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What Game of Thrones Actors Said About Season 5’s Biggest Moments

5 minute read
By Sarah Begley

Warning: Spoilers from the season 5 finale of Game of Thrones follow.

Game of Thrones’ fifth season may not have been a complete crowd pleaser, but it was certainly full of eventful twists and turns for its characters. From Sansa’s brutal rape scene to Sunday night’s cliffhanger-ridden finale, actors from the show have been weighing in on their characters’ fates all season long.

Sophie Turner on Sansa’s rape:

Fans may have been horrified by Sansa’s brutal wedding night, but actress Sophie Turner told Entertainment Weekly that she was excited when she saw the script:

When I read that scene, I kinda loved it. I love the way Ramsay had Theon watching. It was all so messed up. It’s also so daunting for me to do it. I’ve been making [producer Bryan Cogman] feel so bad for writing that scene: “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” But I secretly loved it.

Birgitte Hjort Sorensen on becoming a White Walker

Danish actress Birgitte Hjort Sorensen won viewers over in her one episode as a Wildling killed in an attack by White Walkers. She described shooting the battle scene as reminiscent of childhood fantasy to the New York Times:

It felt for me like being a kid, because it’s such a clear black-and-white world — I’m on this side, you’re on that side and we fight against each other. It was easy to lose yourself in the fantasy world because the sets are so incredibly life-like.

As for whether we’ll meet her again on the other side of the battlefield, she said she’s not yet sure: “I’ve been told that no one knows what happens in the future on ‘Game of Thrones.’ To my knowledge, I’ve shot one episode. So I’m as excited as anyone else to find out what happens.”

See The Real-Life People Who Inspired Game of Thrones Characters

HBO; Getty Images
From left: Cersei and Margaret of AnjouHBO; Getty Images
From Left: Khaleesi and Queen Elizabeth I.HBO; Getty Images
From Left: Melisandre and Bloody MaryHelen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images
From left: Talisa Stark and Anne Boleyn.Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images
From left: Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc.HBO; DeAgostini—Getty Images
Portrait of Henry VIII. By Hans Holbein Date c. 1540. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) and claimant to the Kingdom of France.
From left: Henry VIII and Robert Baratheon.HBO; Getty Images
From left: Joffrey and Caligula.HBO; De Agostini—Getty Images

Kerry Ingram on Shireen’s death:

Many thought Shireen’s death by burning was over-the-top gruesome, but the 16-year-old actress took it in stride:

Nevertheless, Liam Cunningham (who plays her friend Davos) told the New York Times, “It did hurt.”

The scenes we had together have been described as being incredibly sweet, which is not a word that you use normally with “Game of Thrones.” These sweet moments in the middle of this incredible story of legacy, power and paranoia — to have that removed is difficult. It’s tricky. I shall miss her enormously.

Emilia Clarke and Peter Dinklage on their characters meeting:

Tyrion and Daenerys are two of the most cunning political minds on Game of Thrones, yet for much of the series they have lived worlds apart. In season five, they finally met and began to unite forces, much to the delight of viewers.

Clarke told EW that their scenes together were a pleasure to shoot:

We’ve been award-ceremony buddies. We’re press-day buddies. But this is it. It’s just so wonderful. I’m not killing someone. I’m not shouting. I’m not speaking Valyrian. We’re having a discussion. It’s a healthy intellectual debate, which is a joy.

Dinklage, for his part, saw their conversation as the beginning of a professional development for his character:

Tyrion could learn how to be a leader. I don’t think he’s good at that. He’s smart, but it’s always in someone else’s ear. I don’t know if he’s well suited for leadership. He wants the same experience he had [advising] Joffrey, but with a qualified person—and that’s what she is. He’s slowly realizing that she’s a perfect combination for him.

Kit Harington on Jon Snow’s death:

Harington knew what was coming for his character before he saw the script, but was pleased with the way the episode actually played out, telling EW, “I didn’t realize it would be the final shot of the season and that made it extra special. As to whether Snow might not be dead after all, or might be raised from the dead, he said the show-runners phrased it to him in no uncertain terms: “I’ve been told I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season. So that’s all I can tell you, really.”

Lena Headey on Cersei’s walk of shame:

Say what you will about the conniving Cersei, but watching her walk naked through the city as penance for her sins was a brutal moment for the season 5 finale. Actress Lena Headey told EW she doesn’t think anyone deserves that treatment.

It’s not hard when people are screaming at you and you look like shit and you’re being f–king humiliated to figure out how that would feel. There’s a part of you that’s f–king terrified. I can’t even imagine people wanting your blood. Cersei has done wrong, but she doesn’t really deserve this.

Let the countdown begin until another season filled with brutal fates for characters good and evil—season 6 arrives in April 2016.

 

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