Richard Madden: We prod, poke and bring out the best in each other

Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden

I had no idea that I have fans here," exclaims a surprised Richard Madden, when we tell him that his character Robb Stark enjoys wide popularity in India. The actor shot to global fame in 2011 for his portrayal of the righteous ‘King of the North' in Game of Thrones. "We shot Game of Thrones mostly in Ireland, knee-deep in mud. To think that lots of people in India loved it is mind-blowing," he beams.

Now, the path-breaking fantasy drama is behind him, and Madden is on to what might well be the next path-breaking spy thriller - Amazon Prime Video's marquee series, Citadel. On his maiden trip to India, the actor is equally surprised by the excitement that the Russo Brothers' production has generated among desi audiences. "Now that I am here, I am blown away by how big this show is. I have lived with it for five years," he says.

The action thriller sees Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as spy agency Citadel's members, whose memories have been erased. For the Scottish actor, the idea of playing two extreme personalities was tempting. "It was the character's duality [that drew me]. While the story is from the lens of my character, Kyle, he is also a spy. It was interesting to be at two different ends of the story. I was fascinated by what characteristics are built into you from birth, and what behavioural traits are [imbibed] from your life experiences. This was an opportunity to explore that."

The icing on the cake was his co-actor, a bona fide Bollywood star. "Everyone is aware of Priyanka's stardom. You have to live under a rock to not know about it," he gushes, before revealing that they first met at a party eight years ago. "We were seated beside each other at the dinner, in a room of 400 people. We instantly hit it off, and had so much fun that night. Then we saw each other again at different parties. When we learnt [Citadel] is going to happen, it was excellent. She is fun, the kindest and loveliest human."

Also Read: 'Brilliant improviser, fully committed': Richard Madden cannot stop praising Priyanka Chopra Jonas

His admiration for Chopra only grew during the shoot, on seeing her involvement as an artiste. "What struck me the most about her was how much she cares. She wanted to mine these characters with [me]. We prod, poke and bring out the best in each other. Also, she listens [keenly] - you can say anything, and you'll get a reaction that is not rehearsed. We surprise each other constantly, and that makes way for the script to evolve."