Game of Thrones‘ ending was controversial, and it turns out that multiple actors from the HBO series agreed with the fans about their characters’ ending after a new update was revealed. For nearly a decade, Game of Thrones‘ 8 seasons dominated pop culture discourse. The HBO series has become one of the best TV shows of all time, with several surprising twists.
However, Game of Thrones‘ final season saw a notable dip in quality. With only six episodes, fans argue that Game of Thrones‘ ending was rushed, among several other issues. One of the main complaints is connected to characters’ fates. Daenerys died, Jon Snow was exiled, Bran became the King of Westeros, and so on. Fans were unhappy with many character endings, and they were not alone.
Speaking to The Direct, Sansa Stark actress Sophie Turner confirmed that multiple Game of Thrones actors disliked their characters’ endings. While Turner revealed that she was happy with how Sansa’s story played out — she became the new Queen in the North — the star noted that her castmates did not share her excitement, saying, “No one else was really happy with their ending.” Check out the full quote below:
“But I feel that I was very happy with the way Sansa ended her story in ‘Game of Thrones,’ and no one else was really happy with their ending. I feel like I got a good one, and so I don’t know if I could revisit it.”
While the actress did not name any of the Game of Thrones actors who were unhappy with their characters’ endings, she did not have to. In the past, multiple stars have addressed how they disliked their characters’ fates or the ending in general, which includes the series’ two biggest players. On March 14, 2020, Daenerys Targaryen star Emilia Clarke explained to The Times how Daenerys’ ending was infuriating.
According to the actress, she was not fond of Daenerys’ death, nor the role that Jon Snow played in it. Clarke said, “Yeah, was I annoyed that Jon Snow didn’t have to deal with something? He got away with murder – literally.” Later, on June 26, 2022, Clarke told The Guardian that her character’s tragic death “was definitely a challenge.”
Game of Thrones season 8 holds a 55% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even lower 30% audience score.
Similarly, on August 12, 2024, Jon Snow actor Kit Harington talked to GQ about the show’s ending, saying, “I think there were mistakes made, story-wise towards the end maybe.” Unlike Clarke, he did not specify what those issues were. Harington tried developing a Game of Thrones Jon Snow sequel series with HBO, which could have fixed some of those issues.
However, the Jon Snow series has since been shelved, with no signs of a return. On December 16, 2025, Harington claimed he did not want to play Jon again, saying, “I don’t wanna go anywhere near it. I spent 10 years doing that.” On the other hand, Sophie Turner does not close the door on a Game of Thrones return, joking, “Show me the money.”
- Release Date
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2011 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
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David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
