Game of Thrones cast tease “numbing” ending: “Not everyone’s going to be pleased”

We caught up with the actors behind the smash-hit series to hear about how we’ll wave goodbye to Westeros – and how they think the fans will react when it all plays out

Conleth Hill as Varys in Game of Thrones

HBO

Published: Monday, 11 March 2019 at 4:03 pm

After eight years, 73 episodes and a LOT of inventive murder, smash-hit fantasy series Game of Thrones will finally come to a close on 19th May 2019 – and at the moment, all any of of us cares about is finding out how it all ends.

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And with all that hype and expectation, can writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss really hit upon a conclusion that satisfies everyone? Or will a whole collection of fans find themselves disappointed when they find out who finally will sit on the Iron Throne?

“Oh, f*** the fans,” Conleth Hill, who plays spymaster Varys in the series, sighed when we asked him about the build-up.

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“That was a joke! But I don't know, I don't know if you can please everyone.”

“Not everyone's going to be pleased, because it's such a big show, and it's divisive,” agreed Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran Stark in the series.

“But I think we have wrapped it up as convincingly and honestly and as cleverly as we could hope.”

“Everyone has a certain expectation, I guess,” added Carice van Houten, who plays Red Priestess Melisandre.

“It's been building up so much. But [the ending]’s great, as well, it's going to surprise you.”

“I’m sure people will be moaning about something,” quipped Hill.

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Clearly, it’s hard to predict how passionate fans would react to such a momentous ending, so how about an easier question – what did the cast think when they experienced the conclusion of Game of Thrones for the first time, whether that was in a script, a read-through or on set?

“Well we come out with the same thing every year – 'it's going to be bigger and better.'” Rory McCann, who plays the Hound, told RadioTimes.com. “But of course HBO are going to throw everything at it in the last year, so. That's what it's going to be.

“I remember reading [the ending] going, 'Wow, thank you David and Dan. Thank you George. What a gift.'”

“I know how it ends but I’ve avoided the detail,” van Houten said. “I just want to watch.”

“It was all quite numbing,” Hill told RadioTimes.com. “For us, because it was the end of 10 years.”

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“Personally speaking I love my journey,” Richard Dormer, who plays resurrected warrior Beric Dondarrion in Thrones, told RadioTimes.com. “I love what Dan and David have done. The arc, the journey, every character.”

“I think everyone would agree in terms of saying they think their character endings are just and are the best way to wrap the characters up,” Hempstead Wright concluded.

“Even if, God forbid, some of them might die.”

So there you have it – overall, we can expect an emotionally numbing, character-driven ending that’ll probably kill off loads of people and prove to be incredibly divisive. Sounds like the perfect fit for Game of Thrones.

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The final series of Game of Thrones will air on the 15th April at 2am and 9pm on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV

Authors

Radio Times commissioning editor Huw Fullerton. He sits in front of a shelving unit, looking at the camera and smiling. He wears glasses and has a moustache

Huw FullertonCommissioning editor

Huw Fullerton is a commissioning editor for Radio Times magazine handling comedy, entertainment and specialist drama. In a previous regeneration, he covered all things sci-fi and fantasy for RadioTimes.com.

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