‘Everything Feels More Intense.’ The Game of Thrones Cast Discusses Ramped Up Season 8

Fresh off the news that Naomi Watts will star in the as-yet-untitled Game of Thrones prequel series, the stars of Game of Thrones are shedding some light on what happened behind the scenes of the beloved HBO drama’s eighth and final season.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly that was published on Thursday, both the King in the North and the Mother of Dragons revealed how shooting season 8’s six episodes was different from the previous 67 episodes.

“It’s relentless; scenes that would have been a one-day shoot five years ago are now a five-day shoot,” Kit Harington, a.k.a. Jon Snow, told EW during filming. “They want to get it right, they want to shoot everything every single way so they have options.”

Emilia Clarke also spoke to this point, explaining how every aspect of the show was ramped up a notch. “[Camera] checks take longer, costumes are a bit better, hair and makeup a bit sharper—every choice, every conversation, every attitude, has this air of ‘this is it,’” she said. “Everything feels more intense.”