Pádraic Delaney on his time as the Templar Knight Gawain on Knightfall

We recently caught up with Pádraic Delaney from the History Channel series Knightfall!

Prior to the season finale of History Channel’s latest historical fiction series Knightfall, Hidden Remote got the chance to fire some questions at Pádraic Delaney, who portrays the Templar Knight, Gawain, in the series.

Knightfall has explored the legendary Templar Knights order. Beginning from their time in the Holy Lands, the series will ultimately lead to their eventual demise in France. Before they get to that dreaded day, the aim of the show is to explore who this brotherhood is, what they stood for and their connection to the Holy Grail itself. Delaney has been part of the series since the premiere episode which aired on December 6, 2017.

Here is what we got talking about when discussing his time on Knightfall…

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Hidden Remote: Knightfall was certainly a project that took some time to complete. The History Channel ordered the series in January 2016 with the intention of airing it later that year. We have all heard of the fire that took place on a set that caused some delay to the production.

What was it like for all of you when Knightfall finally premiered? Was it, in a way, a relief when it premiered in late 2017, almost a year after it was initially intended?

Pádraic Delaney: It was a relief, yeah. We finished filming a few days before Christmas 2016 and it was another year before it was released. When you give over 6-7 months of your life to filming something, you’re keen to see the end product and more importantly, how people react to it. And that feeling was building up all through last year so as you can imagine, by December we just wanted it out there.

Hidden Rremote: Your character on the series, Gawain, has probably had one of the biggest character developments. It’s also one that many people can relate to. Suffering an injury and having to bear the pain for so long is something many people do and would want nothing more than to go back to what things once were.

What have been your thoughts on your characters story and the development he has had and did you know that you would go down this journey from the beginning, or was this something you learned as filming went on?

Delaney: I loved playing Gawain and how he evolved throughout the series. I agree with you, of all the characters in Knightfall, Gawain goes through the greatest change, it’s a complete metamorphosis and the Gawain you see in episode 1 is very different from the Gawain at the end. I’d actually no idea what direction he was going in and sometimes we only got the script a few days before filming. But I loved that- as an actor, it means you can’t think too much about how you’re going to play it and you just go with it; I think that makes the performance feel more natural.

Also, on suffering injuries- by crazy coincidence I had a condition which left me with a weaker right leg, I had a few operations as a child and it’s now shorter by an inch. If I don’t look after it and manage it, it gets quite painful. So I had this real life painful experience I could draw on for Gawain.

Hidden Remote: You have had quite an interesting acting career over the years. You’re very well-known for your role in The Wind That Shakes the Barley but your others roles, for example, George Boleyn in the TV series The Tudors, have been great to watch as well. Did you take anything from your previous roles and apply it to your character Gawain?

Delaney: It’s weird but only recently did I draw parallels between Gawain and some of the other characters I’ve played- like Teddy o’Donovan (In Barley)- he also betrays his brother and ultimately has to kill him. I’ve always been drawn to flawed characters, or someone who’s conflicted, someone who’s got a terrible decision to make. For me personally, that’s more interesting to play than some generic heroic type. And I hope that people are drawn to Gawain for that reason- yes he does some awful shit and he’s completely misguided in his reasons, but I think people will recognise and be able to identify with those flaws because they are very human and we all have them.

Hidden Remote: The curiosity and fascination of the Knights Templar have been mainly due to the mystery and the legends that go with the legacy of the Templars. Where you, before taking on this role, or even now, drawn to that fascination of who the Knights Templar really were and the connection that they supposedly had to the Holy Grail?

Delaney: Absolutely, when I heard they were making this I knew immediately I wanted to do it because the Knights Templar have never really been dealt with before and that added to the sense of mystery. And once we started working on it I completely immersed myself in as much material as I could find, books, docu dramas. The real story of the Knights is fascinating stuff, which Knightfall blends with the legends. But I also think it’s the “brand” of the Templars which is so appealing, they were like medieval navy seals, almost invincible, superhero-like; look at their costumes- steel armour, flowing capes, red symbols on the chest. People always have and always love that stuff.

Hidden Remote: In episode 5, ‘Hard Blows Will Banish the Sin’, your character discovers the deadly substance ‘Greek Fire’. You then demonstrate how deadly it is to young Parsifal by engulfing your sword in flame. Was that actually performed or was special effects used to recreate the fire?

Delaney: The FX team created a special sword which had a pipe running into the hilt and up through the blade, and also down my chainmail sleeve connected to a gas canister on the floor just behind me! They had a special plate on the ground and when I struck it with the blade, they pumped the gas through the sword so that it lit up. I remember the handle of the sword got really hot and thinking to myself “I am literally the conduit for a tank of gas and a ball of flame”. But it is by far the coolest thing I’ve ever had to do on film. Who doesn’t want to swing a flaming sword?

Hidden Remote: Is there a particular scene, or scenes, that you especially enjoyed filming for the show?

Delaney: My favorite scene is in episode 7 when Gawain talks to the cross in the chapel. The first time I read it I thought, how arrogant is this guy? Comparing himself to Christ on the cross… But it’s so well written, that monologue is like Gawain’s journey in season 1 in microcosm. At the beginning, he’s tortured, doesn’t know what to do and by the end of it he’s changed, he’s resolute. That speech is like a Shakespearean soliloquy whereby a character reveals their innermost private thoughts; it’s completely a dramatic device, nobody does that in real life. But I think it works brilliantly here.

Hidden Remote: Currently, there is no word on whether Knightfall is coming back for a second season or not. Can you give us a clue if there will be a season 2?

Delaney: You tell me! I think the internet knows more than I do. History and A+E are keeping their cards close to their chest. We (actors) would often be the last ones on set to find out stuff; we use to joke that our Czech caterers knew more about what was happening to our characters than we did!

Photo Credit: Knightfall/History Channel, Larry Horricks Image Acquired from A+E Networks Press Center /

Hidden Remote: So this is a non-Knightfall related question but one that is always interesting to see answered. If you could choose your very own dream role what would that be?

Delaney: Batman. From as young as I can remember I always wanted to play Batman. I mentioned I’m drawn to conflicted characters and I think the Bruce Wayne/Batman split epitomises that. I’ve also had lots of practice fighting in suits of armour!

Next: Has the History Channel given the go-ahead for Knightfall season 2?

Knightfall will air its season finale tonight on the History Channel at 10/9c. Currently, no official decision has been made regarding a second season.

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