It’s comforting to be periodically reminded that the fans aren’t the only ones preparing for the end of Game of Thrones with a mixture of excitement and sadness – the cast and crew are getting pretty emotional about it too. In a recent interview, Nathalie Emmanuel discussed her feelings about the prospect of facing life after Thrones and gave her opinion of people who leak spoilers *tugs nervously at collar*.
“I can’t even think about it, I’m not ready for that conversation,” Emmanuel told Express.co.uk when asked how she feels about having to say goodbye to her Game of Thrones co-stars. “I am enjoying the time because I know when it’s over it’s gonna take a minute for it to sink in that I’m not going back to see everyone next year,” she said. However, she describes the experience as “bittersweet” rather than “sad.”
“I’m looking forward to the future,” she said, “looking forward to seeing what my friends on the show are going to be doing. But also it’s been an amazing journey. The fact I was part of it at all is amazing. I will be sad, but it will be with a smile.” When asked about how production for season 8 is coming along, Emmanuel remained (unsurprisingly) tight-lipped: “I can’t say much but it’s going well and as far as I know everyone’s saying it’s going well so that’s good.”
Speaking of not giving away spoilers … Emmanuel has harsh words for people who do:
“It makes me so cross, makes me so angry! Last year we had these hacks happening and people releasing episodes online … It’s rubbish, it’s so upsetting and disrespectful to everyone,” she said.
What do you think about Emmanuel’s stance on spoiler culture? And where do you stand on spoilers yourself? Tell us below.
Ah em…WotW titles are super spoiler-y now.
1. I’m a simple guy. I see Nathalie and I click. 😉 to Pigeon
2. She may have bittersweet feelings about the end, but there’s nothing bittersweet about Nathalie, that’s all I know 🙂
3. I feel like if I hear or see the word bittersweet one more time I’m gonna barf.
4. Oh, and Hodor.
Already missing Missandei.
Mr Derp,
“3. I feel like if I hear or see the word bittersweet one more time I’m gonna barf.”
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You saved me the trouble of typing the same exact thing.
Ten Bears,
Was thinking the same…
I like spoilers…alot. So, no problem with them as long as they’re appropriately labeled so that those who don’t want to see them can avoid them.
Oh, Missandei – so so so beautiful!
I don’t care about spoilers.
Maybe I can purposely barf just so I can say that it DID! 😛
Yeah, if people want to spoil it for themselves, who am I to judge. No skin off my back. The problem is when YouTube videos start popping up like last year with Dany in her white coat reaching down for Jon, or videos with titles like “Arya threatens Sansa”. Grr!
Fortunately the only really major thing I’ve been spoiled on in the entire series was Ned’s death because I started watching just after season 2 aired. Prior to that I kept hearing about this Ned guy dying and how upset people were, and I’m like “it’s a TV show people!” … And now, here I am. 🙂
Glad to see I’m not alone in finding the word bittersweet rather bitter lately. 😛
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If you do, I am sure it will leave a bittersweet aftertaste in your mouth. 😎
Spoiler Alert
I am thinking that “bitter sweet” is a required theme for 2018 promos
cos alpha,
Her skin type is amazing. Dealing with pale, Celtic skin with Rosacea for many years I do think life would have been a little easier sporting the lovely tone Natalie has 🙂 No makeup needed, just moisturize and go!
I have zero issue with spoilers. Leaks….well, people who leak stuff maliciously sort of suck, but at the same time, I know I’ll watch any, soooooo….I kinda sick too. I’m ok with that.
Just don’t spoil people to be an ass.
‘Bittersweet’ has officially been upgraded to the long list of words and terms I would love to never hear again, including ‘agency’, ‘trope’, ‘at the end of the day’, ‘make no mistake’, ‘if you think this has a happy ending….’, ‘sweet summer child’, ‘shook’, ‘bae’…..*runs to bathroom retching*
She’s my pick for ‘most beautiful woman’ on the show, for sure. I am also plagued by ye olde Celtic curse, and unfortunately the product that keeps it completely under control is Creme de la Mer. Son of a Greyjoy, that stuff is ridiculous.
Mr Derp,
😉 10-4, buddy!
I’m with Nathalie to an extent. I like the spoilers for casting news, filming locations and filming updates but I’m definitely against any leaks. I remember, was it season 5? or 4?, that the first 5 episodes were leaked — I STILL did not watch and waited every week to watch the episodes. I definitely stayed offline when the leaks happened last year as well so it didn’t spoil the magic for me. I like some of the spoilers on WoTW but anything that’s “end-game” or plot-related, I’ll stay away from. I want to go into the final like a sweet summer child.
Yeah, leaks are kinda’ disrespectful; but on the bright side, it doesn’t affect viewership and overall enjoyment.
Pigeon,
“Bittersweet’ has officially been upgraded to the long list of words and terms I would love to never hear again, including ‘agency’, ‘trope’, ‘at the end of the day’, ‘make no mistake’, ‘if you think this has a happy ending….’, ‘sweet summer child’, ‘shook’, ‘bae’…..*runs to bathroom retching*”
___________________
Thank you!
Please allow me to add to your list of emetic words and terms the following overused, abused and misused words and phrases…
“literally” (especially because most people really mean “figuratively” or “virtually”);
“to try and do [something]” instead of “to try to do [something]”;
“clearly” (usually a giveaway that something has not been made “clear”);
I think I’ve got a longer list in the other room…
Ten Bears,
I’m pretty sure that George used “try and” in one of the books. I’m currently reading them for the first time and remember noticing that. Although, “try and” is not actually grammatically incorrect, it’s just an informal variant.
Another funny thing that I noticed was that in one of the Jaime chapters he apparently cups his “hands” around his mouth to project his voice, but this was after his little run in with Vargot Hoat.
P.S. I wish Vargot was in the show, the way he speaks is hilarious.
Missandei is definitely on the “better survive” list, along with Gilly, Davos, and at least one of the dragons. I’ve accepted everyone else can and probably will die.
I will go ahead and play too. “Clap back” would be the phrase I would like to see go the way of the dodo bird.
I would’ve also chosen ‘literally”, but TB beat me to it.
Nathalie is so lovely. Am I the only one reading her comments and hearing them in that lovely (British English) accent that she has?
I agree as to the overuse of the word “bittersweet” re. the end of GoT, but from cast and crew point of view, it’s quite natural and understandable. For many, it’s been a source of steady employment and income for years, and “Nowy tends”. (Hopefully more like “And now it begins” for the many, many talented people involved in the production.) So, you’re looking back at what you’ve achieved together, remembering all the good times and bad, and feel sad it’s all coming to an end, a part of your life is coming to an end… But on to pastures new! So it’s a sad and happy time for them.
As to the actual ending of the story… Maybe D&D just instructed everybody to say “bittersweet” to any questions to keep it simple. After all, GRRM himself has said the ending will be “bittersweet”, so that’s a safe thing to say. It just gets a bit boring and repetitive when everyone says it, lol!
I definitely agree with the overuse of the word “bittersweet”, but I can also see the conundrum in describing the end of the series both in terms of the story and personal feelings. At least if there were some synonyms for it that would help add some variety. Curious to see if there were any that I wasn’t aware of or may have overlooked, I looked it up in a thesaurus, but the only synonyms it lists relate to taste.. e.g. apricot, cantaloupe, peach, tangerine, etc. 🙂
So there you go, the ending of GoT is going to be very tangerine.
Enharmony1625,
Sounds peachy to me, lol… and I like tangerines, so the ending should be great!
As far as overusing the word bittersweet is concerned, I would actually blame the media more than the cast members because they stubbornly ask the same questions over and over again despite knowing they won’t get the answer they’re looking for anyway. As an actor, all you can say is “bittersweet” because you’re going out of your way not to spoil anything despite the fact that the media is trying to spoil as much as they can.
It’s like sports players who give boring interviews and say the same cliches like “give it 110%” or “bring our A game”. It gets boring, but if they say anything different the media goes ape shit over it and it creates “controversy”.
As to spoilers, since Nathalia mentioned them.
I think what she was talking about is spoiling things for the world at large, to people who do not want to be spoiled; also, using dubious, even illicit means to obtain these spoilers, and then broadcasting them for profit (old and new media), or just for self-aggrandizement/feeling cleverer-than-thou (individuals/collectives on social media and other corners of the Internet).
Most artists wouldn’t want their work shown until in its final form, and paparazzi, drones, overzealoeus fans etc. can probably feel intrusive and hamper you in doing your job, so I can see where Nathalie is coming from.
That said, I don’t mind low-level spoilers (casting news, locations) but I really do not want full-blown script leaks, or even worse, whole episodes leaked in advantage – for one thing, that’s intellectual property theft, and working in a creative industry myself, I wouldn’t like the fruits of my labours to be stolen from me and given for free by somebody else to all and sundry, without compensating me. Fair wage for a fair day’s work, you know. HBO, of course, can afford to be heavily pirated – it’s a form of marketing almost – but the principle is the same. Some guy on the Internet doesn’t have the right to know and have somebody else’s creative work for free just because he/she wants it and feels entitled.
Ugh, sorry for the rant. 🙂 It was aimed at actual script or episode leaks, not low-level spoilers like filming locations, casting news, even some pap pictures from locations, all of which WotT does so well, always tucking potentially spoilery content below the cut, with a warning, so it’s possible to visit here and not get spoiled too much unless you want to.
Some people want no spoilers at all, some want everything they can get, some are somewhere in between – I’m not passing any judgement either way on the consumers of varying levels of spoilers. Each to their own. I’m judging people who spread spoilers and even leaks to (unsuspecting) people who do not want them.
OK, that was another rant, lol! I’d better stop now before I go off on another one, but I’d like to say how great most WotW commenters are on not spoiling things for those who do not want it. This is a great community.
I don’t blame Nat for not wanting to improvise with her language. Next thing you know, she’s blurted out something she shoulldn’t. It’s safest to say only what the author himself has said, bittersweet, and say it to everyone who asks.
Mr Derp,
Haha, I love your analogy to sports interviews! Especially all the ones right after the event, before the athelete has had any time to process the event at all. All those interviews are so inane, but I place the blame for their awfullness squarely on the shoulders of the “sports journalists” asking the stupid questions.
It’s not a new phenomenon or newly riduculed. In the Tintin comic album The Blue Lotus originally from the late 1930s, Tintin goes to a cinema (movie theatre) to hide and watches a newsreel of the winner of some European cycling competition. Interviewer at the finish line: “Congratulations on your win! How do you feel now?” Cyclist, still sweating and panting: “I’m… happy… I hope… I do better next time.” As a kid, I used to giggle at the cyclist’s silly answer but now I just smile wryly at the inane sports journalist. The more things change, the more they stay the same…
Mr Derp,
Mr Derp, “clap back” is an awesome phrase! And I don’t really hear it often up where I’m from. I first heard this on Always Sunny, and every phrase they come up with/use is just gold, in my opinion. Jabroni, for example – way underused among the general public.
Also, yeah, Nathalie is drop-dead gorgeous. Quickly rose to take the spot on my list as the most beautiful woman on Thrones.
Jaehaerys,
I will whole-heartedly agree that Jabroni is just absolutely fantastic. Love that word.
I typically have a hard time settling on my pick as most beautiful woman on GoT. Sometimes I go with Nathalie and sometimes I actually go with Gilly. She has an understated beauty to me. Almost like Cinderella before she gets all dressed up for the ball or something corny like that. I think Sophie Turner is beautiful in real life, but it doesn’t translate as well on screen for me for some reason. Hell, they’re all beautiful! Why choose just one if I don’t have to? 🙂
I still find “I seen…” to be the most cringeworthy of all. GAHHHHHH….
Oh man. That’s a bad one as well! And now if someone doesn’t like something, it’s ‘canceled’.
I feel like I start slowly morphing into Stannis when I hear these words/terms/phrases.
Mr Derp,
‘…sometimes I actually go with Gilly’
You should watch her in Skins, if you can – she was absolutely gorgeous in it.
Cersei: BITTERSWEETs to the south.
Cersei: BITTERSWEETs to the east.
Cersei: BITTERSWEETs to the west.
Cersei: BITTERSWEETs to the north.
Cersei: We are surrounded by BITTERSWEETs …..
happy barfing
But will it be more sweet than bitter, or more bitter than sweet?
Perhaps a bittersweet surrender?
Tensor the Mage, Who Sees Todd’s Head Is Not So Big, Really,
I was thinking more like a bittersweet symphony.
Mr Derp,
Your comment about the actors resorting to bland cliches in interviews reminded me of a scene in the baseball movie “Bull Durham”, with Kevin Costner as veteran catcher Crash Davis and Tim Robbins as undisciplined rookie pitcher Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh (“$10 million dollar arm and a 5-cent head”), players for the Durham Bulls, a minor league baseball team. Crash Davis is brought on board to teach Nuke the ropes and prepare him to be a pro. In one scene, on a long bus ride to an away game, they have this discussion:
Crash: It’s time you started working on your interviews.
Nuke: What do I gotta do?
Crash: Learn your cliches. Study them. Know them. They are your friends.
(Crash hands Nuke a notepad and pen.)
Crash: Write this down–
“We gotta play ’em one day at a time.”
Nuke: Boring.
Crash: Of course. That’s the point. (He continues)
“I’m just happy to be here and hope I can help the ballclub.”
Nuke: Jesus…
Crash: Write, write!
“I just wanta give It my best shot and, Good Lord willing, things’ll work out.”
(Nuke carefully writes them down, and reads aloud as he writes)
Nuke: “…Good Lord willing, things will work out….
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P.S. The movie opens with a wonderful monologue by Susan Sarandon’s character about “The Church of Baseball.”