Curtain Call: Sibel Kekilli 

When it came to deaths, Season 4 was relentless, and the finale was no exception. And so we say goodbye to Sibel Kekilli, the actress who has portrayed Shae since season 1.

From the beginning, Kekilli had a major challenge set before her in playing the camp follower-turned-lover of a Hand. Her character was a significant change from Tyrion’s teenage lover introduced in the first book, a girl not given much depth and personality of her own beyond charm and greed. Readers of the

series knew Tyrion Lannister would fall in love with Shae, but that in the end, she would point the finger at him when he stood trial for Joffrey’s murder. Testifying against the popular Tyrion and sleeping with his father doomed her in the eyes of the fans.

But the books aren’t the show, as we’re often reminded, and a funny thing happened when Sibel Kekilli came along. As David Benioff told The Hollywood Reporter, “[W]e knew our Shae would diverge from book Shae the moment we saw Sibel Kekilli audition. Sibel brought such life and intelligence to the part; her intensity inspired us to make the character more complex.”

Even George R.R. Martin has come to prefer her Shae to his own. Sibel created a challenging new character, one so genuine in her fearless love for Tyrion, and sincere in her friendship with Sansa, that even the smuggest readers of the books were no longer certain of the trial to come and the final confrontations. You couldn’t easily summarize or dismiss this Shae.

In a fictional world where many of us so often see what’s coming, Kekilli brought the gift of unpredictability, and I’m grateful for that.

Ultimately, Shae met her fate at her ex-lover’s hands, in a fierce fight for her life with a spirit that the book’s version never graced us with. Sibel has been just as fierce in her post-

interviews, defending Shae’s perspective with frankness and intelligence. She understands these characters, Shae and Tyrion both, and loves them. She

As for the actress’s future, Kekilli’s already back to work, filming new episodes of the long-running German-language crime series

, in which she’s played policewoman Sarah Brandt since 2010.

has ended but the impression Sibel Kekilli left is indelible.

Tagged Curtain Call, Shae, Sibel Kekilli

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I wonder if HBO will try to get Sibel or Charles for some early Season 5 scenes with Cersei and Jaime. Probably not the best idea in regards to budget, but I really did want to see Cersei finding the dead whore.

Funny how curtain calls usually detail the actor’s career, but not this time. I wonder why…

Kudos to Sibel on making a pretty flat book character into an actual human being. More interesting character on the show

Because I don’t write Curtain Calls the same way Axechucker does. It’s writing, not an assembly line. :)

Incidentally, if anyone’s forgotten the rules of a Curtain Call post, as a refresher: keep it respectful or it gets deleted. Zero tolerance for arguing or trolling.

She gave us a Shae that was not only warm and likable but layered. I enjoyed GRRM’s interpretation of this young woman but understand she was the means to an end for Tyrion. Sibel’s Shae was so much more than that. Sibel more than held her own in her scene’s with Peter and Sophie, and often took the spotlight away from both of their more prominent characters.

Another character whose brutal truths I will miss. Brava Sibel…we all look forward to seeing you in future projects!

Talented, beautiful, and fought hard for Shae to be a consistent and well developed character. You shall be missed Miss Sibel. Wish you all the best in the future.

Thanks! I enjoy these Curtain Calls. Appropriate to keep the comments positive.

I was not a fan of Book Shae but Show Shae was another story thanks to Sibel’s performance. I loved her as Sansa’s protector. Sibel had marvelous enthusiasm for this show and it showed every time she was on screen.

Much MUCH better character than in the books–I’ll definitely miss Sibel’s portrayal!

I love the curtain calls; they are like eulogies for the characters, while at the same time a reminder of how incredible the actor was. This one is no exception. Like others, I didn’t care about Shae in the books But I cared about her because of Sibel. I wish her well in her acting career (sounds like she’s already part of something big in Germany, thats very cool!)

And 4, I was shocked at the differences between book Shae and show Shae. And now I realize I’m not only partial to show shae because she came first, for me(that’s what she said?) but because of Sibel’s work in giving her depth. I’ve been dreading her death since I first read it, but Sibel did good work to bring it to screen.

Such a lovely woman. Made Shae such a lovable and interesting character. Too bad the creators didn’t give her the role of, say, Penny or simply let her go to never be seen again like Varys intended. Why do characters who’s role is ended have to always die in this show? Jeez D&D I get that you have a reputation for killing characters but it would feel realistic that some, from time to time, would escape that fate. Shae was a perfect candidate for that in my opinion as she was strong on her own terms (as shown in Blackwater episode). All in all great job Miss Kekili. You (and Shae) will certainly be missed.

Such a lovely woman. Made Shae such a lovable and interesting character. Too bad the creators didn’t give her the role of, say, Penny or simply let her go to never be seen again like Varys intended. Why do characters who’s role is ended have to always die in this show? Jeez D&D I get that you have a reputation for killing characters but it would feel realistic that some, from time to time, would escape that fate. Shae was a perfect candidate for that in my opinion as she was strong on her own terms (as shown in Blackwater episode). All in all great job Miss Kekili. You (and Shae) will certainly be missed.

You want to piss off viewers? Don’t kill a character that is supposed to be killed. That would work well.

I won’t disagree that something… needs to be done about Penny. I hope she is cut.

I liked show Shae, I loved Tyrion and Shae’s relationship a lot. I’m still sad and heartbroken about how their love story ended, Sibel was great though.

With foresight I suppose it’s entirely possible that they shot a scene or two last Summer intended for the start of season 5. Their knowing that those events/scenes would be at the very end of season 4′s finale I’d think they would want something to help with the immediate following scenes. (Probably more likely for Charles. I don’t think the Red Keep will hold any kind of burial service for dead whores.)

Show Shae is better than book Shae. We will miss her (the “her” from seasons 2 & 3 of course).

I think I will always hear “Hoe-er” in my head every time I read “whore” in the books from now on.

What I like the most about her comes from an interview. She opposed to betray sansa in the trial scene but D&D didn’t accept. It was so inconvincing after what we had seen about shae and sansa before.

It was a nice surprise for me to see a turkish originated actress in a huge role in such a worlwide popular show and she did it great!

How was she supposed to be killed? It is clear to all that she’s a very different character from the book version. I don’t believe that having her travel with Tyrion instead of Penny would have been a big stretch at all. The show makes this kind of changes all the time but there’s not point in discussing that anyway. It won’t happen, for obvious reasons.

Well done to Sibel, who came on stage at the big Season 4 premiere and panel discussion at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, looked out at the crowd of 7,000, and said, “Holy shit. Holy shit!”

She did a great job playing Shae, with one of her best moments being the great, interesting set-up scene in “Myhsa” where Varys tries to buy her off and she responds with “If Tyrion wants to send me away, he can do it himself.” They made her much less just the greedy whore and someone much more complex, but then added on a layer of resentment – perhaps a class-based one – that really suited and really helped that end game, and you can see how wounded she is when Tyrion calls her a whore and she breaks down in “Lion and the Rose.”

“I’m a whore, remember?” Could that have hurt any more? It’s a testament to her acting skills – and the writing – that she’s not left to just be the supporting character in Tyrion’s story. She’s just as hurt as he is, for good reason. And he laid this path explicitly in “Valar Morghulis,” when he tells her that he likes the game, and doesn’t want to leave it behind. “The game is the game,” as Avon Barksdale might have put it – and it’s the only place Tyrion has any real power.

And for as much of the “I am yours and you are mine” stuff they pledged to each other in that episode, and the consensual “My lion!” scene of “Dark Wings, Dark Words,” which stands as a deliberate counter to his spurning of her in “Two Swords,” when Tyrion chose that path, it was inevitable that their relationship would fracture. Because Tyrion just couldn’t be as pragmatic as Bronn, who told him specifically that he was going to be the most popular dead guy in Westeros if he couldn’t compartmentalize.

I also appreciated her moment with Ros in “Valar Dohaeris” where Ros tells her to “watch out for her,” and she says she always does. “Watch out for her with him,” she says, referring to Littlefinger. But Shae was always smarter than that, at least when it came to Sansa, and her fierce protection of her was another nice character moment.

Sometimes we want what we cannot have – Shae couldn’t have that life with Tyrion, one she desired desperately after getting a taste for it. Had she not been taken to his tent, maybe she remains a prostitute that doesn’t want for much more. So she wasn’t able to compartmentalize either, but really, when Tyrion Lannister says he loves you, and he’s pretty sincere as a person goes, how do you necessarily not believe him? How do you simply let all of that go after several months in this position? And then how do you, after all this time passes, not pull a knife on him? Her actions are justifiable, and Sibel Kikelli sold that really well – and it’s again why that scene in Myhsa remains one of the more tense, well shot scenes that’s not out of the book.

I wish Sibel Kekilli all the best. I saw her in “Gegen die Wand” (“Head-on”) and was very impressed with her acting. I knew from the very start that she would be a great addition to the cast of GoT.

Sibel was an excellent actress in showing a multi-layered character, with her good points but fallible too.

I hope HBO and/or D&D cast her again in future projects.

Show-related: I believe Shae’s death was important for Tyrion’s character. Now Daenerys, Jon and Tyrion have all lost a spouse/lover, and to an extent, through their own choices, in each case.

Gorgeous curtain call, and every word true. Outstanding.

Thank you, Sibel. You were one of those rare few: you were better than the book. Take your well-deserved bow.

I really liked Sibel on the show at the same time as not always finding the writers’ take on Shae’s motivations convincing. I always thought she elevated the material and I wish she had a chance to give her beautiful smile more often on screen. I’m sorry to see her go, she had with Shae and Tyrion one of the few adult relationships on Game of Thrones.

D’Arcy: You want to piss off viewers? Don’t kill a character that is supposed to be killed. That would work well.

I won’t disagree that something… needs to be done about Penny. I hope she is cut.

I think the concept of Penny is fascinating (GRRM’s execution – a little less so). Tyrion has never really had to engage with real-world dwarfs with real-world problems, and it’s very character-building for him. It reminds me of the humbling of Jaime Lannister in a lot of ways, and Brienne’s reprimand to Jaime after he seemingly gives up on life after the hand-chop incident. Tyrion has to learn how to operate without privilege, and he even has to learn how different he is from dwarves who share his “affliction,” but have never shared his privilege. These could be absolutely heart-breaking scenes if the writers flesh out Penny, and find an excellent actress to do it. And they could move Tyrion’s character into wholly new places.

D&D are adept at turning rather 2-dimensional characters into amazingly 3-dimesnional ones (Oberyn, Shae, etc). There’s no reason why Penny should be any different. IMO, cutting Penny would be a serious missed opportunity.

How was she supposed to be killed? It is clear to all that she’s avery different character from the book version. I don’t believe that having her travel with Tyrion instead of Penny would have been a big stretch at all. The show makes this kind of changes all the time but there’s not point in discussing that anyway. It won’t happen, for obvious reasons.

Tyrion needs a clean break from King’s Landing and into the unknown – not a happy road trip with his lover! A Tyrion-Shae road trip is the sort of thing that could sink a show. Tyrion – alone (or with Varys) – being forced to interact with people of the lower classes, including dwarfs of the lower classes, provides for far more interesting drama and character-building potential.

And what a curtain call! IMO, she’s one of the shows most underrated actresses.

Omar Brown Posted June 24, 2014 at 5:39 pm

I found Shae in the books to be just a cog in Tyrions story, Tv Shae was so much more. She was sassy and spirited, and had her own life, making her Sansa’s handmaiden was a brilliant change from the books. Sibelli will be missed, she was a champion of the show.

There were a lot of people who hated her performance, but I thought she was very enjoyable. The main problem with the Shae character was that the writers made fundamental changes to her personality but rigidly stuck to her character’s endgame actions in a way that just did not make sense, as they portrayed it (and, in the final indignity, we got the “Greedo shoots first” moment to absolve Tyrion of responsibility). I’m glad that Sibel fought for the character as she understood her, though.

I enjoyed Sibel’s portrayal of Shae as well, but because it’s not at all the same approach to the character in the show and in the the books. Book-Shae is a camp follower who got lucky. Show-Shae is a fully fleshed human being; hence much more likable.

Yeah. You are right about that. I still think the show could have made her go to Braavos instead of killing her. After all killing Tywin alone would have put Tyrion in the same position than killing Tywin and Shae.

I’m not trgyin to do fan service here, I just feel the way the handled Shae this season (in particular her final moments) didn’t match the Shae we met in previous seasons. Alas, not Sibel’s fault at all. She was brilliant as Shae.

Sean C.: There were a lot of people who hated her performance, but I thought she was very enjoyable. The main problem with the Shae character was that the writers made fundamental changes to her personality but rigidly stuck to her character’s endgame actions in a way that just did not make sense, as they portrayed it (and, in the final indignity, we got the “Greedo shoots first” moment to absolve Tyrion of responsibility). I’m glad that Sibel fought for the character as she understood her, though.

You’ll be missed Sibel… Anyone who hated on her character needs some basic empathy skills because the world doesn’t revolve around Tyrion. Shae had very understandable human feelings (even though sometimes the writing didn’t make sense but that’s not her fault) and her end was very tragic.

All that work beefing up Shae’s arc only to have her reach for a knife, why D & D WHY?

I wish Sibel Kekilli all the best.I saw her in “Gegen die Wand” (“Head-on”) and was very impressed with her acting. I knew from the very start that she would be a great addition to the cast of GoT.

Yes, I would occasionally hear people badmouth her performance and acting ability (generally when the character had little to do other than glare at Tyrion). Such people need to see “Gegen die Wand”. She was also good in “Die Fremde”, but I will always think of her as Sibel from “Gegen die Wand”.

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