But as disorienting, at times, as some of the show’s past few seasons have been, Coster-Waldau relishes being in the show’s final stretch. “This is the end of the show,” he said. “There won’t be any more stories after this, so, for me . . . I don’t know if it gets better, but I just find it a lot more interesting.”

But even in Season 7, the actor knew he had to aim toward perhaps the most pivotal decision of Jaime Lannister’s life: his choice to leave Cersei—his companion from the womb—behind, after she betrays the realm for, seemingly, her own power-hungry needs. “I knew that I was leaving at the very end,” Coster-Waldau said of the end goal he hitched his Season 7 performance to. “That was great, because then you know. . . . She’s actually almost ready to kill him, it seems for a second, and that breaks his heart, because his whole life has been about her.”

So, what does the show’s final season look like for Jaime, now that he’s without the relationship that has defined his entire existence? How does an actor access the essence of a character that has lost all of his identity? Coster-Waldau, for his part, considered a thought experiment: “Can we redefine ourselves? Most people have moments in their life where you go, ‘Can I really, fundamentally change?’ . . . The core of him has always been Cersei. . . . When that’s taken away, what are you then? What’s left? Is there anything left? When he leaves, obviously he has no idea. He doesn’t know the answer to that question.”

The answer Jaime may ultimately find in Season 8, though tragically relatable, could possibly crush those few Thrones fans still hoping Jaime might find redemption and a happy ending. (A happy ending, on Game of Thrones? They must not be paying attention.) The last goodbye between Jaime and Cersei has very little dialogue—Coster-Waldau conveyed everything with his crestfallen face—but one line was particularly burdened with layers of meaning. When Cersei implies she might have her brother/lover killed, Jaime responds: “I don’t believe you.” The subtext, for Coster-Waldau, was this: “I don't love you anymore. . . . I’m calling your bluff, and, you know, you can’t hurt me now because my heart has been destroyed by you. You can’t hurt me anymore than you already have.”

But during our chat, without spoiling anything, Coster-Waldau implied that Jaime’s resolve might not stick. “That’s, of course, said in a moment of passion. Who knows if it’s true?” he observed of Jaime’s defiant stand. “I’ve almost been married 20 years—June 6th will be our 20th anniversary—and I’m very, very lucky. I have a wonderful wife. But over 20 years, there are times where you have fights. You can be so angry that for a second in your passion and anger you can go, ‘Oh, fuck this.’ Of course, three seconds later, you go, ‘No, no, no. What am I doing? What am I thinking?’ . . . I think the fundamental emotions are the same in every relationship. As a setup for the season we’re shooting now, it was just amazing.”

Chagrined, Coster-Waldau paused for a moment to apologize to his wife for mentioning her in the same context as Cersei. “My wife is not going to be happy. She’s going to be like, ‘You’re fucking equating our relationship to that?’ No, I was just trying to make a point. Anyway. Sorry.”

So, what does Jaime Lannister look like without Cersei? From what Coster-Waldau says, we may not have long to find out. With only six episodes of the series left, the most tragic thing that could happen to Jaime is the possibility that he never gets a chance to find himself outside the influence of Cersei. Another redemption arc cut short. But even if his character is headed for devastation, Coster-Waldau promises it will be quite the ending for Jaime Lannister. “The boys have done an amazing job with ending Game of Thrones. It’s definitely been the toughest season—by far—that we’ve shot, ever. But it’s also been the most fulfilling.”