GAME Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has defended “p****d off” fans and admitted he understands the backlash to the controversial eighth and final season.
Many viewers were left disappointed by the final few episodes and demanded the fantasy production be remade, with a petition topping over 1.8 million signatures.
However Coster-Waldau, who played Jaime Lannister in the hit HBO series, has now suggested that one of the reasons fans were so annoyed was simply because the show was ending.
“I’ve travelled around the world and what’s really wonderful is how these communities have grown out of a love of this one show,” he said.
“I also think that’s one of the reasons a lot of people have been p****d off is.
“Because they didn’t want it to end, because one of the reasons is ‘I’m going to lose my friends because we’ve been hanging out’.”
Speaking to Metro.co.uk he continued: “I’ve met people who have online communities around the world and it’s been about this show and now what?
“But then I’ve met people who have said we’re going to keep going.”
The penultimate episode of the final season picked up its worst-ever rating with rating site Rotten Tomatoes giving the episode, titled The Bells, a 49 per cent rating – the lowest-rated in the show’s history.
The show featured fan favourite Daenerys embarking on a murderous rampage around King’s Landing despite the city surrendering, with one viewer tweeting: “Well that was f***ing terrible.”
One slammed the episode as “disappointing” saying: “The writing behind Daenerys’ actions felt sexist and nonsensical.”
Another complained that it wasn’t up to the standard of previous series, insisting there had been “a lot of character development thrown out the window”.
However, although fans aren’t very happy with the final season, the author of the books is standing by the show’s writers.
George RR Martin has yet to pen the last book in the series leaving fans speculating Martin may decide to take his novel in another direction given how unpopular the new series has been.
However, he has spoken out to say otherwise: “I don’t think [Game of Thrones show-runners] Dan and Dave’s ending is gonna be that different from my ending because of the conversations we did have.
“We’re talking here about several days of story conferences taking place in my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But there’s no way to get in all the detail, all the minor characters, all the secondary characters.
“The series has been extremely faithful compared to 97 per cent of all television and movie adaptations of literary properties. But it’s not completely faithful. And it can’t be. Otherwise, it would have to run another five seasons.”