A new Cyprus’ Dothraki warrior leader in Game of Thrones is soon to burst onto our TV screens in the form of Cyprus’ very own Hollywood hard man actor, Tamer Hassan.

London born Hassan is familiar with the big screen, with over 50 films under his belt including: The Football Factory, The Business, Batman Begins, Clash of the Titans and Eastern Promise along with regular roles in TV hit series’ NCIS, 24, Dracula and EastEnders.

But it is his latest TV role which is generating the most interest even though he has recently finished filming a huge 120 million dollar budget film The Promise with academy award winner Christian Bale.

Hassan is slightly taken aback by the vast interest surrounding his role in Game of Thrones (GoT).

“I’ve just finished work with one of the best actors in the world (Bale) on a film with other incredible actors, great budgets and great studio pictures, and I tell people about this and they say ‘ah nice’ but then I tell them that I’ve also just done this little show called Game of Thrones and it’s as if the world comes to a stand still,” says Hassan.

Now that filming for his GoT character has finished, Hassan is happy to give his tongue a rest after working hard wrapping itself around the fictional language Dothraki. Although sworn to secrecy about meaningful plot developments, Hassan does divulge a few insights into the much awaited season six.

“There are five Dothraki leaders from different tribes and I’m one of them, everyone dies except for me, which is kind of cool. Am I going to be a show regular? No. Will I be called back? I don’t know. Who knows, no one knows anything on the show,” he laughs. “I’m not a minor role and I’m not a lead but my character has a huge impact on the stories of some of the main characters.”

The HBO network’s series, which has captured Cyprus and the rest of the world since 2010, will premier its eagerly awaited sixth season in April.

To say that the American fantasy drama TV series, adapted from George RR Martin’s fantasy novels has a broad and committed fan base, would be an under statement. With its perpetual twists and turns, complex characters, multi layered storyline and much debated nudity, sex and violence, GoT has won 26 Primetime Emmy awards as well as numerous other awards and nominations.

“Each main lead character has its own phenomenal story in this season and it builds up to something really great. What happens to Emilia’s [Daenerys Targaryen; played Emilia Clarke] character is phenomenal but I can’t put a spoiler on it. The weird thing is we don’t get any scripts, no back story, nothing, not even the leads do. Even now, the writer is still writing. The show has actually over taken the writer and the book’s not even finished. It’s so complex and so secretive that I’ve been told ‘the only guarantee you have as an actor on this show is that somewhere along the lines you’ll die horrifically’.”

Hassan auditioned for the show three times, the first time was with Sean Bean before he landed the role. “How ballsy is that show?! They kill off their lead character (Bean) 3/4 of the way through the first season. They’ve even created a new language (Dothraki),” says Hassan.

Despite having a Dothraki dialect couch to train the actors, learning the made up language was the hardest thing Hassan says he’s ever had to do in his entire life. “Dothraki flows out of Emilia’s mouth, she reassured me saying that although she’d been speaking it for six years, it never gets easier.”

Hassan feels the pressure of fans on the language issue. “There are die hard fans who know the language inside out. If I falter, I let the fans down. You need to honour them as much as you do the character.” The writers would give the actors the words in English first, then phonetically in Dothraki. “It’s genius. The language is completely unfamiliar. It was rewarding once we got it though.”

The long working hours were often tough. “There’d be nights where we’d film outside topless and it’d be freezing but it was a great experience.”

Hassan is the son of a Turkish Cypriot family who moved to London from Nicosia for a better life. Taking the culture with them, Hassan grew up in a typically Cypriot environment with Greeks and Turks alike, keeping the island and its people close to his heart.

He flies the flag for Cypriots in the film business mostly unaccompanied. “It’s lonely here sometimes, there aren’t many Cypriots in the industry, I’d love to have more of us here to fly the flag with me,” he says.

Hassan speaks of seeing ethnic minorities represented fairly in the industry, within greater diversity of roles. The challenge is that firstly it’s a tough industry to break into for anyone and secondly, roles can be dictated by stereotypes.

“The world perceives us Cypriots as hard working people who make kebabs, eat and drink, it’s silly really.”

He describes how he has come across racism in the film industry.

“But racism is not in the industry, racism is in the society. Racism can be found in any industry. The thing I’d like to see in my industry is diversity, giving different people a chance. Not having only the average blue eyes, stubble beard, and boy-next door lead characters.”

To compensate for this, Hassan has written a Rom Com called Monty, which will begin filming this year with his production company Sky Light Media Entertainment. It’s a vehicle for him to play an alternative lead role to the usual bad boy gangster thug he’s become synonymous with.

“My point is I’ve had to create these situations because I’m not given the opportunity. I’m fortunate to be in the position to have a production company and people around me to support me. This is where I’m pigeon holed though, if I’d made my character Greek, Cypriot or Turkish, it probably wouldn’t be accepted so I’ve made him half Spanish, which is more familiar in the industry.”

Lack of diversity has taken centre stage this year with the well-publicised protests over the all-white Oscar nominations for the second year running. Diversity was the subject of fellow London born international actor and friend of Hassan’s, Idris Elba recent speech to the House of Commons in the UK.

“Idris is campaigning for all ethnic groups,” said Hassan.

Although there’s been slight improvement the last 20 years with certain leading casting companies committing to diversity, the sad reality still stands that many cultures and ethnic groups are massively underrepresented and regularly type cast.

“Why can’t an ethnic group recite Shakespeare? Even when they cast for Greek mythological roles, you’ll often find that the actors are British or American.”

Still, he loves his job and playing tough guys. One of the highlights in his career was his recent work with Christian Bale in The Promise.

“Bale plays a journalist who says things he shouldn’t be saying. We capture him and then if you know the kind of characters I usually play, you can let your imagination run wild with happens next. But working with Christian Bale was phenomenal, he’s not like what he’s been portrayed like in the media, he’s the most generous, intelligent and gifted actor out there, as far as I’m concerned.”

Hassan, like many British born actors, dreams of being the next James Bond.

He jokes “if me or Idris can’t be Bond, then I’d like to see Christian in the role.”

Reverting to the diversity debate “there’s not only a buzz going around about Idris being the first black Bond, but in general about the next Bond being one of ethnic origin,” he says.