Robert Aramayo goes from 'Game of Thrones' to 'Harley and the Davidsons'

Robert Aramayo is now royalty.

His small but pivotal role as young Ned Stark on "Game of Thrones" guarantees him a lifetime of sci-fi appearances and all the mutton stew a budding warrior can stomach. But the 23-year-old actor is too busy for such pomp and circumstance. He's in search of America.

Aramayo, who was raised in England, plays Bill Harley in the new miniseries "Harley and the Davidsons," which offers a sidecar view of the trio's adventures as they went about creating the world's most famous motorcycle brand in Milwaukee.

He also just wrapped shooting an undisclosed role in a Lewis and Clark project for HBO, produced by Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

He talked last week from London, where the red-hot actor was taking a well-earned break:

Q: After doing "Game of Thrones," you really seem to be on an American kick. Just a coincidence?

A: I really am very, very passionate about American stories. I got exposed to them in school [at Juilliard] when we did "Our Town." I was taken aback by the cultural identity that comes with that play, especially being a Brit surrounded by American students.

A: I would have loved to have done that, but he doesn't ride in the series. In real life, he did. They all rode in endurance races and competed, but that's not the function Bill plays in this story. He represents the brains. Walter Davidson [fellow "Thrones" veteran Michiel Huisman] is the bad boy, and Arthur Davidson [Bug Hall] is the salesman. Bug and I have become best friends in real life, so he's going to have to teach me. I'm looking forward to that.

Q: How did you connect to the character?

A: We did visit Milwaukee, went to the factory and spoke to those guys. And Bill didn't start off drawing motorcycles. He started drawing anything that would channel his artist's voice. I can certainly relate to that. He's happy to stand in the background. That resonates with me, too.

Q: Hard to stay in the background once you've been in a show like "Game of Thrones." How was that whole experience?

A: It was overwhelming to be involved. I was an enormous fan of the show. I remember watching the sixth episode with my dad and saying, "I've got to get on that show." So it was surreal when it happened. In all, it was the most loving, creative environment I've ever experienced outside of grade school.

A: I had never done anything like that before, so I did go back and watch the previous iteration and try to imagine what a more youthful version of Ned would look like, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't an impersonation.

Q: Any chance you'll be returning next season?

A: Who knows? He'll only be back if it's essential to the story.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431 •