Lena Heady gives this print her stamp of approval. Get it? Stamp?

Grab your checkbooks, if you’re so inclined: The British Royal Mail service and HBO are auctioning off several signed versions of the Mail’s Game of Thrones stamps it released earlier this year — not actual size, fortunately, but rather enlarged prints — to raise money for the Mail’s charity partner, Action for Children.

The prints were signed by Lena Heady (Cersei Lannister), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) during filming of the eighth and final season (which, as we reported a few days ago, is said to be finished for good and will be celebrated with a final wrap party tomorrow).

The auction opened last night on Action for Children’s eBay charity page and runs until July 8th. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to the charity, which helps nearly 300,000 children, young people and their families across the UK.

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This past Thursday night, Lena Headey was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote her new film, but let’s be honest—Game of Thrones was the main topic of discussion. As well as complaining about her “turnip wig,” the actress revealed what showrunners David Benioff & Dan Weiss did to celebrate her last day of filming as Cersei.

“They usually give us all of [the scripts], and if anyone says they don’t flick to the end [to see if they made it], they’re lying,” Headey said. “And then we had a big read-through. We didn’t do one until this final season, when we were all in Belfast. It was really emotional.”

Headey also revealed what the showrunners did in season eight when a starring cast member like herself wrapped their role, leaving Game of Thrones behind once and for all:

“I was like, ‘It’s been nine years, it’s been amazing, and I’m happy to go and find new things’, and then I knew David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], our creators, were doing speeches and giving everybody these drawings of the storyboards, and I suddenly got really emotional at the end, trying to head down the stairs, and they all rushed up and trapped me. And then they gave the speech; it was really moving!”

Please do watch the video interview for more about her “turnip wig,” a story that’s “not very Queen Cersei at all” and a pretty hilarious tale from her teenage years.

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Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), by Marc Hom for EW

Gwendoline Christie, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner reunited recently to talk to Vogue about the final season, and how much of a challenge it was to shoot, as it took 10 months despite comprising only six episodes.

As we have read before, the season’s setpiece battle was a particularly grueling shoot of 55 nights in the cold mud followed by many more weeks of indoor filming: “All the training in the world couldn’t have prepared me for the amount of stamina you needed for these night shoots,” Williams says. “It gets to the point where it’s four o’clock in the morning and you’re looking around like, ‘This is ridiculous. What are we doing?'”

Physical exhaustion wasn’t the only repercussion: for her final scene as Sansa, Turner “couldn’t control herself”, she says. “I cried for hours and hours once it wrapped. It was like leaving behind a character that I’ve grown up with. It’s almost like a death.”

As difficult as it was, it was quite a journey, for actors and characters alike. Christie reflects on her role: “I do see Brienne of Tarth as a modern-day Joan of Arc.” When asked whether we’ll get to see her do more than fighting this season, such as establishing a romantic relationship, the actress is evasive yet somewhat encouraging: “What I will say is, I’m happy to see more of Brienne of Tarth the woman explored this season.”

For more about the role of women in Game of Thrones and how their characters smash through patriarchal structures both fictional and real, read the original article here.

At Men’s Health, Joe Dempsie briefly discusses season eight and looks back on Gendry’s journey and most iconic (and memetic) scenes, including what he calls the “incredibly pointless shirtless scene” in Harrenhal (I’m sure many of us would disagree with that assessment.) “Originally, when they told me about it, they justified it by saying, ‘So basically, he’s forging a sword, but it’s really hot—he’s in the blazing heat—so he’s got his shirt off.’ I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Belfast in November, but blazing heat has never existed in Belfast, full stop. Let alone in November. So we got there and it all felt a little bit silly. The broader idea is that it’s more a scene about Arya than Gendry. Arya getting to an age where she notices that kind of thing.” And oh boy, did she!

“A lot of the stuff that we’ve done in season 8—the scale of it has been unbelievable,” Dempsie tells Men’s Health. “It’s the kind of thing that makes you wonder, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever work on something of this level again.’ And also, just the fact that you can turn to one of your colleagues in between takes, look at each other and say, without hyperbole or being ironic: ‘TV history, man; we’re in it, we’re making it.'”

Though the actor never had grand ‘endgame’ theories, he did wonder about his character: “I was the most curious as to what we might find out about Gendry’s parentage. Obviously, we know that he was the bastard of Robert Baratheon, but who might his mother have been?,” Dempsie wonders. “There’s a line in season one, and it’s a first scene you ever see of Gendry, where he’s looking to Ned and he’s asked about his mother, and he says he doesn’t remember much about her at all, other than the fact that she had yellow hair and she would sing to him. It’s one of those things where you go, ‘Do they usually write lines that don’t mean anything, or lines that seem to have significance that [are] never addressed again?’ I was kind of intrigued to see what that might mean, and what impact that might have on Gendry’s clout politically.”

Now, isn’t that interesting? Are we in for another parentage twist? Whether we are or not, do you believe Gendry will be legitimized and given lands? Will he live his life as a common smith? Something else entirely? Or will he die?! Tell us what you think below!

For more about Dempsie’s feelings on the ending, read the whole interview here.

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HBO just released a dozen new interviews highlighting the journey of surviving Game of Thrones main characters, with each of their actors providing a send-off for their role.

There are some beautifully emotional moments here, and hilarious ones too, with Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont), Isaac Hampstead Wright (Bran Star), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Nikolaj Coster Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane), and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) looking back on a decade of Thrones with their characters, from the first day on set to the end of season eight.

Before you jump into each individual character-focused interview, there’s an overview video weaving them all into a single featurette, highlighting the best answers about their first and favorite days on set, best scene partner, what they’ll miss the most, and more:

The individual interviews can be found in this playlist, where you’ll get to see these twelve cast members go deeper into their characters and their experience on the show than the above compilation of soundbites allows. I recommend watching them all.

Personally, the most compelling interviews are definitely with Emilia Clarke, who gets really personal and emotional (and made me even more emotional) discussing what Daenerys and Game of Thrones means to her; Iain Glen, who’s just as in love with Jorah’s old yellow shirt as we are; and Maisie Williams, who reminisces about working with Sophie Turner both in these final two seasons and all the way back in the pilot, with 10 year-old interview footage from cute little Maisie incorporated throughout.

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Ahead of tomorrow’s 60 Minutes Game of Thrones special, CBS has released a part of the program in which Anderson Cooper interviews George R.R. Martin, and the A Song of Ice and Fire author is more open than ever about his feelings on the show coming to an end, especially before his books do, and just how close their two endings will be.

“I published a fifth book in 2011, when the series was just going on the air, so I was like five books ahead,” he says. “I was completely confident that I would have the entire series finished, and ‘Winds of Winter’ and ‘A Dream of Spring’ would be out before they got to them. [So] it was a blow when the series caught up. I didn’t think it would happen.”

As it’s been famously recounted many times, Martin had to tell showrunners Benioff & Weiss about “the major beats” so they could continue the story with an ending on sight. Just how detailed these “beats” were has been a topic of much discussion, yet here the author puts the rumors to rest. If there was ever a possibility he merely offered a few key moments and a vague outline for the rest, it’s now clear that wasn’t the case:

“We’re talking here about several days of story conferences taking place in my home,” Martin clarifies. “But there’s no way to get in all the detail, all the minor characters, all the secondary characters. The series has been extremely faithful, compared to 97% of all television and movie adaptations of literary properties. But it’s not completely faithful. And it can’t be. Otherwise, it would have to run another five seasons.”

Martin adds that the show being “a different version” of the books is “true of every adaptation.” In fact, when asked about whether he worries people will have the show’s ending in mind before the books, he makes it clear there’s not that much of a difference after all: “I don’t think Dan and Dave’s ending is gonna be that different from my ending, because of the conversations we did have,” he says, decisively putting many rumors to rest. “But on certain secondary characters there may be big differences.”

Unless for you discussion of “the ending” heavily involves the resolution of secondary characters whose path has diverged significantly (say, Bronn) or who don’t even feature in the show (say, Arianne), Martin has now confirmed the show’s “ending” will be essentially his own, at least as it relates to the main characters and the world.

Martin finishes with a calm, brutal honesty about the whole affair that I honestly find incredibly satisfying. Just listen to the man predict what’s gonna happen so perfectly:

“There will be a debate, I’m sure. I think a lot of people [will] say ‘Oh, Dan and Dave’s ending is better than the one George gave us. It’s a good thing they changed it.’ And there will be a lot of people who say, ‘No. Dan and Dave got it wrong. George’s ending is better.’ And they will all fight on the internet. And there will be debate. And that’s fine. You know, the worst thing for any work of art, be it a movie or a book, is to be ignored.”

Truer words have never been spoken!

In a more tongue-in-cheek clip, Cooper asks the cast and crew to just spill out the ending. Featuring showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as well as cast members Kit Harington, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Maisie Williams, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Liam Cunningham, John Bradley, and Gwendoline Christie, the interview doesn’t just give us jokes but also a few serious answers too:

“It ends brilliantly,” says Peter Dinklage. “It brings everybody into it. And it questions everything [about what we thought,] which I love. It really makes you question yourself, I think. I did when I was reading it. Not in any sort of snarky way; in a beautiful way… I would love to talk to you more about it, but I can’t. It’s really good!”

“We’ve challenged people all along,” John Bradley contends. “If you would’ve asked people halfway through season one, ‘Do you want Ned Stark to die in episode nine?’, they’d have gone ‘Absolutely not, no way’… We’ve never given people what they think they want, because we know that [what] people really want [is] to be challenged, and they don’t like to be spoon-fed. All those great, visceral moments of people’s reactions to this show have come from things happening that they didn’t want to happen.”

“When we read the final six scripts, I just thought ‘Wow, they’ve done an amazing job, they actually wrapped it up. They ended this show,’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau recalls. “And it’s an ending. We’re not gonna come back. And you do feel proud that you’re part of something like that.” And you should feel proud, Nikolaj! You all should!

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The final season of Game of Thrones opened with a solid premiere episode full of callbacks, reunions, dragon riding, and yes – plenty of shade. From the stunning visuals, to the interesting character moments, to the grisly reminder of the White Walker threat, the premiere has set the stage for a compelling end to the series, and I’m excited to see what happens next. In the meantime, let’s go behind the scenes of “Winterfell” with today’s interviews and videos!

First up, Entertainment Weekly brings us an interview with episode writer, Dave Hill. He reveals that they initially thought about using a cold open before making the decision to go a more traditional route, and have the premiere mirror the pilot. Hill also explains what Daenerys’ arrival means to the northern crowd. “We start off with a little orphan boy, to see what to a commoner, to the people on the ground where it’s the most exciting thing they’re ever going to see in their life — a Targaryen queen who also has dragons. Everyone can’t help but look even though what they see makes them afraid. They have a new monarch with monsters to fight other monsters.”

Dany didn’t get the warmest of welcomes, especially from Sansa. “Sansa sees her as the foreign interloper. She trusts her family and no one else. You can see from Sansa’s view that Jon went to meet with this southern queen who burned her grandfather and uncle alive and suddenly Jon bent the knee to her.” Hill adds, “Sansa starts off this season very suspicious and not at all friendly with Dany.” Perhaps he is hinting that the season won’t end that way? Let’s hope Team Stark and Team Targaryen pull together before the White Walkers arrive.

Another character in for a hostile reception is Jaime Lannister, who arrived at Winterfell in the final scene. Hill admits, “It’s an emotional punch that works really well. I knew it was a scene that [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau] was absolutely going to nail.” It will be fascinating to see Bran’s interaction with him next week – will Jaime be forgiven?

Check out the entire EW article for Hill’s thoughts on the Jon/Arya reunion, Jon’s parentage reveal, and more!

Speaking of that parentage reveal, another EW interview gives us Kit Harington‘s take on how Jon feels about it, saying it’s “the most upsetting thing in the world.” to his character. “If Jon could go back in time and say: ‘Whatever you’re about to say, don’t tell me,’ he would. He’d happily be in ignorance.”

Harington confesses that getting Jon’s reaction just right wasn’t easy. “You mark the particularly tricky scenes that you’re going have to concentrate on and this was one. He finds out such a massive piece of information. Not only does he find out who his mother is but also that he’s related to the person he’s in love with. It’s hard for any actor to play. It’s not a two-hour movie but eight seasons of playing a character who’s finding out.”

While Sam is clearly trying to push Jon to stake his claim to Westeros, Harington firmly states Jon isn’t interested. “He has no ambition for the throne. He’s never wanted that.” The news also complicates Jon’s life at a time when he needs to focus on defeating the White Walkers with the help of his ally and lover, Daenerys. “The end of the world might be coming soon but at least he’s in love with somebody and knows who he is, and then comes this sledgehammer.” Will their relationship survive once the truth is out? Perhaps we’ll know the answer on Sunday.

Head over to EW for the rest, including commentary from Samwell himself, John Bradley.

John Bradley also shares his perspective on the scene with Making Game of Thrones. “Sam is the one Jon trusts more than anyone: He knows Sam wouldn’t tell him unless he was 100 percent sure. It’s a big emotional moment for Jon because his relationship with Ned is something he always took pride in. As soon as that’s questioned, Jon reacts quite violently — you see it in Kit’s eyes. But he quickly computes that Sam is saying this for all the right reasons and has Jon’s best interests in mind.”

Bradley explains Sam’s reaction to his father and brother’s deaths, saying, “it comes as a surprise how much it affects him emotionally. There’s a moment where he rationalizes his father’s death and he looks for a positive — at least Sam can go home now…But when Daenerys mentions Dickon’s death, that really rips Sam’s heart out. Dickon is just another casualty of Randyll’s toxic masculinity.”

“This is the moment he decides to tell Jon about his heritage because he can foresee problems [Daenerys] may cause for Jon in the future. Sam realizes he is dealing with a very important, but dangerous person.” Sam should tread carefully if he doesn’t want to lose Daenerys’ vitally important support before the White Walkers arrive. The fallout from this reveal could have dire consequences for everyone involved.

Read the entire interview here.

Speaking to The New York Times, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Isaac Hempstead Wright discuss their characters’ reunions. On Sansa and Tyrion, Turner remarks, “They never filed for a divorce or an annulment, so I guess they technically are still married! I don’t think it’s as awkward as people would say because Sansa has been through so many rocky relationships that her relationship with Tyrion actually seems pretty sweet, in retrospect.”

Williams says of Arya and Gendry that she doesn’t know if they “have a lot in common anymore. And Arya’s never really been very good at communicating verbally how she feels on the inside anyway…It’s weird for her to be reminded of the girl that she was, you know, and how she last felt when she was with certain characters, because I feel like she’s sort of severed that part of herself.”

We haven’t quite gotten a reunion between Jaime and Bran, but Hempstead Wright teases that Jaime may be off the hook for pushing Bran out of a window as far as he’s concerned. “It had to happen, I reckon. It’s given him incredible abilities, which made him far more significant than he could have ever dreamed of being, had he not had the power…he certainly doesn’t hold grudges. He kind of transcends all the petty quarrels of most of the other characters.” Maybe Bran can help the rest of the Winterfell crew get on the same page before it’s too late.

Hempstead Wright is featured in an article by The Hollywood Reporter as well, in which he elaborates on what Bran’s priority is this season. “His sole focus is that he wants the living to survive. He’s on the side of the living. He’s the ancient arch-nemesis of the Night King. He’s so far beyond any petty squabbling or wanting to get revenge or a comeuppance on someone. He doesn’t view the world like that anymore. He just views things as timelines that intersect and have to end up in certain places.” Ancient arch-nemesis? That’s quite an interesting phrase. Hopefully we’ll find out what he means in the episodes to come.

About those upcoming episodes, Hempstead Wright cautions us to prepare ourselves, saying “The first episode was quite funny. I suppose that’s a warning, to ease you back in before all the pain that’s about to come. The rest of the season might not follow quite as happily.” Keep your tissues handy – we will probably need them!

For more on Bran’s reunion with Jon, the parentage reveal, and more, go to THR.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has his own thoughts about Jaime encountering Bran again. Speaking to EW, he says that for Jaime “it’s like: ‘What the hell?’ and then, ‘Oh my god, that’s the kid.’ I think he knows Bran didn’t die, but he doesn’t expect to meet him.” Jaime intended to go to Winterfell “to fight the good fight” and now he’s “in deep sh–.” He adds, “This is the Lord of Winterfell that I tried to kill and I’m sure he wants revenge. That’s what Jaime expects.”

There may be a happier reunion for Jaime, however – seeing Brienne again. “For Jaime, he would assume she would be there,” Coster-Waldau admits. “I don’t think that was the reason he went. They’ve both been very good at compartmentalizing whatever feelings they have for each other.” We may finally get to see those feelings surface, especially knowing the end may be coming for all of them soon. Braime forever!

In a final article from EW, Lena Headey confesses she wasn’t initially on board with Cersei’s decision to have sex with Euron Greyjoy. “I kept saying, ‘She wouldn’t, she wouldn’t, that she would keep fighting, but [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] obviously know what they’re doing and were adamant Cersei would do what she had to do.” Headey came around to the idea, however. “Cersei is such the ultimate survivor in all of this. She refuses to fall to her knees. She goes to the place where she doesn’t want to go, which makes it more powerfully sad because of who she’s not with.”

Pilou Asbaek admits there were many conversations about whether to include the scene. “Cersei has only been with two people throughout the entire series — the fat king and her brother.” (Actually she has been with her cousin Lancel as well, but I digress). “We had a lot of discussions. Would it be out of character for her to be with Greyjoy for power? We discussed it so much that we almost ended up going, ‘Maybe it’s too much.’ Then we decided to try it out and see if it works. Sometimes you have to show different sides of a character.” Will this be the only time Cersei has to give in to Euron’s desires? I don’t see him giving up that easily…

In this week’s “Inside the Episode,” David Benioff and Dan Weiss break down Daenerys’ arrival to Winterfell, long awaited reunions, and Jon’s first dragon flight.

The next two videos are from HBO’s website, so apologies in advance if they don’t play for those of you outside the United States. In this one, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Nathalie Emmanuel discuss Team Targaryen’s frosty Northern reception.

Kit Harington and Maisie Williams share their thoughts on Jon and Arya’s emotional reunion.

The battle for the dawn has been won, and it’s time for our characters to celebrate…or is it? “The Last of the Starks” allowed the survivors to briefly grieve and rejoice before ratcheting up the tension as we head toward the final clash with Queen Cersei. The losses didn’t end last week, as Team Dany receives some devastating hits to their morale as they gear up for the last war – and the outcome is far from certain. While we anxiously await what happens next, let’s dive into today’s interviews and videos!

The most heartbreaking blow to Daenerys was losing her translator and confidante, Missandei. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Jacob Anderson admits, “There’s like a cruel inevitability in this show where anybody who finds that happiness is going to have to watch that taken away from them…I honestly thought Grey Worm was gone in that episode. And I even had that thought: ‘Take me!’ She’s come through so much s—t that she’s had to deal with her life. As soon as it looks like they’re about to enjoy it, it all gets snatched away. So I didn’t expect it and I had to lay down the script for a bit.” Happiness on Thrones? Not today!

Nathalie Emmanuel believes that Missandei’s death was “really emotional and she’s so brave in it and shows her strength and fearlessness even though she doesn’t wield a sword. She believes in her queen and believes in her cause. I’m so happy that she has that kind of exit…She was willing to lay down her life but we hoped she wouldn’t have to. You can watch the end of a show and think the character is living on to do whatever. But there’s a real sadness to the fact that the character won’t.” She adds ominously, “It seems likely to push Daenerys to a scary level.” Cersei and the rest of King’s Landing will likely live (however briefly) to regret it.

Head to EW for more on Emmanuel’s thoughts on the final season.

A character we saw only briefly was Jorah Mormont, as Daenerys gave him an emotional farewell before lighting his funeral pyre. Iain Glen tells EW that although there was no line written for Emilia Clarke, she did whisper something to him. Glen is keeping it between them, however. “It’s something entirely sincere and true to the moment and something that I’ll never forget…I’ll always cherish it because it’s something no one will ever know but the two of us. And that’s a memory to hold onto.” Rest in peace, Ser Jorah.

One of the episode’s highlights was seeing Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth finally acting on the passion that has been simmering under the surface of their relationship all these years. Unfortunately it was all too brief, as Jaime decided to leave for King’s Landing after hearing about Cersei’s execution of Missandei.

Gwendoline Christie confesses to EW that she hasn’t “been certain of the relationship between Jaime and Brienne. It hasn’t been a love story. It’s been this strange relationship between a man and woman that’s never been able to find it’s true form…So you’re dealing with two people who are not terribly functional in the emotional world. I think going through sharing the experience of surviving the war together and saving each others’ lives continuously proves to be a very heady combination. Physicality often releases emotion and I think that’s what happens — working together unlocked them.” Did it ever!

She also explains that it was “important to see a moment of choice from Brienne where she chooses to do this. Brienne is a virgin. As far as we know, Brienne hasn’t had a sexual or romantic encounter before. In the books, the character sleeps in her armor to protect herself. It’s important that she choose to explore life in that way and have that experience.”

When Jaime chooses to leave, Christie reveals, “It’s so heartbreaking. But it’s life isn’t it? Life is heartbreaking…I have no judgment of Cersei but their relationship is dysfunctional. That’s when I went very red. I was very upset and I had to go for a walk.” She continues, “I feel for [Brienne] so deeply. I love that she doesn’t crumble from it…But my god. That’s the Game of Thrones, isn’t it? Just when you think things are going to go well it punches you harder than ever in the guts…” I think we can all agree on that point by now.

Read the full interview here.

In this week’s “Inside the Episode,” David Benioff and Dan Weiss discuss the aftermath of the battle of Winterfell and character motivations heading into the endgame.

The next two videos are from HBO’s website and are only available in the United States. Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington reveal why the Jon and Daenerys relationship is breaking down in “Destruction and Discord.”

“The Game Revealed” takes us behind the scenes of the funeral, the victory feast, Daenerys’ devastating losses, and more.

In case you missed it, check out next’s week preview below!

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The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones featured betrayal, triumph, and tragedy. In “The Bells,” we saw a grieving and despondent Daenerys finally win her victory over Queen Cersei – only to have it turn to literal ashes. Many characters were taken from us, while others were traumatized by the unleashing of “fire and blood.” Where does the story go from here? We have one more Sunday to find out. In the meantime, let’s breakdown this episode like Drogon broke down the Red Keep with today’s interviews and videos!

Cersei Lannister met her end last night, and Lena Headey reveals to Entertainment Weekly that “it’s maybe the first time that Cersei has been at peace.” She starts off the season “desperately unhappy and everything that’s happened becomes more real than it ever has for her. She starts to lose control of the situation. She’s destroyed every good alliance, connection, love in her life — she was always destined to be alone. And until the very, very last minute, she is, as ever, in denial of what’s actually happening.”

However, as death comes for her, Jaime appears to comfort her in her final moments. “I think the biggest surprise is he came back for her. Cersei realizes just how she loves him and just how much he loves her. It’s the most authentic connection she’s ever had. Ultimately they belong together.” Headey adds, “I told Nikolaj [Coster-Waldau], ‘I’ve never seen you so sweet and sentimental.’ And he’s all, ‘What’s happening to me?’ We kept cuddling going ‘I love you.’ It was weird. There’s a sense of loss that nothing like this will ever happen again. There was a great sense of grief and an enormous amount of gratitude going on.”

For more of Headey’s reflections on her time with Game of Thrones, check out the article here.

EW brings us an interview with Conleth Hill as well, whose character, Varys, was executed for treason. Hill had mixed feelings about his death, saying, “I took it very personally. I took it as a person, not as an actor or an artist. I understood the reactions of previous actors who had been in the same position a lot more than I did at the time. You can’t help feeling that you failed in some way, that you haven’t lived up to some expectation that you didn’t know about.”

He may not have been happy about the consequence, but Hill believes Varys’ actions were noble. “He was absolutely true to his word the whole way through. All he wanted was the right person on the throne and a fair person on the throne. He said it so many times in the scripts. I don’t have the distraction of love or desire or any of those things. And the people he needed to see clearly were both in love. So that makes perfect sense.”

Varys will be missing from the finale, but Hill knows what’s coming and isn’t sure how fans will take it. “I have no idea. I don’t know how I feel. I can’t anticipate it until it happens. I don’t think they’ll feel cheated. The fan favorites are all there.” Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean they will survive to the final credits!

Read the full interview at EW.

In our final interview, also from EW, Rory McCann expresses his satisfaction for how Sandor Clegane goes out. “I’m very happy with the way The Hound’s story ends, thank you very much. I love all the endings. I don’t know how they managed to sew it all together. I don’t know how it goes with George R.R. Martin’s ending, if it’s the same or no.”

During the table read, McCann remarks that “it was quite funny when the so-called Cleganebowl started. I secretly brought a trumpet with me. [Co-executive producer Bryan Cogman] is reading [the stage directions] and I’m like, ‘Can you pause right before I say one of my last lines?’ He did and I brought out this trumpet and [blew it]. I got butterflies in my stomach over that fight.” If only he had brought an airhorn…

McCann feels “absolutely delighted” with the conclusion to his arc, saying, “I’m blessed to be given this storyline…Maybe he could have found peace and wandered off. But this is a fine way to go. It seems pretty beautiful to me. How lucky to be an actor who ends up on one of the biggest and best shows in the world. I see panic in some [fellow castmates] eyes: ‘What are we going to do now?’ Relax. Don’t worry. We’re on the map now.” They certainly are.

The entire article is worth a read, so be sure to head over to EW for the rest.

In this week’s “Inside the Episode,” David Benioff and Dan Weiss break down the sequence of events that led to the destruction of King’s Landing.

The next two videos are from HBO’s website and are only available in the United States. Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Peter Dinklage, and Jacob Anderson examine why Daenerys makes a tragic decision in “The Mad Queen.”

In “The Hound’s Gift,” Maisie Williams discusses Arya’s relationship with Sandor, and why she chose to not to pursue revenge.

In case you missed it, here is the preview for the series finale – the end is finally at hand.

HBO offered up a preview today of The Last Watch, a two-hour documentary which premieres on May 26th on HBO. Director Jeanie Finlay has created “a farewell to Westeros with the people who built the realm,” according to HBO.

The post Game of Thrones Post-Mortem of “The Bells” appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

The discussion around the writing of Game of Thrones has been fraught for a while, whether those fractions are divided along the lines of books versus show or other metrics. As the story approaches its conclusion and numerous theories that have been built, fortified, and championed fall by the wayside, there is going to be a natural amount of chagrin amongst respective viewers’ that their respective ideas are no longer in the realm of what the series is trying to achieve with its narrative. To a certain degree, I have also been impacted by that, even as much I have tried to focus on the writing at hand for what it is, and not for what I want it to be. That has been my guide with these pieces and I will do my best to follow it for this penultimate episode.

What immediately comes to mind about the episode’s title, “The Bells”, is Lord Varys’s (Conleth Hill) assertion that he truly hated the bells of King’s Landing for they rang whenever anything terrible had happened. This ultimately proved to be apt yet again, even if he was no longer around to witness exactly why that would be the case.

Game of Thrones has never been even remotely shy about being brutally honest when it comes to the cost of violence and war. It may not always have written those moments subtly and with the nuance they require, but largely if anyone has any remote fantasies about the glory of war, the series has done enough work to dispel those fantasies as easily as the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) swiped away dear old Qyburn (Anton Lesser). The dragonfire, the smoke, the ashes, the bodies, the blood; none of it was remotely illustrative of a series that does not understand the inherent cost of war.

On that level, the third act works beautifully.

There is an oft-repeated adage that the third act of a narrative is always the most difficult to pull off. People will often point towards the mystery genre as an example: the third is where the mystery unspools and, if the mystery is good, you will feel rewarded for being on the journey and satisfied with the answer. Many mysteries tend to crumble apart in that critical third act because something falls apart and the mystery is thus rendered unsatisfying. The same applies to a character-focused drama.

In regards to the characters, it feels to me like the final acts for some of them stumble. And it is within those arcs that the overall level of satisfaction is going to land. There is the question of whether or not the turn of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) from a person who was a bit too into hard justice into a war criminal has sufficient foundations. Did Jaime’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) actions when he, as it turned out, died with Cersei (Lena Headey) in the destruction of the Red Keep hold with his character? And what of Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann)? Did the delivery of the much hyped Cleganebowl rob him of the character development established in the previous two seasons?

The most salient element in display from a writing perspective is the distillation of these characters down to who they are at their core, as the series accomplished with more finesse in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” For some characters, just as in the Battle of Winterfell, the destruction of King’s Landing brings them to the forefront of who they are, rather than simply who they want to be. Arya (Maisie Williams) at her heart is not a mindless assassin without humanity; Sandor, whom she touchingly calls by his first name for the first time here, knows that he has an unfinished arc with his brother to complete, but is self-aware about what a lifetime of revenge has done to him.

Similarly for Cersei, there is the underlying current about who she has always been. She has always searched for a degree of belonging and satisfaction, whether it’s via hatred for Tyrion, her relationship with Jaime, or more often than not through sheer violence. Before Daenerys lays waste to King’s Landing, it was Cersei who blew the Sept of Baelor to smithereens and the surrounding civilians along with it. She nevertheless found that sense of belonging when Jaime, in spite of everything, came back for her. Alas, it was a bit too late for that belonging to outlive the destruction around them.

Jaime has always been tied to Cersei, for better and more often for worse. The destruction of the Sept of Baelor evoked the first serious reconsideration of their relationship, evoked by the anger and confusion on his face when Cersei takes the Iron Throne. He falls back into his addiction to their toxic relationship as he fights Daenerys’s invading forces, conflicted as he does so. Cersei’s decision to turn her back to the North is the straw that broke the camel’s back, but only temporarily, for Jaime did not return to King’s Landing, as many had expected, to end Cersei. Jaime’s addiction or love for Cersei, a categorization that depends on the individual viewer to a certain degree, has been layered throughout the series but his return in this fashion raises the question of what the writing ultimately wanted to say about the arc of his character.

Daenerys’s third act turn will no doubt inspire the most debate, a debate that is likely to continue well past the series finale. Her decision to raise all hell on King’s Landing as she breaks down atop Drogon is arguably the standout moment (for better and for worse) in what has been a true pop culture phenomenon. The overall character arc for her, while under judgment until the series finale, works on a thematic level because it conveys a dark reality about the pursuit of power and how dark the thematic concept of justice can go. It is perhaps on the side of potentially being too bitter but it can work, but only if the character beats have felt as weighted and fitting for you as the themes they were ultimately building towards. At the moment, it feels to me a bit like the writing revealed the murderer but the steps they took to commit their crime are opaque.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Share them below!

The post The Writing on the Wall: The Great Game is Ending appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

This is a Curtain Call I have been expecting for quite some time. It is nevertheless an odd experience to be sitting down and writing it at last.

If you’ve read my previous pieces in The Writing on the Wall series or heard me on The Night’s Cast podcast, you may know that I love the character of Cersei Lannister and what Lena Headey brought to the role.

Lena could have easily played a stereotypical Evil Queen, cackling as she devours her enemies or what have you, but she didn’t. She looked behind the veneer of Cersei and found the broken, isolated, and insecure being underneath. Lena’s performance never excused Cersei’s abhorrent behavior but she also never allowed the audience to ignore that there was a human being underneath the sharp callousness. To consistently embody that complexity for a decade is incredibly difficult and the tapestry of television and certain women in television has been made richer for it.

That humanizing of a villain was incredibly powerful for it complicated the picture of who Cersei is – and a villain whose humanity is consistently visible is far more potent than one who’s humanity is obscured, opaque. Lena embodied and played each element of Cersei beautifully, never losing sight of who she was, even if she was becoming someone else entirely in those moments. Her performance in “No One” after Tommen (Dean Charles-Chapman) outlaws trials by combat is perhaps my favorite. You see grief, shock, terror, despair, and anger all come together to form a shield of misguided strength and resolve as Cersei infamously makes the infamous decision to blow up the Sept of Baelor.

Lena’s filmography is vast, with more than eighty credits to her name. Her first breakout role arguably was her performance as Queen Guinevere in the 1982 NBC miniseries Merlin. She became known to a wider audience as Queen Gorgo in the war fest 300 and its sequel. She gained further notoriety as Sarah Connor in the excellent The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

You can catch Lena in the upcoming Gunpowder Milkshake alongside Karen Gillian, Michelle Yeoh, and Paul Giamatti. You can also see her teaming up in the television drama The Flood with her Thrones co-star Iain Glen and Mandip Gill of Doctor Who fame. And if you don’t follow her lovely Instagram, you’re missing out! Follow her on @iamlenaheadey.

Thank you for your luminous performance, Lena! We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next.

The post Curtain Call: Lena Headey appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Smell that, Game of Thrones fans? That’s the scent of dissatisfaction around the realm. While some people really liked the finale, unfortunately not everyone was satisfied – and that’s OK! While the show has been dead for barely a month, it has not stopped the cavalcade of discussion a show of its caliber has always been successful at inspiring. While for many, that will mean endless fan speculation, cheering, complaining, contemplation, and more (it does!), it also means that sometimes the actors or those behind the scenes might have a few thoughts of their own from time to time. In an interview with The Guardian, quoth Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) herself: “I will say I wanted a better death.”

Now hold on just a minute, before the tabloids get too carried away with this headline. Lena makes very clear that she is not out on a mission to rewrite the final season, like some million-odd fans, but she wants to point out that as a viewer and a fan herself, she has her own thoughts and opinions on how everything shook out: “No, listen, I invested as a viewer and I have my favourite characters. And I’ve got a few of my own gripes. But I haven’t sat down drunkly with David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] yet.”

I mean we’re all fans of the show, even the actors, themselves! So it makes sense to me that one can have their own disagreements with the direction of their character. Still, she acknowledges that even if it had gone differently, it doesn’t mean that the fan response would have been any better. “Obviously you dream of your death. You could go in any way on that show. So I was kind of gutted. But I just think they couldn’t have pleased everyone. No matter what they did, I think there was going to be some big comedown from the climb.”

Next up for Lena are several projects involving her as actor and even director. Most excitingly for GOT fans (are there any of you out there?) is her upcoming short 30 minute piece, The Trap, which will reunite her with fellow former GOT cast member, Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark). Check out the rest of the interview to see what else is going on Lena’s life. It looks like Lena Headey has a lot of upcoming projects on the horizon, so I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table next!

The post Lena Headey Wanted a Better Death for Cersei in Game of Thrones Season 8 appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.

Yesterday Game of Thrones collected a truly astonishing – and record breaking – 32 nominations for its eighth and final season. Talk about going out with a bang! What’s even more incredible is that almost a third of those were for the acting alone, with ten nominations for the cast. Understandably, they had plenty to say about this unprecedented achievement.

Kit Harington gave a statement to US Weekly expressing appreciation for his Lead Actor nod. “Many thanks to the Academy. It’s been an amazing journey with ol’ Jon Snow. I’m thrilled he’s been nominated.”

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Supporting Actor nominee Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shared the shock and amazement of the cast. “I was just on the phone with Gwendoline [Christie], who is also very excited. It’s unreal. We’re all just so thrilled, all of us. To have Kit, Emilia [Clarke], myself, Peter [Dinklage], Alfie [Allen], Gwendoline, Maisie [Williams], Sophie [Turner], Lena [Headey], Carice [Van Houten]…ten of us? It’s insane! None of us expected this.”

Coster-Waldau is aware the final season had a negative reception from some critics and fans, but he doesn’t believe the writing is at fault. “I think it was a mix of many things. For one, it’s the basic idea of not wanting the show to end, and any ending would have been very upsetting. But the only thing I can say is you don’t get this many actors nominated with bad writing. It just does not happen. This validates the writing on Game of Thrones, for sure.”

New (and long overdue) Supporting Actor nominee Alfie Allen told People that the cast was ectastic at the news. “32 nominations, it’s pretty insane. It’s collectively a mad thing. We’ve got a group chat going, it’s going crazy at the moment. It’s amazing. It’s just incredible, I can’t wait for the actual night.”

Initially Allen was unaware he was nominated. “I was on out and about just doing stuff. I got a congratulations text and I just thought it was a group nomination, and I didn’t realize it was an individual one, which is crazy. I’m just ecstatic really, I can’t believe this. It really surprised me, I was not expecting it at all. I’m still in shocked, still happily in shocked. It’s amazing.”

Even more than the possibility of winning an Emmy, Allen is looking forward to reuniting with his fellow cast members. “It’s gonna be a great night. I haven’t seen these people since the show has ended so it’s going to be great to sort of round it up on a positive celebration with everyone. It’s going to be a really lovely night.”

Many of the actors took to social media to share their excitement. Supporting Actress nominees Maisie Williams and Gwendoline Christie had very different reactions on Twitter, with Williams responding to the news with a pleased yet humble GIF…

https://t.co/SPC1GvXizwpic.twitter.com/is6SYyip8t

— Maisie Williams (@Maisie_Williams) July 16, 2019

…while Christie was a little less reserved.

I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!????!?!!?!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #EmmyAwards#CANITTRULYBEREAL?????????? 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯♥️ @ London, United Kingdom https://t.co/rZsgOdEjNc

— Gwendoline Christie (@lovegwendoline) July 16, 2019

Christie also told Variety that she “never ever thought this would happen…I couldn’t be more delighted, this is the best day ever.” She adds, “I honestly couldn’t feel more overwhelmed, privileged and heartened that people want to see more unconventional female storylines. I’m so excited for Kit and Emilia and Maisie and Alfie, and Nikolaj congratulated me this morning. It feels like a celebration.”

Fellow Supporting Actress nominees Sophie Turner and Lena Headey expressed their gratitude on Instagram. Turner shared a story in which she also congratulated her cast mates.

Headey’s post gave us a look at her excited reaction to the news.

View this post on Instagram

No I’m not engaged I’m just super CHUFFED and shocked and FULL of gratitude for the game changing opportunity that has been Game Of Thrones…. what a way to say Adios to this adventure of a lifetime .. Congrats to our INCREDIBLE CREW AND CAST … 🥰🤗❤️ #lovefestinthe7kingdoms 🥰🥰🥰

A post shared by Lena Headey (@iamlenaheadey) on Jul 17, 2019 at 5:10am PDT

Guest Actress nominee Carice Van Houten couldn’t believe the good news. 

View this post on Instagram

Whut ?!?!? the summer is hot and full of surprises ! Wow, I’m very excited and proud!

A post shared by Carice van Houten (@leavecaricealone) on Jul 16, 2019 at 10:42am PDT

Last but most certainly not least, George R.R. Martin offered praise to the entire Game of Thrones team.

My congratulations to David Benioff, Dan Weiss, our producers, directors, and all the rest of our amazing cast and crew… those who were nominated and those who were overlooked alike, they all have reason to be proud. https://t.co/xmOLeatYFV

— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) July 17, 2019

Regardless of how you feel about season eight, I think we can all admire the incredible acting and tremendous effort put forth by the cast and crew over the past decade. Here’s hoping for some well deserved awards in September.

The post Game of Thrones cast members react to Emmy nominations! appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.