Game of Thrones cast reacts to the Purple Wedding, and imagine how they would have done it
We’ve seen the massive Purple Wedding reaction on Twitter, Youtube, and in many reviews of Sunday’s episode (both written and video), now let’s hear from the Game of Thrones cast.
A number of press outlets have shared quotes from the cast about the loss of their longtime co-star Jack Gleeson, the gruesome death scene, how their characters will react, and entertainingly, how they would have killed the King.
Entertainment Weekly has the scoop from the cast on their character’s reactions to Joffrey’s death.
Sophie Turner’s insight on Sansa’s reaction to watching Joffrey die: “It says in the script that obviously it’s horror, but she’s seen this kind of stuff before and it’s kind of more a sigh of relief than anything — finally it’s happened. Finally, after all these years. You don’t want to see anyone die, but it’s like this massive weight off her shoulders.”
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) on what Jaime secretly felt (or didn’t) for his son: “I don’t think he has any love for Joffrey. He’s never been close to him. But he has huge love and affection for his mother, and he sees that effect.”
Charlies Dance (Tywin Lannister) on how Joffrey’s death impacts Tywin’s plans: “Well, it hasn’t come a moment too soon, really. It does help Tywin, because I’ve sorted out who I want to marry who. It’s all about maintaining the status quo really — making sure the Lannisters stay up there. Whether it’s getting help from the Dornish or the Tyrells, the most prominent house in the seven kingdoms is the house of Lannister, so I have to do whatever it takes to make sure that that situation stays. And way over in the east there’s these continuous rumors about this Targaryan girl with her dragons that I’m trying not to think about — let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. But now that we’ve got Joffrey out of the way, the young man that I want to put on the throne I can put on the throne … the death of Joffrey is fortuitous because he was kind of like a little mosquito anyway — annoying, that you’re swatting all the time.”
Access Hollywood spoke to some of the cast members about what it was like saying goodbye to Jack Gleeson, and how realistic his death scene was.
Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)
On Saying Goodbye To Longtime Co-Star Jack Gleeson: “It was really sad. … He was my first on-screen boyfriend and it’s just like — it’s been a long journey and it’s really sad to see him go and he came in with all the like prosthetic scratches and stuff and it was just horrible. He had a great time though, doing it.”
On How Realistic & Gruesome The Death Scene Was: “It was horrible to watch because he acts it so well. You feel like you’re suffocating when you’re watching it and then, I mean, obviously, it’s different for the actors than to the viewers because Jack’s the nicest guy on set and it’s just really difficult to watch him do his last scene. So, so upsetting I can’t tell you. [It is] so gruesome and everything that anyone has ever wanted to happen to Joffrey, and then, the bit when Lena [Headey] — as much as we hate Cersei, the bit where she’s like screaming… for like the loss of her son, oh my God, it’s so sad.”
Pedro Pascal (Prince Oberyn Martell)
On Saying Goodbye To Jack: “Because I’m new to the series, it was sort of emotional to just see everyone else’s experience of saying goodbye to Jack, to be honest with you. I had met him and spent some time with him before shooting that scene and I was already given such a clear impression of what a wonderful person he is to be around and so really, I think it was a very emotional thing for the other cast members. … And it was great because we do lose him so early in the season… but it was sort of sporadically shot throughout the season, so Jack was around for a lot of it which was really cool.”
On How Realistic & Gruesome The Death Scene Was: “I haven’t seen it on the screen yet… but I was there when they were shooting it and part of what was so brilliant is that at the end of it all, it suddenly becomes a scene about a child dying in front of his mother and in his mother’s arms and her being completely helpless. As villainous as Cersei has been — is capable of being — that the human beings are inevitably revealed to us through what is instantly a tragedy. Whether you’ve been like waiting for it to happen – it still hurts.”
IGN has shared some mini-interviews with the cast regarding Joffrey’s death, here are a few excerpts from Maisie Williams and Gwendoline Christie.
IGN: What do you think your character’s take is on Joffrey’s death, because I don’t think I’ve seen her react to it yet.
Maisie Williams: Yeah, that’s coming. Arya’s reaction to hearing about that is coming, and it’s a very different reaction to what you would expect. We start to see this change in Arya. … We get to see a different side to Arya. She basically just speaks about how it makes her feel and that she feels nothing. She realizes that it’s not making her happy. You know, killing Polliver, discovering Joffrey’s death, it doesn’t make her happy. She’s just a little bit like, “Why?” She’s always thought that she was bloodthirsty, but she’s not. It’s a lot more than that, I think. It’s a very interesting scene. So you’ll actually get to see Arya talk about that, which I’m really happy about, because I feel like fans will be angry that Arya didn’t kill Joffrey.
Gwendoline Christie: I think that Brienne is just horrified by this death that occurs. Brienne only kills when she has to. She doesn’t have a bloodlust. She does it when she absolutely has to. I think she has an awareness of the rumors surrounding Jaime and Cersei, so I think therefore she has some degree of awareness of the possible connection and impact that that might have on Jaime. She knows that he is very close to Joffrey, whatever the relationship may be. So I think that she’s horrified by it. She has such a tender underbelly, Brienne.
Vulture has put a fun twist on the cast reactions, asking them how they would have killed Joffrey if given the chance, and some of their responses are quite creative!
Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) “How would I have done it? I would have done everything he’s done to me and my family. So I would murder him in many ways. I’d have to cut off his head, too many times. And draw a smiley face on every part of his body that I cut off. Make him look at it. Here’s your foot! With a smiley face on it! And sew wolf parts back on, like a wolf hand. Then he’s a wolfman. And strip him naked and fire at him with a crossbow. He doesn’t get to keep any essential parts. Castrate him, too. Castrate all the men in this program! There’s too much sex going on!”
Pedro Pascal (Oberyn Martell) “I would throw him into an orgy, and have a bunch of people fuck him to death. He could die happy. He’d enjoy it at first, but only up to a point.”
John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) “I would have impaled him on the Iron Throne, as a warning to any future occupiers. You’d be a constant reminder. You know the way Vlad the Impaler lined the streets with people just to send a warning? I’d think I’d do that to Joffrey, as a warning to any future leaders about behaving that way. It’s got to mean something. It’s got to be symbolic somehow.”
Kristian Nairn (Hodor) “I’d hug him to death. But Hodor is a nice guy. He doesn’t have a bad thought in his head. But Joffrey’s a little shit, you know? But it won’t be the same show without him. He’s such a brilliant villain.”
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