Nikolaj Coster-Waldau weighs in on “pi**ed off” Game of Thrones fans

Helen Sloan - HBO (3) Jaime godswood
Helen Sloan - HBO (3) Jaime godswood

Game of Thrones is now firmly in the rearview mirror, but I have an idea that the cast members are going to be fielding questions about it for years to come. That’s what happens when you’re on a show that changes television as we know it.

Right now, people are still talking about the show’s divisive ending. A lot of fans were none too pleased with how things wrapped up, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) has definitely heard from them as he’s traveled to conventions and such over the past several months. “I’ve travelled around the world and what has really been wonderful is how these communities have grown out of a love of this one show,” he said at the Global Citizen Awards, where he was appearing in his capacity as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme. “And I also think that’s one of the reasons a lot of people are pissed off.”

"They didn’t want it to end, just period. Did not want it to end. Because does that mean I’m gonna lose my friends that I’ve been hanging out with? People have online communities around the world, and it’s been about this show and our love. Also I’ve met people that say ‘no no we’re going to carry on, we’re gonna keep going.’"

This sounds pretty similar to what Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) told The New Yorker last week. “Well, everybody’s always going to have an opinion, and that means an ownership,” he said.
“It’s like breaking up with somebody. They get upset. I can’t speak for everybody, but my feeling is they didn’t want it to end, so a lot of people got angry.”

Is there anything to this? There was definitely a wonderful community aspect to Game of Thrones that will be hard to replicate, although fan gatherings like Con of Thrones are still going forward. It is hard to let go, although I don’t think the actors are really engaging with good-faith criticisms of the content and execution of the final season here.

And honestly, why would they when they’re at an event to talk about their humanitarian work? And like I said, it’s not like Game of Thrones questions are going away anytime soon…

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h/t NME