Twelve times Game of Thrones stars should’ve won Emmys but didn’t
By Dan Selcke
Image: Game of Thrones/HBO
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister): Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — “Kissed By Fire”
Unlike Bean and Gleeson, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau actually was nominated for his work as Jaime Lannister — for seasons 7 and 8 — but didn’t win. He was excellent in those later seasons, but his best moment comes in season 3’s “Kissed By Fire,” when Jaime, the rigors of the past few days weakening him to the point where his self-loathing can come to the surface, confesses his deepest, darkest secret to Brienne of Tarth: he’s actually a better man than people think he is, and it’s been torturing him for years.
Before this moment, we thought of Jaime as a swaggering gadabout, a man who would kill you because it suited his purposes and who wouldn’t lose a night’s sleep over it. But it’s a lie. Jaime plays that part because it’s what people expect of him, when in reality he sacrificed his honor to save hundreds of thousands of people, people who now see him as an oath-breaker and a traitor.
Coster-Waldau brings a wonderful mix of strength and weakness to this scene, ably supported by scene partner Gwendoline Christie. He wouldn’t be nominated for an Emmy for another four seasons, but this is when the wheels started to turn.