When Game of Thrones returns for its long-awaited eighth season, fans will see a very different Jaime Lannister. Gone is the ornate armor of his house, replaced with something basic like a hedge knight would wear, or even a soldier in service to the North:

To say that the character has gone through a transformation since season 1 is putting it very lightly. Speaking to Star 2, actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau says that kind of mutability is part of why he finds Jaime “so interesting”:

The core of this guy is that he does what he does in the name of love. He’s a complex guy. That’s the key to Game of Thrones, the characters are never just black and white. Even though his story is set in this fantastical world and his circumstances are extreme, he is relatable.

Is “relatable” the right word for a one-handed attempted child murderer on a redemption arc? Somehow, yes.

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Coster-Waldau also talked about his last day on set, being careful not to spoil anything. “I had a great last scene. It was absolutely beautiful. It was the perfect way to end.”

Obviously I can’t tell you what the scene was. It wasn’t the final scene (of the series), but it was close to the end and it was shot at a beautiful location. At this point, I had seen quite a lot of colleagues wrap, so I had seen a lot of tears, beautiful speeches, and I knew what to expect. I didn’t expect to be emotional, so I don’t know what happened. I had [an] allergy, there was something in my eye. My final scene was beautiful.

The production films scenes out of order, so I wouldn’t read anything too deep into what any of that could mean, but it sure does make us want to see it.

Finally, how does he feel to have been part of a worldwide phenomenon like Game of Thrones? “I am proud to have been on a show that has had this kind of impact and success,” Coster-Waldau said. “And relief that it has come to an end in the way that (showrunners) David Benioff and DB Weiss had wanted it to.”

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