Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Game of Thrones season 6: Essie Davis joins cast alongside Richard E Grant

The two actors will play members of a travelling theatre group that mocks the world of Westeros

Tuesday 15 September 2015 15:35 BST

Essie Davis joins the cast of Game of Thrones season 6 (Getty Images)

Australian actress Essie Davis has become the latest name confirmed to join Game of Thrones season 6.

The Matrix star will reportedly play a member of a travelling theatre troupe in Braavos, which stages a satirical play titled The Bloody Hand that pokes fun at the world of Westeros.

Davis’ character will mock the debauchery of Lena Headey’s Queen Cersei, which is not likely to go down well with the touchy aristocrat.

The Tasmanian-born actress was rumoured to appear in the hit HBO series after fans posted photos of her on set online, and The Hollywood Reporter has now confirmed her official casting.

Read more: When is Game of Thrones season 6's air date?

Davis has previously appeared in The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded and Australian psychological horror film The Babadook.

She joins an already confirmed line-up of actors joining season six including Richard E Grant, Freddie Stroma, Ian McShane, Pilou Asbaek and Max von Sydow.

British star Grant’s character will also perform in the play-within-the show, according to leaked set photos.

But Game of Thrones fans still have to wait at least six months to catch a glimpse of the new characters, when the drama returns to Sky Atlantic in spring 2016.

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Show all 11

1/11Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Sansa/Ramsey rape scene

Season 5, episode 6: Fans were outraged as the episode ended with Sansa Stark being brutally raped by her new husband, Ramsey. The camera soon panned to Theon as he watched on, terrified.

HBO

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Shireen burns at the stake

Season 5, episode 9:Stannis burns his daughter Shireen at the stake after Red Priestess Melisandre advises him to make a sacrifice to gain more power

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Cercei/ Jamie rape scene

Season 4, episode 3: As the two stood by their dead, insestual child Joffrey, Jamie began to sexually attack his sister. The scene became incredibly controversial leading to the directors and George R.R. Martin having to defend it.

HBO

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Theon gets his penis chopped off

Season 3, episode 10: While being tortured by Ramsey, Theon Greyjoy goes through all sorts of pain. The most horrible though is when his penis is cut off and then sent to his family.

YouTube

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

George Bush’s head on spike

Season 1, episode 10: According to the directors, they couldn’t get enough prosthetic heads made up for the show and ended up using the spare one’s lying around. One of those just happened to be the fake head of George Bush, which eventually ended up on a spike.

YouTube

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Joffrey murders two prostitutes

Season 2, episode 4: In one of his most violent moments, Joffrey finds himself with two prostitutes in his room and the most disgusting thing he can think to do with them, uses them as living targets.

YouTube

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

The Red Wedding

Season 3, episode 9: It was the turning point for the entire show. Just as everyone thought it was going the Starks way, they nearly all end up murdered in one of the bloodiest episodes of any TV series ever.

HBO

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Lysa breast feeding Robin

Season 1, episode 5: While sitting upon her throne in the Eyrie, Catelyn’s sister, Lysa, is seen breastfeeding her teenage son, Robin, causing some viewers to look away in disgust and post about it on the internet.

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Rat torture

Season 2, episode 4: Torture is a pretty common occurrence on Game of Thrones, but none were quite a bad as this. In the scene a bucket of rats is put to a man’s chest and then heated up with a flame so they must eat through the man to escape. Terrifying.

YouTube

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Mountain head explosion

Season 4, episode 8: Just as everything was going Oberyn Martell’s way, it all literally blew up in his face. The warrior ended up looking like a squashed watermelon in one of the most awful scenes in the entire series.

Shocking Game of Thrones scenes

Theon botched beheading

Season 2, episode 6: Beheadings: In one of the more gruesome beheadings, Theon strikes Ser Rodrick Cassel not just once but four times in the neck, finally taking it all the way off with a kick.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies