There has been a lot of discussion around the final season of Game of Thrones and the ending it left us with. While the opinions are subjective, the uproar was significant. It has divided the fandom into those who were fine with the way things happened and those who were furious about it. The people who were more invested into the story clearly had an imagination of their own; and the final outcome just didn’t match. It’s natural that the members of the cast have weighed in on this and voiced their thoughts. The recently concluded SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards saw many stars from the HBO hit show talk about various things. The latest in the list is Pilou Asbaek, who played Euron Greyjoy, he talked to Entertainment Weekly about the last season of Game of Thrones.
The Danish actor has become hugely popular for his bad-ass portrayal of Euron. But now the thing that he most often gets from fans across the world is: “Why did you guys screw up season 8?”, Pilou revealed. The reactions have been extreme indeed. But how does he feel about the ending? “We loved the ending!”, Asbaek spoke on behalf of his other co-actors.
He further continued:
“When we had the read-through…in Belfast about two and a half years ago, we ended up doing a standing ovation for 15, 20 minutes. It was a perfect ending. But people were upset because an era finished.”
It was certainly a bummer that Game of Thrones had to end, especially when people felt that there was enough source material to keep it going for even 10 seasons. But it’s hard to gauge whether the anger was over this fact or about the ultimate treatment of the last season. Although the evidence points towards the latter, any end would have made people sad, because the saga was legendary. However, legends end too!
Pilou went on, trying to understand the emotions of the fans:
“I kind of get it. I was a big fan of the show before I became a part of it. And if it had ended in that way, I would have been angry as well. Because you know when something you like so much says ‘No!’, it’s like a break-up. And Game of Thrones broke up with millions of people all over the world, and they got upset.”
Pilou’s Euron tried causing quite a few break-ups in the show. He had a wishful affair with the Queen and almost killed the Kingslayer at the shores of King’s Landing before Jaime finally reached Cersei. He came late to the party but played the final round of Game of Thrones daringly, getting some definite moments of silence out of us.
Game of Thrones received two victories at the SAG Awards 2020; Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble & Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor. This is the final lap of honor for Game of Thrones at the awards as it bids us goodbye after 10 feisty years. We hope it keeps coming back to us, with House of the Dragon and other spin-off stories. What do you think? Talk to us in the comments.
Humility is a virtue possessed by few. Even though Game of Thrones reached great heights, the show’s cast was always humble to their roots. They have won the admiration and respect of fans all over the world due to their down-to-earth nature. For example, Jason Momoa reached out to a young Aquaman fan battling cancer last year. Kristian Nairn (Hodor) talked to Digital Spy about the show’s success and praised his co-stars.
He said, “It didn’t happen overnight, and I think for us that was a good thing. I mean it was always immensely popular, I just think as the seasons went on it moved from a really amazing TV show into a kind of phenomenon. It sort of turned into that thing that everyone talks about, people say over the watercooler at work. “
“It’s crazy, because every TV show you watch these days, every single TV show or movie, they all reference Game of Thrones. It always blows me away. I watch a show I love and there’s a reference to Hodor, there’s a reference to Khaleesi. It’s become such a huge part of the public psyche. I don’t think we ever dreamed before season one was out that that would happen. It still happens!”
“It kind of grew, it really doubled per season. But we grew into it, which made it kind of easy. The cast was really down to Earth. I can say hand on heart we’re all really down to Earth. I think that’s a really nice thing. Just the whole Hollywood thing, we’re all kind of aware of that… Game of Thrones is so brutal and real. It’s important to keep it real.”
Have you ever met a Game of Thrones star in real? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
Game of Thrones was an enchanting journey that lasted for nearly a decade. Some of the show’s cast was very young when the show began. They sort of grew up with the show, like Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner and Isaac Hempstead-Wright. Stardom can be a bit scary when you are young. Especially for someone as studious as Isaac Hempstead-Wright. He revealed about his nervousness in an interview with Digital Spy.
Isaac (Bran) said, “It was actually a little bit intimidating. I remember seeing the show go interstellar. Especially when you’re separate from it a bit [Bran was off-screen during season five], you really just see how huge it is when you’re not in the midst of the whole thing.”
“I really think season five was when it had its meteoric rise. So coming back into season six – and I hadn’t acted for a year; I’d been doing my GCSEs – coming back in was kind of like, ‘Argh! I’ve forgotten how to act!’”
He continued, “I think also there had been a lot of bonds forged in that season, and a lot of people had grown up. I’d kind of grown-up, but I had that key year of being 15, 16 away from it. So it was a weird one to come back to. But after a couple of days, it was business as usual.”
Did you ever find your job to be intimidating? Talk to us in the comments below!
Game of Thrones ended more than one and a half years ago. It was a beautiful journey for both the fans and the crew that lasted for a decade. The fantastical series still holds the record for the most number of Emmy Awards won. On the occasion of New Year, the cast of the show came together for an interview with Digital Spy. They shared their experience while shooting for the fantasy epic. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor) talked about how they were cast for their roles.
Gwendoline recalled, “I immediately rang my agent and said, ‘I want to do this’. My agent said, ‘What are you talking about? I’d never ever put you up for this. She’s ugly, her nose is broken, her teeth are broken and you’ll need to use a sword’.”
Nairn remembered, “I was a first-time actor. I was glad I didn’t know anything about the show at the time. Because if I had I would’ve realised what a huge audition I was going for. I had no idea what Game of Thrones was. I had auditioned for a part in another movie called Hot Fuzz, and I didn’t get the part. It was the casting director Nina Gold who remembered me – she called me in for this audition. I didn’t know it at the time, but when you’re called for an audition, that’s really in your favour.”
What are your best memories from the show? Talk to us in the comments below!
