Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), George R.R. Martin and more pay tribute to Dame Diana Rigg.
Last week, Dame Diana Rigg died following a months-long battle with cancer. The 82-year-old actor had a long and storied career, including roles as Emma Peel in the 1960s spy drama The Avengers and as the only woman ever to marry James Bond, not to mention tons of theater work. But Game of Thrones fans will always remember her as the acid-tongued Olenna Tyrell, who brooked no insolence and could effortlessly destroy characters with a look.
Naturally, many of her Game of Thrones costars have been paying their respects, and they’re not done. More have weighed in since the last time we wrote about this, including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), who shared the screen with Rigg for her last (and possibly best) scene on the show.
Dame Diana Rigg. She always raised the bar with her incredible talent, intelligence and wit. An absolute joy and honor to work with. May her soul Rest In Peace.
Olenna and Jaime didn’t have much contact over the course of the series, but Olenna’s death scene made up for it. Her army defeated, Olenna knows she is going to die. Jaime offers her poison, which she quickly gulps down right before revealing that it was she who killed Jaime’s wretched son King Joffrey. Jaime is thunderstruck, but knows he can’t do anything to exact vengeance because Olenna will be dead in moments.
“Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” One of the best lines of the series, right there.
Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) also honored Rigg:
Dame Diana Rigg 20.07.38 – 10.09.20 Fabulous soul. Brilliant actor. Sensational mind. What an honour it was to work with you; you showed such generosity and incredible razor-sharp wit – a hilarious, iconic master class on How To Do It. Tolerated no nonsense and delivered every time. We were so lucky to have you! Inspiration forever!
Again, Brienne and Olenna didn’t have much screen time together, but what they had clearly stuck:
“My word!” Olenna exclaims upon meeting the tall, powerful Brienne. “Aren’t you just marvelous? Absolutely singular!” Olenna got all the good lines.
Finn Jones, who played Olenna’s warrior grandson Loras Tyrell on the show, paid tribute to Rigg on his Instagram Stories:
Image: Finn Jones Instagram
And it wasn’t the show’s actors memorializing Rigg. A Song of Ice and Fire author and Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin lauded her on his Not a Blog, remembering when they met on set:
The world of television and film lost a titan with the passing of Dame Diana Rigg. Such an amazing talent. It was such an honor to have her on GAME OF THRONES as the Queen of Thorns. I only had the chance to meet her once, when I visited the set the first year she was on the show. As brief as that meeting was, I count that a rare privilege. A lovely lady. As great as she was as Olenna Tyrell, for me… and for most every other member of my generation… she will always remain Emma Peel.
Understandable:
Finally, Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) never exchanged a line of dialogue with Rigg, but that’s no reason not to sing her praises:
Rest in peace.
And Game of Thrones stars aren’t the only people paying tribute to this legend:
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