Isaac Hempstead Wright chats about the past and future of Game of Thrones, spanning from fan criticisms to the writers’ endgame plan to the prospect of facing life after season 8.
Eighteen-year old Isaac Hempstead Wright spoke with Hollywood Reporter recently about Game of Thrones. When asked about the shorter lengths of seasons 7 and 8, and how that impacts the flow of the show, Hempstead Wright praised HBO for not stretching out the final chapters of the story longer than necessary.
“The people making Game of Thrones are acutely aware of how they want this story to go,” he said. “It’s not like they don’t have a big plan and need to bide their time with a few extra episodes. They know exactly how they want this to end.”
Hempstead Wright also addressed the criticism that Game of Thrones faced last season from fans and critics alike about issues in continuity and travel time. While he didn’t weigh in on any specific controversies, he admitted that increased scrutiny is often the price of show’s popularity
“It’s fair enough that people are very antsy and concentrated on us making season seven absolutely perfect … I suppose Game of Thrones is its own worst enemy then, because there are moments where these tiny details reveal so much about the plot and the future,” he said. “But in general, I don’t think there were any glaring plot holes. I think it was a pretty incredible season.”
As for the expected fan reception of the series finale, Hempstead Wright was blunt: “It won’t go the way some people want,” he said. “It will be too happy for some people, or too sad, or too whatever. That’s the nature of an ending.”
On a more personal level, Hempstead Wright spoke of the sense of loss that he and the rest of the cast will feel once the show is over. Hempstead Wright is, after all, one of the youngest members of the cast and one of the few actors from the pilot to have made it into the final season.
“When it actually finishes, it’s going to hit hard,” he said. “We won’t experience it for a while … I think it will be when we get to this time in 2019, when we’re usually expecting the phone call organizing flights for the next season, that it will be very sad and it will be very real: This doesn’t exist anymore … There will be so many glamorous [events] and all of these fireworks as we celebrate the ending of the show — and then all of the sudden, it will be nothing. And it will be sad.”
It definitely will be sad 🙁
dude! I love the irony between Bran`s actor getting emotional and saying “it will be sad” and then you show Bran´s emotionaless face lol
In all honestly, I’m not looking forward to a year of being told S8 is the biggest yet, it’ll be sad, it won’t be what viewers are expecting yada yada yada… all of which we already know. 🙈
As for the expected fan reception of the series finale, Hempstead Wright was blunt: “It won’t go the way some people want,” he said. “It will be too happy for some people, or too sad, or too whatever. That’s the nature of an ending.”
————————
Gee thanks Bran. Ambivalent as always.
The only thing that can ebb the depression a bit over losing GoT is having confirmation of the new show before, during or immediately following the final episode… and production is to start very soon. It would help so much to be able to continue on with WotW right into the followup show(s). I won’t say that it would eliminate the sad over missing GoT and the cast, but at least there would be something.
Well, sad for you. And probably for me. Unless there are dancing Ewoks in the forest celebrating with smiling ghosts of Ned, Ygritte, Hodor and Catelyn.
Clob,
I’ll bet some cast members will suffer delayed-reaction separation anxiety or depression. After living such a communal experience for close to ten years, to all of a sudden realize your surrogate family has dispersed and you may never see them again has got to be a little upsetting. But what do I know. I’m no shrink.
Clob,
You know what else might ease the malaise?
I’ve noticed that many of the cast members’ upcoming film projects feature other GoT alumni. I’ll go see the Mary Shelley biopic just to see Stephen Dillane and Maisie Williams again.
I think this is our first confirmation that the show has a happy ending. Isaac probably realised his mistake and quickly added “or too sad”, but it was too late. Guess we’re getting the sappy ending everyone wanted.
The title should’ve be like this:
Isaac Hempstead Wright: “I saw the end of Game of Thrones. It will be sad.”
Im sure that he had been warged into Beniof and Wais minds and had see whats happen there..He can do it..im sure ..Damn Bran ..lol
You’re reading waaaaaaaay too much into it. No matter how it ends at this point it’ll be bittersweet simply because of what the character’s have gone through and are about to go through. I doubt GRRM’s ending (which the show is doing) is going to be sappy.
I think there is no way that Dany and Jon won’t end up as rulers at the end.
Ten Bears,
A ghostly vision of a headless Ned, nearly headless Catelyn, a torn up Hodor, and an Ygritte with holes would be a sad site indeed. Like something out of Beetlejuice 🙂
Bittersweet is such a vague adjective it could mean almost anything.
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Mau</font></font>,
Unfortunately, it seems that this will be the case.
Their son will be the King/Queen in the end..That will be actually the end of the show..Believe me..i feel it happen
No offense, but I’m not interested in who ends up ruling at the end. All I want to see is:
• (👨🚀🤖 Tinfoil Alert): How the show handle the reveal that Sandor Clegane is the Last Hero;
• When Sandor finally faces up to the only thing he fears, whether he goes out in a literal blaze of glory saving Arya, Sansa, and/or all of humanity;
• Ghost;
• Nymeria and her wolfpack;
• Jon & Arya reunion, done with (at least) as much resonance as the Jon-Sansa reunion.
• Arya alive at the very end.
Things I want explained but have resigned myself that won’t be, include:
• Why Jon said in S7e5 “I thought Arya was dead”;
• Why Jon saw Sandor in the Eastwatch cells and simply said “You’re the Hound. I saw you at Winterfell”, instead of “OMG! WTF? Did you get resurrected too! I thought you were battered and went over a cliff to your death!”
• Whose voice spoke to Varys from the flames burning his genitals, what it said, and how Kinvara knew about it.
• What caused the Doom of Valyria.
• What’s the history of the VS dagger.
• Why Lord Glover is such a weenie.
Things I don’t care about include:
• Dany & Jon having a baby;
• Cersei & ? having a baby;
• Cleganebowl;
• What kind of government the Seven Kingdoms ends up with;
• Who’s king or queen, if there’s still a monarchy;
• The Iron Islands and any of the Greyjoys;
• Sansa’s or Arya’s romantic pairings.
Yes! Exactly!
(I would’ve been content if the entire series concluded at the end of S6e10, though some would call that “bittersweet.”)
I wouldn’t have been content with (that) being the conclusion of Arya’s story… or that Cersei is still queen (in her own mind) and/or alive. 🙂
I think they missed a real opportunity with Bran to use him as a vehicle to show all the major events from Robert’s Rebellion:
-Tourney at Harranhaal
-Seige of Storm’s End
-Execution of the Starks at the hand of the Mad King
-Robert and Ned at the Vale
-Tywin betraying the Mad King at King’s Landing, Murder of Ellia at the hands of the Mountain
-Jaime killing the Mad King
-Robert vs Rhaegar
-Rhaeger and Lyanna
They could’ve done a whole season on this and it would’ve been awesome. It’s too bad D & D lost interest and are desperate to be raked over the coals for Confederate.
Hope you are right
It is super subjective.
But this article has a good breakdown of different types of bittersweet endings and an explanation of that term:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BittersweetEnding
LatrineDiggerBrian,
Yes, perhaps it would have been awesome for most, and perhaps immensely for people like many of us here that are massive fanatics. However, they’re events that we were told about on the show, and really, they weren’t covered all that much more in the ASoIaF books. They are also events that happened years before that involve a lot of characters that are no longer alive. Filming those scenes would have essentially been like a bunch of side stories with new cast members.
However awesome they could have been to see, it would have been simply visualizing history that has been told, taken us away from the characters in the ‘present’ and extended the show with additional material that has little or no effect on the current story. I DO see where you’re coming from… I just think a lot of viewers might get tired of several flashback scenes of things that happened years before.
BeardedOnion,
The thing is though, I think it’s gonna be in the middle. GRRM loved LOTR ending which was considered bittersweet with the exception of not going into more detail of how Aragorn ruled. In that ending all the main characters lived Aragon and Arwen ruled (the main love story but she gave up her immortality to be with him and seeing her family again) but were deeply scarred, Frodo so much so that he couldn’t adjust to his normal life and choose to leave it all behind. So I imagine it will be something a little similar.
LatrineDiggerBrian,
I’ve got to hand it to you. You always see the dark clouds without the silver linings. Even if the world sucks as a whole, there’s something to be said for being able to acknowledge the good along with the bad. In life, horrible things coexist with pretty things, even if the proportion is sometimes out of whack.
Arya: How do you sleep?
Yoren: Same as most men, I think.
Arya: But you’ve seen things, horrible things.
Yoren: Aye. I’ve seen some pretty things, too, but not nearly so many.
(S2e3)
Clob,
Everybody’s got their “wish lists.” Personally, I would’ve preferred that the show abridge or eliminate the High Sparrow speeches, Ramsay torture porn, and the whole Greyjoy story line, and replace them with the continuing Adventures of Arya & The Hound in the Riverlands.
I do not envy the showrunners. They’ve had to make adaptation decisions and condense so many story lines, while essentially cranking out ten big budget Hollywood-film quality movies a year. I acknowledge that they can’t please everyone; not every decision can turn out as expected; nor can every episode be perfect.
So I do understand that many fans like LDB would’ve liked the show to delve deeper into the backstory of “major events from Robert’s Rebellion” – I probably would have liked that too. But there just wasn’t enough time.
PS I get the sense that after devoting ten years to the behemoth that GoT has become, the showrunners are understandably exhausted. After all, GRRM has been at it for nearly a quarter century, and I suspect for him – if I may filch from B.B. King – the thrill is gone.
Oh I would have too. Then of course that would be a bit like the reverse of that other sort of thing. Getting rid of those lengthy HS scenes would have added additional material/scenes to the current timeline main characters and provided less of small side character stories. The HS stuff was probably an important element of the KL characters but much of it wasn’t overly entertaining. 😛
Either Jon or Dany will perish. It won’t be both. But I’m almost certain one of them with die. Although I wouldn’t want that to occur, I feel as though there was too much foreshadowing in season 7 via dialogue regarding Jon’s imminent doom.
What dialogue are you referring to? All I remember is Beric chatting with him about the Lord of Light bringing him back, and defending the defenseless. Something like that.
Where was the S7 dialogue “foreshadowing” Jon’s “imminent doom”?
Ten Bears,
Dany and Tyrion had a moment where they remarked that kings (and referenced Jon) as the type to get killed doing kingly things. And also when Jon proved he’s more like Eddard when his honor shine through at the Dragon Pit meeting. These displays of dialogue alluded to some of the things he did in season 7 obviously, but they also could be referencing his future heroism that may see him as a key sacrificial lamb in his attempts to thwart the NK.
The example you listed in the most damning one, obviously. Jon may be a sort “fire wight” that has a limited amount of time to fulfill his duty of defeating the White Walkers. I could imagine a somber scene when he delivers the finishing blow to the NK only to perish himself moments after. That seems very GOT. When Beric said that their roles in this world won’t be infinite or all benevolent, it seemed like a considerable hint.
But I could also just be reaching lol. But I think it’s not all smoke and mirrors.
Reading all these comments reminded me – Watched the Star Wars movie this weekend; liked it ok, the middle was a bit unweidly but good enough for me. And the critics liked it. And then I read comments from fans who were furious, who wanted it removed from the ‘cannon’ whatever that is pitchforks at the ready. My god this is a story, and people are losing their minds.
Which brings us to us, the GOT ultra fans. We all have opinions, theories, things we want to see and wish we hadn’t seen. Im hoping we will not be foaming at the mouth by the time its over. It is a story after all, a vision of one author and two producers who interpreted it for the show; I am hoping that I will accept the ending, no matter happy sad or bittersweet. Tho who knows I might be looking for a pitchfork myself before this is done.
Re the comment that they will never see each other again – I sincerely doubt these friendships of 10 years will disappear. I expect we’ll see several cast members in other projects (as has been mentioned already) and all will go on to have incredibly successful careers.
Edward,
Thanks for your reply. I’ll go back and watch those scenes or read the dialogue. I did not
interpret Dany-Tyrion conversation about men trying to be heroes, or Jon’s honesty at the Dragonpit, to foreshadow Jon’s imminent doom.
Also, I don’t recall that “Beric said that their roles in this world won’t be infinite or all benevolent”, or that anything they said “seemed like a considerable hint” that Jon’s doom was imminent. I thought the import was that Jon wouldn’t find much joy in this life, and he resigned himself to his role as a protector of others, i.e., the shield that guards the realms of men. (If anything, that foreshadowed to me that his romp with Daeny may’ve been a one-time thing that used up his lifetime “joy quota”; which would be a shame, and a waste of six-pack abs.)
I also thought that line harkened back to Maester Aemon telling him he wouldn’t find much joy in his [NW] command. (No kidding. Barely surviving the nightmare of an ice zombie clusterf*ck, only to make it back to Castle Black to be stabbed to death by his “brothers.”)
Again, I’ll go back and rewatch. I often miss nuances the first time around.
I may also go back and isolate the less-than-a-handful of times Jon has ever smiled. Poor f*cker hasn’t had much joy in his life.
P.S. F*ck Olly.
Ten Bears,
Once again I may be reaching, but I do believe that they are minor clues for his fate in season 8. But if they aren’t then it’ll just be another case of me misreading context in dialogue lol. But I appreciate you being open to my interpretation and rewatching.
Clob,
I’m so tired of constantly having to take into account how the mass viewer will feel. This show broke every single convention early on and was able to get a ginormous audience in doing so. Then all the “mass viewers” started complaining about the violence and the sex and the nudity and the show is too scary so they changed it into a Disney / Marvel venture. Sad!
And I disagree that Robert’s Rebellion isn’t commercially viable. It’s a story that features the younger versions of many of the characters and is directly connected to the storyline. You could have a young Oberyn fighting at the Tourney of Harranhaal and other cool stuff. But D & D just want to be done!
Ten Bears,
I can’t, not when it comes to GoT at least. I’m not even exaggerating when I say I don’t look forward to one character arc in S8. They destroyed everything! In the past, I loved EVERY character arc. I mean look at what they did to Jorah and Dany. That was one of the more epic relationship in the shows, one that should’ve been settled in the very last episode. And they totally deflated it in S7. Same with Tyrion and Cersei. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Of course I’m open to your interpretation. With so many moving parts and embedded “clues”, the show can go in a thousand different possible directions, and if it’s done right there’d be enough “evidence” in retrospect to support any of them. In fact, as for Jon, one might say he’s living on borrowed time, so we shouldn’t be surprised if his resurrection was only a brief reprieve, until his purpose is fulfilled.
The show has been at its best when foreshadowing is not so obvious. I remember when it looked as if Cersei had been defanged, and her High Sparrow empowerment plan had backfired on her. Yet, when Queen Margaery snarked about her coital adventures with Tommen, and asked Cersei if her title was now “Queen Mother” or “Dowager Queen”, I recalled Cersei warning Margaery when they first met: “If you ever call me sister again I’ll have you strangled in your sleep.” I thought to myself that Margaery should’ve known better, and may have just signed her own death warrant. Turns out she did. When Robb tried to wiggle out of his marriage for bridge access deal with Walder Frey, and Catelyn advised Robb that he shouldn’t expect his bannermen to honor their vows if he didn’t honor his, I figured he had just cooked his own goose. Therefore, though I’m a non-book reader, the Red Wedding wasn’t a complete shocker.
Then again, there have been other times when I was sure an event had been elaborately foreshadowed, and when the time for the big payoff came – it didn’t happen. For instance, I was sure that what Arya overheard LF telling Tywin at Harrenhal would prove to be his downfall once Brienne supplied a few missing pieces of information. I was waiting for the Stark sisters to put all the pieces together and ensnare LF with his own words, but instead, LF was accused of “charges” he should’ve easily refuted.
If you’ve “misread context in dialogue”, that’s something I have done many times. On the other hand, you may very well have picked up on clues and context that I completely missed. (I’ve found that it helps to read the written dialogue. I’m surprised how much I miss because I’m distracted by the “visuals” when I’m watching.)
I’ll have to re-read the conversations you cited.
For me, “bittersweet” will be all the people I hoped would make it to the end, but in my heart I kno they won’t. Podrick, probably Brienne, Jaime, Jorah Mormont, Ser Davos, Thormund, Grey Worm, possibly The Hound, maybe even Gendry, Varys (I like Varys). I mean Jon & Dany, Sansa & Arya, possibly Bran and Tyrion might survive, but with so many others gone that would be bittersweet for me. And then there’s Missandei and Lyanna Mormont who may be vulnerable.I think most people assume Sam & gilly will survive, but who knows? Maybe they won’t. The point is after all these years of watchng the show and getting kind of invested in the survival of so many of thee characters, the death, and the circumstances of their death will certainly be emotional for some of us.
LatrineDiggerBrian,
I agree that “D & D just want to be done.” They’ve been at this for over ten years, and neither they nor GRRM anticipated that they would pass the books and have to come up with original content.
I too have been very much invested in the Jorah-Dany relationship, and wish that Jorah’s return amounted to more than what I call a “Hello, I must be going” appearance, to quote Groucho Marx. However, there just isn’t enough time to do justice to every character and every story line to every fan’s satisfaction.
I choose to appreciate all of the good moments, while reserving the right to whinge every now and then.
Roz’s Ghost,
“For me, “bittersweet” will be all the people I hoped would make it to the end, but in my heart I know they won’t.
………
The point is after all these years of watching the show and getting kind of invested in the survival of so many of thee characters, the death, and the circumstances of their death will certainly be emotional for some of us.”
—————-
I hear you. It’s no secret that Sandor (along with Arya) is my favorite character. I half-jokingly cling to tinfoil theories that Sandor is the prophecied Warrior of Light and Last Hero – and the Valanqar – but I’ve already accepted that he will make the ultimate sacrifice in order to fulfill Beric’s assurance: “You can still help alot more than you’ve harmed, Clegane. It’s not too late for you.”
Sure, it will be sad to see him go. I’ll be satisfied if his dying words (to a sobbing Arya) are:
“Remember where the heart is.”
Ten Bears,
You forgot something really important.
Jackass and honeycomb.
Ten Bears,
…and as satisfying as it would be, story-wise, to have Sandor go out in a blaze of glory, it would still shatter my heart. I want the man to experience some semblance of happiness on this plane.
Or both will survive or both will die..Wouldnt be fair and bittersweet if one dies and the other lives with the trauma..If Danny dies ..i see Jon following her to the Nightlands ..commit suicide or dies on the battlefield …He wont live and be happy without her as she without him…Somehow i feel that Jon will die protecting her and their son by the NK or Cercei on the battlefield and i think she will die after him giving birth to their living son.
Mr Derp,
Or David’s dead buddy in “An American Werewolf in London.”
Ten Bears,
Aw poor them, 10 whole years of their life! I do appreciate the time and effort they put in, but they did get paid handsomely, they became famous, and now after the show is done, they’ll be able to do any project they want in TV or film (and they’re both still well below the age of 50). If they really wanted they could’ve left the show and passed the baton to someone else. Meanwhile, there are people starving to death all over the world and young kids dying of cancer, so let’s slow down before we feel bad for them.
And I really disagree that there wasn’t enough time to do the characters justice. It’s an irrelevant point anyway though because they’ve managed to do none of the character arcs justice! Maybe Jon or Dany? But even then it’s more cause they didn’t screw it up, but they didn’t particularly do anything interesting with them.
Ten Bears
LOL and largely agree but will pull from your post to emphasize where.
Yes. The Hound is one of the most important characters in the story, to me!
This. This. This.
Yeah, what’s with the show trolling the audience with all of these “shocking” pregnancies? I do not get at all why they’ve got Cersei pregnant. I recall that before Season 7 began there was fevered speculation that Sansa was pregnant with Ramsay’s child (which made zero sense to me, especially since it’s quite possible that book!Sansa won’t ever cross paths with book!Ramsay). It’s become a bit tedious.
And yet here you are, complaining about a television show.
That’s understandable, but one has to consider that the mass viewership is what writes the checks and keeps shows running. It’s not common for programs to air for many, many years and HBO running an hour long drama series for more than about eight years is unprecedented. Whether it’s viewership losses or keeping cast members or other issues, it’s difficult to run one series too long. TWD producers have been talking going on for several more years for instance, while at the same time their quality and viewership is taking a nose dive. It’s easy now to find many complaints now about the slow pace and cyclical events and arcs as they draw it out.
It’s still “humorous” to me that you complain about wanting more of this and that in the show yet at the same time complain about how much garbage it is. Why would you want more? How likely is it that new showrunners would do the job to your enjoyment? While I respect your right to do so it’s also very tiresome to read your continuous bitching all the time about it from your point of view. Many, many, many people do not share your point of view, but go ahead and carry on as if what you want to see and how you want it done is the proper way. Whatever.
Latrine Digger has been asked these same questions over and over again. He doesn’t have reasonable answers. He just bitches. I stopped feeding the troll a while ago. If ya’ll want to engage him and keep having the same cyclical conversation over and over again without getting anywhere then be my guest. I believe he’s already been banned from this site once before because of the same crap he’s pulling now.
Clob,
TWD, imo, has nothing to do with the length. It’s been declining ever since Frank Darabont left.
I don’t want any show to be extended past its limit if the story isn’t there, and I’m not even arguing for more show when I bring up Robert’s Rebellion. I was arguing for BETTER show not more show and I think Bran flashbacks would’ve been far more interesting that what went on in S7.
I could care less who does or doesn’t share my opinion on the show, that’s not how I formulate my opinions.
Just ignore my bitching if it’s tiresome (like Mr. Derp does…apparently?). It’s also tiring for me to hear everyone’s constant elated praise of a show that’s essentially been transformed into a Marvel / Disney venture, like we need more of those.
Ten Bears,
Exactly, you don’t know anything.
The actors are used to this, they are professional, yes they have had fun together on the set few months each year but they have such busy lives, other ongoing or new projects that don’t really care. You are projecting your own emotional feelings onto the actors, they will move on just fine.
Sorry, and how people hope it’s the ending? I don’t understand what final Isaac refers to.
Edward,
No, I think you might be right. Dude was saved several times from impending death. At one point you have to wonder when his luck runs out. Never mind that he did die.
Also in that discussion with Beric, there’s a distinct foreshadowing as far as I’m concerned. I don’t recall the exact lines but both Beric and Jon agree that as long as they live they won’t have much joy and their real purpose, the reason why they are resurrected, is really fighting Death (aka the Others) even if Death always wins. I don’t know what it sounds like to others, but it sure sounded pretty ominous to me.
Artemisia,
Because everyone speaks as if this were just Jon and Daenerys? In the books Arya is the most important person for Jon, something must happen between the two of them.
Season 7 episode 4:
During the conversation when Sansa tells Arya that she hopes Jon comes back soon:
“I remember how happy he was to see me. When he sees you, his heart will probably stop.”
I’m not sure what will or won’t happen to Jon, but this could potentially be viewed as foreshadowing.
I’m sure he’ll have at least one happy memory before it’s all over.
As long as a few of the characters I hate/that bore me bite it, I think I’ll be ok, as my naturally cheerful personality has assumed for years that those I love will most certainly die. So many in the middle though!
I agree with Isaac it’s very clear that the ending won’t please some of the fan base no matter what they do. Individually if Jon ends up dead and Dany on the Iron Throne I’ll feel very let down having invested so much into the story yet I’m sure there will be fans loving that ending.
I am a little confused with his statement of it won’t be until this time in 2019 that they start to feel it. Surely there are actors on the show who have already filmed their final scenes and only have the press kicks off still to go.
Also does it feel that the hype is already starting to build despite being almost a year away from the show airing? We’ve had a number of articles lately with actors describing how sad they feel that it’s drawing to a close in particular.
I agree it seems very unlikely at this point that at least one of them doesn’t end up ruling however didn’t D&D say the ending from George would be a major twist?
You see I thought they set up a potential death for Dany, nothing for Jon.
I’m going to pull out some stuff from my tinfoil drawer that might interest you. I’ll post later…
Who are on your hate and bore lists? (Good categories for Ancillary WoW Awards.)
Ten Bears,
WORD.