Finn Jones talks Loras Tyrell’s fate in “The Winds of Winter”

The Tyrells have been under siege since Season 6 began, with Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) and Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) both in prison. Margaery found her way out by following Loras’ advice: letting the High Sparrow win…or at least think he’d won. But where Margaery had a bargaining chip—direct access to the King—Loras had nothing but his own confession to get him out of the hellish torture chamber where he remained after Margaery returned home.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Mragaery thought she was exerting enough control to make a deal to get Loras out after his trial. She hadn’t taken into consideration what Loras would consent to just to make the torture stop, or that the High Sparrow wouldn’t really care what she wanted. By the end, Jones says that Loras was ready to leave by any means necessary. “He’s just lost his will do anything but get out of this hell,” he said. “I imagine he’s been beaten every day, abused physically, sexually and mentally. He can’t take anymore.”

But before any of that could play out, Cersei’s big move swallowed all of them in a sheen of green fire.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Finn Jones revealed that he was left in suspense about Loras’ fate until the day before the Episode 10 table read. (That’s a stark contrast to Natalie Dormer, who found out about Margaery’s fate six months early.)

"I got scripts 1 through 9 and read them all and thought, “Cool, cool, cool. This is good. I only got episode 10 to come.” I felt really positive, there’s only one more episode left! Then it was the evening before we got together for the table read and they were holding back the script for episode 10. And I was like, “Why didn’t I get episode 10 yet? That’s really weird. It’s 5 p.m. and we’re doing it tomorrow. Why haven’t I received it?” And just as I was saying that I get a call from [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss]. And as I’m picking up, I’m staying positive, thinking, “Maybe they’re checking in to say ‘Hi.’” And they were just like [a long pause of dead silence….]. And I was like “Ahhhh, God no! I was so close to season 7!”"

After six seasons, and so many characters being killed off, the dreaded cast phone call speaks for itself. Benioff and Weiss don’t even have to speak.

But although he was initially sorry not to make Season 7, Jones thinks the timing of this was right.

"But I think the timing of it was so perfect. Better to blaze out, quite literally, than fade out in seasons to come. I was really grateful for all the time on Game of Thrones. I don’t think there could be a better end for my character. I felt very satisfied. From an acting and character perspective, I was just really grateful. It’s amazing how everything works out for the right reasons sometime."

Speaking of things working out, it was only the day after Jones finished filming Season 6 that he got an email to audition for Marvel’s Iron Fist. Jones said he had been slightly worried about the loss of the steady work Game of Thrones had provided him these last six years. He got the lead in Iron Fist, so things worked out for the best.