Final season backlash upsets ‘Game of Thrones’ cast

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau says the Game of Thrones’ cast were left “upset” by the backlash from the final season.

Some fans were left disappointed when the HBO fantasy drama came to an end earlier this year, and many even signed a petition calling for the eighth and final series to be rewritten and reshot in order to deliver a different ending.

And now, 48-year-old Nikolaj, who played Jaime Lannister in the show, has said the “vicious” comments devastated certain members of the cast.

He said: “Every season has been intense in terms of the attention and discussion, but it was extraordinarily intense for a final season. And we have this WhatsApp group, the actors, and I saw some people getting a little upset because some of the stuff is vicious ... .”

Despite hating to see his co-stars upset, Nikolaj insists he doesn’t blame people for their reaction to the series finale.

Speaking at a Game of Thrones convention in Nashville, he said: “There was that weird feeling of, ‘What the hell? We worked so hard.’ I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry, by the way. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying how it was to get through that whole thing.”

In another panel, the actor then said he “loved” how intense the response was, as he finds fans’ passion for the show “fantastic”.

He added: “We’re so lucky to be part of a show where people love the show so much, that they care so much about it that you also get upset when it doesn’t go the way you want it to. That’s fantastic, and I love it, and I love that there was an online petition to have it rewritten.”

The final episode of the popular series aired on Sunday, May 19, 2019.