There's a fan theory that pops up occasionally claiming Great Zimbabwe's stonework inspired some of Game of Thrones' set design. It's a nice idea, but it isn't true, the show's own set designer, Deborah Riley, has named her actual references publicly, and Great Zimbabwe isn't among them. What is true, and far less well known, is that one of the show's recurring cast members did his entire schooling in Harare.
Meet Salladhor Saan's actor
Lucian Msamati played Salladhor Saan, the pirate lord of Lys who allies with Stannis Baratheon, across Seasons 2 to 4 of Game of Thrones. Msamati was born in London to Tanzanian parents, but grew up entirely in Zimbabwe, attending Avondale Primary School and Prince Edward High School in Harare before earning a BA Honours in French and Portuguese from the University of Zimbabwe, graduating in 1997.
Before he ever set foot on a British stage, Msamati co-founded Over the Edge Theatre Company in Harare, building his craft locally before relocating to London in 2003 to take his career further.
A career that outgrew the pirate lord
Msamati's post-Westeros career kept climbing. He became the first Black actor to play Iago for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2015, a landmark casting in British theatre, and has gone on to roles in Luther, Doctor Who, His Dark Materials and Gangs of London. He also played JLB Matekoni in the HBO and BBC adaptation of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, a series set in Botswana, giving him two major Southern African-connected credits across his screen career.
Setting the record straight on Great Zimbabwe
The theory that Great Zimbabwe's dry stone architecture influenced the show's set design circulates occasionally online, but it doesn't hold up against the production's own account. Set designer Deborah Riley has said her real world references included UBC's Museum of Anthropology for Vaes Dothrak, Frank Lloyd Wright's Mayan Revival houses for Meereen, Albert Speer's Third Reich architecture for the Bank of Braavos, and Varanasi and the Ellora Caves for the House of Black and White. Great Zimbabwe doesn't appear anywhere in that list, and the resemblance some fans point to appears to be exactly that, a resemblance, not a documented influence.
Great Zimbabwe's real connection to the show was in the cast list, not the set design, an actor who learned his craft in Harare before Westeros ever came calling.
Sources
- The Zimbabwean Actor in Game of Thrones, Pindula News
- Game of Thrones: Zimbabwe-Bred Actor Lucian Msamati's Biography, African News Agency
- Game of Thrones Set Designer Talks Real World Inspirations Behind the Show, Winter Is Coming
- Lucian Msamati, Wikipedia
- Game of Thrones, Statista
Photo: still from "Making Connections: Lucian Msamati", via National Theatre Connections on YouTube.
