There’s no doubt that the final season of Game of Thrones caused a lot of uproar and mixed reactions among the show’s devoted fans. Even the cast has expressed their sentiments and displeasure with how the show concluded.
On the other hand, many were very satisfied with how Thrones ended, and felt the showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss don’t deserve all the hate they’ve received. Among those who were somewhat satisfied with the Thrones ending is Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei, Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) closest friend and trusted advisor, on the show.
According to Winter is Coming, Emmanuel recently spoke with Elle UK about the series conclusion. She stated, “I did like the ending…I thought what they were able to do, after such a huge monster of a show, was really impressive.” She added that considering how much work, talent, and effort all of the show’s departments contributed, she felt “really proud of everybody,” noting that what Game of Thrones achieved for television overall was “insane.”
One surprising outcome of Season 8 that Emmanuel did not expect was fans’ reactions to her character’s death. According to Insider, Emmanuel told Vogue that “When I learned that Missandei was going to die, I knew that, as the only woman of color on the show, I knew that people would feel her loss…because she’s also just like a really kind, good character.” However, Emmanuel also realized the enormous task of ending a sensational series like Game of Thrones and acknowledged, “There really was no way to make every single person happy.”
Emmanuel was also surprised that her character even made it until the series finale, but was not shocked at Missandei being killed off. She knew it was “always going to happen eventually.” As a fan of the A Song of Ice and Fire books before being cast, Emmanuel was no stranger to George R.R. Martin’s infamous reputation of killing off major characters, so she realized Missandei’s death would be no exception, as reported by Winter is Coming.
Out of all the memories Emmanuel made during her time filming Thrones, her most cherished are perhaps the ones that never made it on-screen:
“My favourite memories are those times when we weren’t filming, and we were just hanging out, being silly together with the cast and the crew. When we had dinners or went to concerts, just that fun stuff. That connection that I built with those people will be with me for a long time.”
Emmanuel’s latest film F9 from the Fast & Furious saga is out now.