Following the lead of cast mates Carice van Houten, Hannah Murray, and John Bradley, Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion) and Joe Dempsie (Gendry) have now sat down with BUILD Series to discuss the final season and their overall Game of Thrones experiences.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Dormer says about Wednesday’s New York City premiere, highlighting this incredible moment: “They got us all on stage. There was about forty of us–of the cast. Sean Bean was there, Charles Dance—half the people were already dead. And then the curtain just lifted up, and there was Radio City Hall, and it was like 5000 people going ‘Wooooh!’. I’ll never forget it. It was an incredible experience.”
“The first episode [that screened at the premiere] is kind of like a teaser of what is to come,” he explains, “so it didn’t reveal that much, but it gives you a taste.”
“With Thoros gone, who was his best friend, I think Beric is now liberated, in a strange way, so I think he would welcome death,” Dormer says of Beric’s chances of survival–or rather, his lack of chances of being revived again. “He’s died six times. He’s tired. He has been to the Darkness and seen there’s nothing there. I think he’s literally going to run to the arms of Death. But he will do so if he thinks it’s a good enough sacrifice.”
Personally, I’m so looking forward to Beric’s sacrifice, though he’s one of my favorite characters—or perhaps because of it. Having long survived past his book counterpart, Beric’s journey in the show has been most compelling. I loved every one his ruminations—with Arya, Melisandre, Sandor, and Jon—about life and death and sacrificing himself defending the former against the latter, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out.
Joe Dempsie was mostly there to promote his role on the second season of British espionage TV series Deep State, but of course Game of Thrones does come up eventually:
“[For Game of Thrones I was] mostly in Belfast,” Dempsie laments. “Before I got to go to Iceland in season seven, people would ask ‘where do you actually film Game of Thrones?’, and I’m like ‘Do you watch it?’, ‘Yeah’, ‘So you know there’s like places that look really hot–that’s Dubrovnik; places that look really cold–that’s Iceland; and all that grey drizzle in-between? That’s where I am. The whole time. And that, my friends, is Belfast.”
“Getting to come back [in season seven] was amazing. Although they’d told me at the end of season three Gendry was gonna disappear for a while, [so] I was under the impression they were going to bring him back… [showrunners] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss had] a big undertaking, writing and directing the biggest TV show in the planet, so if after a couple of years of me being gone they’d turn around and just said ‘look, we just don’t have time,’ I would have understood, and carried on watching as a fan.”
“You’ll just have to wait and see about [Arya and Gendry reuniting in season eight],” Dempsie teases. “But that’s the cool thing about season eight. You could all tell towards the end of season seven that everyone on Westeros is converging now, so you’re gonna get some character meetups that you might not have seen before and some ones that maybe you’ve been waiting for. I think it’s a really, really satisfying season opener.”
“When Davos comes and finds [Gendry] in Flea Bottom, he’s been waiting for so long. He doesn’t know what he’s been waiting for, but having had his world opened up in that way and learning the truth about who he is, I think he feels a desire to be part of something bigger. He wants purpose. [In season eight] he still has that desire,” Dempsie reveals, “but now he’s seen what is coming from the other side of that Wall, so although he knows that’s what he has to be a part of, he’s still terrified of it. I think that’s what a lot of the characters are doing at the beginning of season eight. We all know what’s coming.”
We do know what’s coming. And it’s coming in just nine days!
#SingleDigits
Jack Bauer 24,
Can’t believe we are so close to the end
“The first episode [that screened at the premiere] is kind of like a teaser of what is to come,” he explains, “so it didn’t reveal that much, but it gives you a taste.”
Sounds like the Jon reveal might not be until episode 2.
Mr Derp,
I’m still curious about what Hibberd considered, “some epic sequences.” I want to include some reunions in there but I don’t think I’d use “epic” as the descriptor for that sort of thing. I’m kind of thinking the J&D&dragons flying around must be part of the epic. I’m still hoping we’ll have scenes of Last Hearth and Karhold being mowed over… maybe that’s part of the epic…?
And then this from a recent EW article:
“He’s reunited with Arya again. So a lot for Gendry is those two catching up and reconnecting and finding out what they’ve been doing. I really enjoyed working with Maisie in seasons 1-3 and I even said back then she’s one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with — not just young actors, but actors in general. To watch her get even better, not just Thrones but in various other things, I was looking forward to getting back on set with Maisie.”
I don’t know which reunion I’m most looking forward to honestly. Arya with Jon, Sandor, or Gendry.. Each one is special yet different in their own way.
Clob,
I don’t know either, but hey, we’ll find out in 9 days! This is the last weekend without GoT. It’s been a long wait, but I’ve no doubt it’ll be well worth it.
If I had to guess about the epic sequences, I’d say it would include the Last Hearth getting destroyed and something to do with dragons as you said. Hibberd also said there’s more tits than dragons in the first episode, so maybe the epic sequences are all about tits.
It’s really the reunions that I’m looking forward to the most. The major reveal can wait an episode to make room for all the reunions:
Arya & Jon
Arya & Gendry
Arya & Sandor
Sansa & Tyrion
Jon & Sam
Jaime & Brienne
Jaime & Bran
Brienne & Sandor
Jaime & Tyrion
Jorah & Lyanna
Let me know if I forgot any. There’s just too many to keep track of.
Again?
“Arya & Jon
Arya & Gendry
Arya & Sandor
Sansa & Tyrion
Jon & Sam
Jaime & Brienne
Jaime & Bran
Brienne & Sandor
Jaime & Tyrion
Jorah & Lyanna
Let me know if I forgot any.”
___________
Arya & Melisandre
Arya & Tywin’s Ghost
Arya & MFT’s eyeballs
Arya & Beric
Arya & Nymeria Part II
Luka Nieto,
I suppose since they just saw each other last episode it probably shouldn’t count. It’s been so long since season 7 aired that it’ll feel like a reunion though 🙂
Enharmony1625,
“I really enjoyed working with Maisie in seasons 1-3 and I even said back then she’s one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with — not just young actors, but actors in general.”
______
Welcome to the ASNAWP Brigade, Mr. Dempsie!
Mr Derp,
Dunno. They aren’t even re-uniting. They haven’t been dis-united! They’re coming to Winterfell together with all the Jon and Dany crew.
Luka Nieto,
That’s going to be the beauty of it: Sandor alive and well, strolling into WF as a member of Team Stark.
Sansa: “Squeeeee!”
Arya: “Squeeeeee!”
I was just thinking this is the last weekend without GoT 😀🎉🎉🎉
As for reunions, I’m really looking forward to them all, but if I had to rank I’d say…
Jon/Aegon and Arya
Jaime/Bran
Arya/Hound
Arya/Gendry
Sansa/Tyrion
Jon/Aegon and Sam
I’m also really looking forward to a Sansa/Cersei reunion.
Noticed you didn’t mention Jon/Aegon and Bran?
Edit: And how could I forget Jon/Aegon and Ghost!
I wonder if Arya is going to realize when she sees and hears Varys that he was the man she heard talking and threatening her father Ned in season 1 in Kings Landing and what will Arya do?
I think S8 E1 written by Dave Hill and S8 E2 written by Bryan Cogman both 60 minutes or less are going be set up teaser episodes…
Episodes 3-4-5-6 are all at least 80 minutes and written D&D and should all be EPIC 10/10 episodes
Do you think we’ll get and Dragons and Direwolves interacting? If Jon does get Rhagel imagine some bits with him and Ghost?
I want Arya to survive until the end and see her sailing off into the Sunset Sea! Along the way, as she passes Gendry in a skiff, he hops onboard. Together they sail away juxtaposed against a magnificent setting sun smiling at each other through the gentle maritime breeze.
Richard Dormer as Beric has been one of the best deviations from the book plot yet. The first photo still of him with his flaming sword is perfection. Save someone worthy, Beric.
I think Beric will end up sacrificing himself for Jon/Aegon.
Jack Hamm,
I’ve been torn about that. “What’s West of Westeros?” I know-it’s out there now so probably. Then again Gendry has always wanted a place to belong. Arya did say she wanted to be lord of a holdfast (not a lady but a Lyanna-like figure). I could see that happening too. I’ve been waiting for them to reunite forever and whatever happens to them-I hope they’re together for it.
P.S. All these lists of people reuniting has me so excited. It also makes me realize how much Arya got around through the series, since the majority of reunions revolve around her lol
She’s already reunited with Bran, Sansa and Brienne. Now Jon, Sandor, Beric, Gendry…
I also can’t wait until Jaime gets there. He’ll finally be on Brienne’s side at last. Also looking forward to Jaime and Tormund meeting. Not gonna lie. 😉
Ghost better be all over this last season. Playing with dragons, convincing Nymeria to join the fight, hanging with Sam again, whatever. They said they went all out and I hope that includes direwolf cgi. I miss Ghost!
Arya+Gendry is boring. Because Gendry is boring *sorry, Gendry, a mace won’t help. She will not be impressed*
I agree. I’m so glad they did it this way for the show and with this actor. Until last season I always believed he would save Jon (like I thought the other character from the books would). I still do, mostly, and I definitely want Jon to stay safe, but there’s this little thought in the back of my head now about Sandor. After all he’s been through, his fear of fire and the visions. Also-they have the Mountain in common-since Ned Stark sent Beric in season 1 to bring justice to Gregor Clegane and Sandor has always had a complicated relationship with his brother.
Other than Jaime, the Hound has one of the best redemption arcs in the series imo, so we’ll see what happens.
Mr Derp,
Ghost and Planetos.
EDIT: Now I see lots of people are having the same thought!!!
I can see Beric saving Sandor (maybe the scene where the Hound looks petrified) who then returns the favor and saves Arya from whatever it is she’s running from.
If Beric has to save someone, I’d rather it give a nod to the books
and have him save Arya or Sansa or Bran, or someone he respects/cares about or feels like he owes them something, like Sandor? or Gendry? in a similar fashion…. hopefully there isn’t a 3 day delay and it is more like Jon’s return (no lasting effects on personality).
His sacrifice in the books really puzzled me at first as to why he would do it for someone he essentially never meet, but if I but it into the context of him meeting Arya it starts to make some sense… I always felt that Beric’s sacrifice in the book was because
1) he was ready to die – he was starting to lose himself and was afraid he wouldn’t be himself the next time and
2) for failing to keep his promise to Arya – he knew Ned and respected him, he knows how much Arya was hurting (she even asked if the same magic would work for her father) and desperately wanted to reunite with her mother and brother – so he wanted to try and give Arya that chance
RG,
“P.S. All these lists of people reuniting has me so excited. It also makes me realize how much Arya got around through the series, since the majority of reunions revolve around her lol”
Now that you point them out, it seems she is definitely the center of attention! I see her as an adventurer a la the female character who sails into the Sunset Sea in ‘Fire & Blood.’
Martin, as we all know, loves Tolkien and Frodo sails away into a sunset with the Elves at the end of ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ at least in the movies he does so. I’ve not read the books, but would love and cheer roundly such an ending to Arya’s story.
I cannot believe we are a week out from the premiere of the final season. It seems like the wait has been decades and now I’m starting to fret and sweat and be really nervous over the finality of it all.
TB and Clob, excellent lists. Jon is a leader fighting possible Armageddon. The times are cataclysmic. At least he and Arya know each other is alive. And there are issues about Dany and his abdicating the title the North handed him in 6.10. And Sansa’s cold reception of Dany doesn’t bod well. So I expect a good reunion, but alas, not a sentimental wallow. (I’ve pictured this in my mind’s eye for years and sometimes cry tears of joy along with them. D&D are relatively hard-nosed by comparison.) Since Sandor knows she’s alive he may be rather surly about her not having given him the Mercy he had taught her about and begged for. It’s part of mentorship to reinforce a failed lesson. So that might be a bit tough. I think Arya and Gendry will be satisfying and cute. Perhaps even sufficiently satisfying , TB, to overcome your whinging about him not having said a word about her to Jon. 🙂
I’ve expressed my ardent enthusiasm for the character of Beric Dondarrion and my deep respect for the man who portrays him, Richard Dormer, on numerous occasions since his return in Season 6 and throughout Season 7. Suffice it to say that it remains as strong as ever! I’m eager to see the Lighting Lord return in Season 8 and make his final mark on the series. I’m under no illusions – I have absolutely no doubt that Beric will die. But I also have every confidence that his eventual sacrifice will be a worthy one, whatever form it takes!
Hell yes to all of this!
Why, of course his function is to pass along the flaming sword to the Lord’s Chosen.
All hail Sandor Ahai! The Last Hero!
#Lightbringer
#F*ckTheNightKing
Perhaps a sidecar attached to Rhaegal with Ghost riding shotgun wearing a pair of Biggles goggles. I mean, here’s hoping!
My issue with Richard dormer: I have seen Fortitude so I am instantly on the defensive when he does or says anything.
Serious that show will f you up.
I’m currently in my re-watch and approaching the end of season 4. Watching those old seasons I really do feel that Gendry will have an important end arc even if he disappears in the books too. I can see him surviving and being legitimised as heir for Storms end.
Pretty clear Beric is going to die permanently before the end my only query is whether he will fulfil the lady stone heart role which will likely be some sort of sacrifice via kiss of life.
It’s almost certainly in the first two episodes, I standby Jon will be told in the premiere but we won’t see the fall out to episode 2.
I’m 99% certainly he’s talking about the dragons because
although another review mentioned a lot of violence so we could see a battle, perhaps AotD attacking Last Hearth or Castle Black.