Over half a year out, and people are still talking about the ending to Game of Thrones. And that includes its stars. Not long ago, Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane) claimed there was an alternate ending to season 8 just floating around somewhere. “Well, we shot an alternative ending,” he said. “That was mostly for fun but I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you about that. But it was fun.”
Now, other cast members are disputing that narrative, including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), who talked to the Evening Standard. “There was never an alternative ending,” he said.
I met people last week and they said, ‘I know you shot several endings …’ But there was never anything else. Game Of Thrones was always going to end in that way, like it or not. I thought it was an amazing ending.
Coster-Waldau also talked a little about how his own character went out. “I was crushed, literally,” he said. Pause for rimshot. “No, I thought it was fine. Absolutely fine.”
And how is life for Coster-Waldau now that he isn’t filming back-to-back seasons of Game of Thrones? “Life has been… not much has changed,” he said. “I haven’t been going to Belfast (where it was shot) as much. I miss the people, it was ten years. They’re not like family, but I made some really good friendships. I miss that. But it hasn’t been a traumatic end is the truth. Not at all.”
Maybe now that he’s no longer charging down dragons, Coster-Waldau can focus even more of his energy as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program. “We think we can ignore [climate change] but we can’t,” he said. “What you do in England will hit Denmark and will hit the rest of the world. I believe in union and I believe in working together.”
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