Joe Dempsie has revealed that he anticipated the divisive reaction that the recent finale of Game of Thrones received from fans earlier this month.
The HBO fantasy series finally concluded on May 19 with the episode ‘The Iron Throne’. Opinions on the outcome of the finale were fairly mixed among fans on social media, who registered their reactions to the concluding episode as it aired.
Dempsie, who played Gendry on Game of Thrones during two spells, has now recalled how he sensed that the outcome of the show would be divisive among fans upon first watch.
Speaking to Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday (May 29) about the negative reaction the show received, Dempsie said: “I kind of expected it – not making a personal comment on the season.
“I remember saying at the time, I don’t know how well this is going to go down.”@joedempsie who played Gendry in @GameOfThrones, told @TherealNihal how he felt about the #GOT Season 8 finale. pic.twitter.com/V7P2pI4zuv
— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) May 29, 2019
“Personally, when I read the finale, I remember saying at the time: ‘I don’t know how well this is going to go down’,” he continued.
“It might be the kind of ending that might need to percolate and maybe with the passing of time, people might appreciate it a little more.”
Game of Thrones actor Isaac Hempstead Wright, meanwhile, may have inadvertently given away the ending to George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books during a recently-aired interview.
Hempstead Wright appeared to claim that Martin’s books will end in the same way as the HBO adaptation – contradicting comments made by Martin himself, who recently said that he was “working in a different medium” to the Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.