Game of Thrones cast was “expecting there to be backlash”

The cast and crew of Game of Thrones gathered this past weekend at the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards, which meant plenty of new chances to get their thoughts on the final season of the show.

Even all these months later, there’s still a lot of ill feeling among fans concerning the execution of season 8, with cast member after cast member after cast member weighing in. Now, it’s time for Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) and Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) to give their thoughts, which they did on the red carpet to US Weekly.

“We were expecting there to be backlash,” Wright said. “It’s so, so difficult to end something as divisive and as popular and as huge as Game of Thrones. The moment we got those scripts we knew … well, the moment we knew it was ending, we knew not everyone would be pleased.”

Cunningham was quick to back up his costar. “You have to remember human nature and that people had a relationship with this show,” he said. “It didn’t become a cultural phenomenon for no reason. When people are in love with something and you turn around and go, ‘We’re going now,’ they get upset and quite rightly.”

Both Wright and Cunningham stick close to the pretty standard line of, “It was inevitable that there was going to be backlash because so many people loved the show,” and fair enough. Although I think Wright saying that they knew there could be trouble “the moment we got those scripts” indicates that there’s a bit more to it. A question for the 10-year reunion, perhaps.

So we all know that some fans were cheesed off by the end of the show. Do the actors ever get confronted by such people? “Nine out of ten people come up and say. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’” Cunningham said. “We return with, ‘Thank you for watching us and thank you for allowing us into your homes.’ And then you’ll get one who stamps their feet.”

"They usually think they’re being clever by coming up and [asking], ‘What did you think of the end?’ And you kinda go, ‘You’re not asking me that question. You want me to ask you what did you think of the end.’ And that’s what they’re aiming for. Some people wanna watch the world burn."

Geez, you got a little dark there at the end, Davos.  “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Cunningham added.

Wright has been confronted by fans “once or twice,” as well. “I think you’ve got to kind of look into the positives of that, which is the fact that people are so passionate about it. They’re so invested in it, they’re coming up and telling you why you ruined it or whatever.”

Now that makes perfect sense to me. I mean, honestly, imagine if someone started putting down the TV show you acted in to your face — what exactly is the polite response there? I think Wright’s middle path is about perfect.

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