Filming/Interview

Ben Crompton on drone paranoia and the different atmosphere on the set of Season 8

Posted on by Samantha
Caption
Ben Crompton, who plays Night’s Watch member Edd Tollet, says that filming the final season of ‘Game of Thrones’ feels different than previous seasons.

We’ve had to bid farewell to many a character — those both beloved and hardly noticed — over seven seasons of Game of Thrones. While it’s probably difficult for an actor to learn his or her character will meet an untimely end on the series, they can walk away knowing that they were a part of a ground-breaking, record-shattering, enormously entertaining and successful franchise. However, that’s not a feeling that every Thrones actor has had to deal with yet, and with filming underway on the eighth and final season, actor Ben Crompton (Edd Tollett of the Night’s Watch) said that’s now what the remaining cast members are having to come to terms with.

“There is a slightly different atmosphere on set,” Crompton said in a recent interview with Metro. “In previous seasons, whether you survived that series or not, you knew the show was continuing. Now whether you survive or not, it’s coming to an end.”

“There was some tears the other week during a well-deserved standing ovation to (showrunners) David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and that was quite special being there for that final read-through,” he added. “[The show] is something I’m very proud of.”

Crompton also acknowledged that with the final season in production, the paranoia about leaks that sets in during filming every season is at an all-time high — and that despite a ban on drones flying near the sets, the cast recently found themselves fearing a sneaky fan or paparazzi had violated the rules.

“We were filming the other week and there seemed to be something flying above. Everyone was suddenly going, ‘Is that a drone? Is that a drone?’ ” Crompton said. “It turned out it was from the SFX department on the other side of the set trying something out. But there was just this moment there thinking, ‘Don’t let there be any spoilers or anything, just let it happen.’ ”

If and when leaks do happen, however, Crompton said it’s never from a cast member. Not only are they “contractually obliged not to say anything, we’ve got a real affection for the show,” he said.

The full article is available here.

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Samantha

31 Comments

  4. HelloThere,

    I know exactly how you feel. I’m not ready for the hole in my life where GoT used to be. But until then—love all the little bits we get here!

  5. I don’t want it to end either… but I want to see and read the ending(s) too. Of course if we get the book ending it won’t be for several years. Can you imagine how much more material there could be if George was a fast writer!? What if he were like Piers Anthony releasing a ~300+ page book in his Xanth Series once a year without fail? He’s 83 and currently writing the 43rd book in the series!

  6. I just need footage of one of those trained anti-drone predatory birds taking one out over or near the set. I need that to be a real, thing because it just sounds so ridiculous but also totally practical given context.

  9. Hmmm…. he was there for final read through…. wonder if that means he lives until the end, or if every actor for Season 8 was present the entire time.

  12. If the Iron Throne still exists at the end, there’s no one I’d rather see sitting on it than Dolorous Edd, with that miserable ‘Why me?’ look on his face.

  13. Ryan: Hmmm…. he was there for final read through…. wonder if that means he lives until the end, or if every actor for Season 8 was present the entire time.

    Well, at least that Dolorous Edd was alive as Season 8 began…

  14. Anyone see Game of Thrones officially to come out in 2019, with January the most likely month? So we essentially have a year to wait.

  15. mau:
    HelloThere,

    yeah, but WHEN in 2019?

    On the radio here in UK they said January 2019 was most likely but James Hibberd suggests it could be as late as Spring (March?). Officially no confirmation of course.

  16. If GoT comes back in January, then that means it would be competing against the super bowl at some point, unless GoT skips that Sunday, perhaps with a cliffhanger episode airing the previous week. I still have a hard time believing they would want to compete with the sb though, but I suppose you never know. It draws a large following outside the U.S. too.

  17. If GoT comes back in 2019, my preferred scenario is that it would start airing the week after the super bowl. That way it would start during winter on both the show’s world as well as ours and it would end in spring for both too.

  19. HelloThere:
    Part of me never wants to see the final season or read the final book 🙁

    I understand how you feel about the first thing. I wouldn’t worry about the second thing.

  20. Ryan:
    Hmmm…. he was there for final read through…. wonder if that means he lives until the end, or if every actor for Season 8 was present the entire time.

    Didn’t Edd have some quote about being the last one to die? (If so, it’s probably a books! quote I read about here.)

  21. Ryan,

    I think this is an Edd books quote I saw here a while back. I may not have remembered it verbatim…

    ?: “We’ll defend the Wall to the last man!”

    Edd: “Probably me.”
    ———————————-

    I can see the show ending in S8e6 with all of the survivors boarding a ship heading to some warm tropical island with miles of beaches…all except Edd, who’ll be stuck at the Wall freezing his ass off as the screen fades to black.

  22. James Hibberd and Kim Renfro suggest March 2019 is the most likely, I would trust those to over anyone. Interestingly Hollywood Reporter also stating March most likely. So 14 months to go until we see the conclusion of this epic story.

  24. Catspaw Assassin:
    Did Ben Crompton let slip that the Night’s King will use drones?

    Well, the Free Folk had a drone (Orell’s eagle) and so do the Northerners (Bran’s Three-Eyed Raven), so one may reasonably presume that the Night’s King is in on that phase of the arms race as well.

  27. mau,

    I’m going to go for the TOTALLY OBVIOUS and guess February 10, so the last episode will air March 17–three days before the beginning of spring.

    Edit: I actually posted this before reading all the comments on this thread. LOL!

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