Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Reveals The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Scenes That Were Too ‘Cruel’ For Him To Watch

When it comes to Game Of Thrones, there is no shortage of brutal and stomach-churning moments. It could be the numerous rape scenes, the gratuitous violence, the lack of clean water, or violence against children that get under the viewer’s skin while watching it. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been apart of a few moments himself as Jaime Lannister, even helping to kick the series off by pushing a child out a window, but some have also been too rough for him to watch.

Coster-Waldau spoke with Variety at Cannes Lions and shared a few details about his conclusion to the series. There have been no heartfelt goodbye or haircut threats from him yet, though he’s about to return Belfast in a week. But he did indicate he is finished while praising the ending:

“I’m not 100% done, but I’ve shot the last scene with me…

“They just couldn’t have done a better job on ending our story,” he said. “We’ve worked harder than ever before. We spent twice as much shooting these six episodes than we did on two full seasons before. No expense has been spared. We’ve gone all in.”

But then he went into some of the rough scenes from the series more memorable moments, praising the series for how it handled most while saying he couldn’t watch others according to Variety:

Coster-Waldau also addressed how the show strikes a “fine balance” in conveying shocking storylines and putting plot first. “I think that’s what the show has been very good at,” he said. But he did acknowledge that Shireen being burned at the stake “was just cruel. I understand why they did it, but I just couldn’t watch it. And it was difficult to even read.”

The actor also struggled with Robin Arryn’s continual breastfeeding even at age seven. “It was so weird and wrong on every level,” he said.

Can you really fault the show for that or is it more George R.R. Martin’s story decisions? Like Shireen might still be alive in the books right now, but he has confirmed that she’s going to be lit up at some point in the future. It’s just a weird series at times.

Coster-Waldau also talked a bit about Times Up and gender equality in Hollywood, saying we will look back in 20 years and ask, “How could that happen back then?” It’s an exciting chat you can check out over here.

(Via Variety)