Viewers of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the newest installment in the Game of Thrones TV universe, will undoubtedly have noticed actor Danny Webb’s unsheathed longsword in Sunday’s episode.
Now, the show’s prosthetics team has revealed the origin of the character’s 10-inch weapon.
In the opening scene of Episode 2, “Hard Salt Beef,” Webb, 67, as Ser Arlan of Pennytree, struts out of his home, bearing all.
After production, showrunner Ira Parker said that he couldn’t remember if the member was Webb’s own, jokingly recalling that “he just showed up on set that way.”
On Monday, the show’s prosthetic designer, Waldo Mason, confirmed that the full-frontal scene was a creation of his team’s design.
In an Instagram post, Mason said he was “very proud to have forged Ser Arlan Pennytree’s formidable weapon for the opening moments of this episode!”
In addition to sharing images of the hand-sculpted, 10-inch package, Mason also shared the process of bringing the scene to life.
“We were asked to create a 10-inch prosthetic penis for the fantastic Danny Webb to wear, naked,” Mason said. “Luckily, he was a consummate professional and was happy to work with us to make it as realistic as possible.”
Mason noted that Webb had to come in for “very intimate” test fittings in a white tent on set, where the prosthetic was specially mounted to Webb.
“Because of the size, we reinforced the contact area & edges with wig lace for minimal stretch under its weight,” Mason said. Additionally, the makeup team hid the prosthetic’s edges using a “knotted merkin,” a toupee for one’s privates made popular to cover up hair loss from syphilis.
The 10-inch prosthetic took a team of four to sculpt, mold, paint, and apply. Luckily for Webb, the team also installed a urination tube that ran along the back of his leg, allowing him to take bathroom breaks on set.
As for the prosthetic’s narrative reasoning, showrunner Parker said that he “felt bad for Ser Arlan,” so he gave “him his one special thing, to channel a little Boogie Nights."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs Sunday nights on HBO and streams on HBO Max.
