siblings. “Obara is the most like Oberyn,” she agrees. “She’s trained her entire life with him to use the spear like he does.” However, she adds: “Obara is so goddamn serious all the time and then the other two are like, 'Chill out. Stop killing people! Just relax.' Then you’ve got Obara going, 'I don’t understand why the two of you aren’t taking this seriously'." the chance to join Game of Thrones for the fifth season, playing one of the Sand Snakes, the badass daughters of the late Oberyn Martell. WHALE OF A TIME Keisha Castle-Hughes relished

PERFECT HARMONY Santigold on why the cover of her new LP took her breath away.

C hris O’Dowd, who plays the journalist who exposed the Lance Armstrong scandal in The Program , wasn’t aware that his co-star Ben Foster used performance-enhancing drugs to get into character for his role. Playing Armstrong’s nemesis, Sunday Times ’ writer David Bradley, on screen meant that O’Dowd didn’t have an awful lot to do with the actor during the shoot, but he is not surprised that Foster went to such lengths to prepare for playing the disgraced Tour De France champion. “I didn’t know that he had done that until a journalist T he cover of Santigold's new LP 99c is the real deal. Smooshed beside the musician’s scorpion-like ponytail are a paint set, a plastic horse figurine, a white platform sneaker, a Frisbee, several different kinds of melodion and brightly-coloured classroom percussion instruments, and a hundred other gewgaws. “I’d seen [Japanese photographer Hal’s] work and we flew him to NewYork for the shoot,” Sandi White – aka Santigold – tells STACK . “He’d never been to the States before. It was a really special collaboration. You literally climb in a plastic bag and he shrink-wraps you, sucks all the air out. Then he counts to ten and snaps the pictures and he immediately lets the air out." The artwork is the perfect allegory for White’s new collection of tracks, which revolve around the theme of consumerism and material obsession. These themes were something she was thinking about while writing and recording – because at

that stage, she was pregnant. (Her son Radek is now 18 months old.) “It was really hard to sing ‘cause I think I was literally nine and a half months pregnant! But he came out loving music. I’ve never seen a more musical baby,” she beams. Some of the standout, powerful elements on 99c are White’s harmonies, which flow through Run the Races and Who Be Lovin Me , a collaborative track with LA hip hop artist ILOVEMAKKONEN). “I love harmonies, and I definitely don’t plan them, I just start recording,” she enthuses. “As a really young kid I would always find myself singing the harmonies rather than the lead." Zo ë Radas

EXTRAS

99c is out now; visit www.stack.net.nz to read the full interview

O'DOWD WAS NOT IN ON FOSTER'S PROGRAM

The priority for O’Dowd – better known for his comedy roles in TV's The IT Crowd and Bridesmaids – was to make sure he did justice to his character; in fact, he says he wouldn’t have taken on the role without the journalist’s seal of approval. Fortunately, Bradley was pleased with the finished result. “I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he wasn’t happy but he was incredibly positive about it,” he says. “For me it was very important. It’s based on his source

material so it would have been crazy not to involve him in the whole process. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he wasn’t happy, but he was incredibly positive about it." The Program is out on March 23; check out the digital edition of STACK for the full interview.

mentioned it to me,” O’Dowd admits. “But I think that makes complete sense, he has to spend so much of the movie on them, it doesn’t surprise me at all. He is a very immersive actor and very focused."

Games of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season is out on March 16

The Program

MARCH 2016

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