Director David Nutter on fake scenes, premiere episodes, and the ending to Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is coming to an end with season 8, and longtime series director David Nutter was happy to come back on board for one last ride. Nutter has directed some of the show’s most iconic moments, from the Red Wedding to Shireen’s sacrifice to Cersei’s Walk of Shame, but he sat out these last couple of seasons. Speaking to the Huffington Post, Nutter talked about why:

"After 2015, after the fifth season, I had a couple back surgeries and I missed Season 6 and 7. And it broke my heart to do so. There are times when I’d be in excruciating physical therapy sessions, and I’d be wondering if I’d ever have a chance to direct again ― let alone direct Game of Thrones. Fortunately, I came back. I was all repaired. They welcomed me back with open arms, and not only welcomed me back with open arms, but welcomed me back to actually have me involved in and direct three of the six episodes [of Season 8]."

So not only did showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss invite Nutter back following his surgery, but they had enough faith to entrust him with directing half the season. “They’re such great collaborators as well as teachers and mentors,” Nutter said. “In many respects for me, it’s just getting a chance to be involved in what they’re doing.”

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It sounds like Nutter hit the ground running, although since this was his first time directing a premiere, he drew inspiration from the work of Jeremy Podeswa, who worked on “The Red Woman” and “Dragonstone,” the premiere episodes for seasons 6 and 7 respectively. “He’s a tremendous friend and a great director,” Nutter said. “I was hoping I can live up to his great work.” Coming back after two years away might throw some off, but Nutter has been working on Game of Thrones since season 2, and has a good handle on how the characters have grown:

"Sophie, when she first met the Hound and was in Westeros, has now grown into a formidable queen in her own right and respect. Arya, who’s gone from this little kid who wanted to be noticed and seen to very formidable in her own right. The growth of those family members has really been a lot of fun, and getting a chance to work with new exciting actors and fun people as well has been a real pleasure. Things like the Daznak Pit, and of course the Walk of Shame and the Red Wedding, were highlights to my career. It’s something I’ll never forget."

Turning to the shooting of season 8 itself, Nutter talked about how on-set security had tightened in his absence:

"Well, sometimes there were paparazzi in amazing places ― on construction cranes and all kinds of crazy places, to try to get a point of view of things. They were all over, everywhere, trying to get in on what was happening. But it was definitely a situation where there was no paper on the set, [that] type of thing. [The production team] wanted to make sure nobody knew what was happening, and they went to the nth degree, like they do on the show in general. They basically take it to the point where it’s like the Gestapo. It’s tough to get answers."

Also, while he didn’t give any details, Nutter basically confirmed that HBO shot fake scenes to throw off the paparazzi, as at least one other cast member has said. As to which are which, we don’t know, which we guess is the point.

Finally, Nutter answered the million-dollar question: what can he tell us about the ending?

"All I know is that David and Dan spent a lot of time to tell the story in a proper fashion, and the audience will be completely satisfied. Not everybody will be satisfied, but I feel the audience will be satisfied with the direction the series goes. It lives up to all the building it’s coming to, I promise you that."

Game of Thrones season 8 debuts April 2019. And that’s Nutter’s new short film, Rising, above.

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