'We were obsessed with Irish literature': Game of Thrones creators met while studying in Dublin
The creators of the critically acclaimed television series Game of Thrones, David Benioff and Daniel B. Weiss, met each other while studying in Dublin.
Benioff and Weiss spent a year in Trinity College back in 1995 studying Irish literature, where Weiss earned a master of philosophy writing his thesis on James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.
Meanwhile, Benioff wrote his thesis on Samuel Beckett, before deciding against a career in academia.
Speaking on The Jimmy Kimmel show, Weiss said it was a "happy coincidence" that the HBO hit was filmed in the country where they met.
"We came full circle and stayed there for ten years."
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Weiss recalled their time in Dublin 24 years ago:
We were two American Jews in Dublin, with no Irish roots of any kind, obessed with Irish literature and trying to find a functional gym in Dublin in 1995, which is not something that most Irish people in 1995 were all that preoccupied with.
Benioff revealed they met during their first orientation session in Trinity. The New York native had planned to pursue a career in third-level education, but after his year in Ireland decided it wasn't for him.
"It was a great year and I loved it, but [...] I thought maybe writing about dragons would be better for me."
Benioff decided he wanted to write a screenplay, drafting in Dan's help, but the feature never got sent out.
"Then, after Ireland, we both went different places for a while and then ended up in LA."
The pair continued to stay in touch until David stumbled across George R.R. Martin's first novel in the Game of Thrones series, instantly recognising its potential and the rest is history.
Watch their interview with Kimmel here, where they talk about their failed pilot:
