Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne) talks the end of Game of Thrones
There are three things that are said to be certain: death, taxes, and the end of Game of Thrones. Just this past weekend, at the Television Critics Association, HBO programming president Casey Bloys appeared to confirm that Game of Thrones Season 8 would be the final season of the hit series. Then, a spokesperson for HBO seemed to back off from that confirmation, although that could be in reference to a prequel or spinoff series.
Speaking of the end of Game of Thrones, actor Daniel Portman, who portrays the ever-lovable Podrick Payne, spoke to Digital Spy about how he’s feeling about it. “It was always going to happen, wasn’t it?” he said “But it is sad. Nobody expected it to be as successful as it’s been. It’s just been a bit of a freak social phenomenon, unlike anything else that’s ever been on television”
"You can’t predict that, but to have worked on something that’s so well-written and so well-directed – and so well-made by everybody – it’s a real joy to be in that company and to have made so many wonderful relationships. aSo it will be sad when it’s not there, but that is the life of an actor. I’ve been very lucky to have this amount of time getting to know a character – and it was always going to end."
It sounds like Portman is handling the news of Thrones‘ imminent demise rather well. As Digital Spy notes, since 2012, the actor has appeared in 27 episodes—that’s nearly three seasons’ worth of Game of Thrones. At this point, he’s an indispensable member of the show’s supporting cast. And as it did with people like Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, Portman’s role on Game of Thrones helped launch his career.
"For everybody who’s been on the show, it’s launched all of us – more or less. All the young cast, anyway – it’s been our start. There weren’t a lot of people in the young cast who were very well-known beforehand, and now most of us have some sort of following at least. That’s been a real bonus of the job, aside from doing something that’s such high quality and so popular, which is always great."
As far as where Pod will be in Season 7, or even at the end of Season 8, Portman couldn’t say. However, he did say that that he had “learned a lot about what it takes to be a good guy from playing Pod,” and that he’ll “definitely miss it” when the show is over and done. So maybe when that time comes, he’ll find work as an honest knight fighting for the rights of the downtrodden in the next hit fantasy show.