Gwendoline Christie supports Brienne-Tormund romance on 'Game of Thrones'

LOS ANGELES, May 24 (UPI) -- Gwendoline Christie is a fan of Brienne and Tormund's budding romance on Game of Thrones.

The 37-year-old English actress, who plays Brienne of Tarth on the HBO series, discussed the plot line with Entertainment Weekly after her character caught Tormund Giantsbane's (Kristofer Hivju) eye again on Sunday's episode, "The Door."

"First of all, Kristofer is absolutely hilarious," Christie revealed. "I don't think I've been in a scene on Game of Thrones where it's everything I can do to stop myself from laughing. The way he was behaving toward me was just extraordinary."

"I enjoyed Brienne being put in that position of feeling awkward and not wanting the attention," she admitted. "That was a very fun thing to play. He's a wilding, he's very sensual and animal-like and very forthright with his emotions and feelings -- which is really the opposite of [Brienne]."

"I enjoyed trying to navigate that and the beauty of her embarrassment," the star elaborated. "She can totally deal with the situation, and with him, but she's just so embarrassed about it."

Brienne and Tormund previously shared a moment after meeting for the first time on the May 15 episode. Director Dan Sackheim discussed the characters' romance with TV Guide after fans went crazy for the story line on social media.

"I wasn't even sure that when I delivered the episode it was really clear," Sackheim said. "It was like a fun little bit, but I wasn't sure it was really clear that he had these amorous feelings for Brienne. I'm always amazed what fans pick up."

"I think it was fairly one-sided, but that's okay," he added of Tormund's admiring glances. "There's nothing like a challenge. Men love a challenge."

Brienne and Tormund's lighthearted moment Sunday was a rare bright spot in an intense episode. The episode ended in tragedy after revealing backstories for the Night's King (Richard Brake) and Hodor (Kristian Nairn).