We’ve had to bid farewell to many a character — those both beloved and hardly noticed — over seven seasons of Game of Thrones. While it’s probably difficult for an actor to learn his or her character will meet an untimely end on the series, they can walk away knowing that they were a part of a ground-breaking, record-shattering, enormously entertaining and successful franchise. However, that’s not a feeling that every Thrones actor has had to deal with yet, and with filming underway on the eighth and final season, actor Ben Crompton (Edd Tollett of the Night’s Watch) said that’s now what the remaining cast members are having to come to terms with.

“There is a slightly different atmosphere on set,” Crompton said in a recent interview with Metro. “In previous seasons, whether you survived that series or not, you knew the show was continuing. Now whether you survive or not, it’s coming to an end.”

“There was some tears the other week during a well-deserved standing ovation to (showrunners) David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and that was quite special being there for that final read-through,” he added. “[The show] is something I’m very proud of.”

Crompton also acknowledged that with the final season in production, the paranoia about leaks that sets in during filming every season is at an all-time high — and that despite a ban on drones flying near the sets, the cast recently found themselves fearing a sneaky fan or paparazzi had violated the rules.

“We were filming the other week and there seemed to be something flying above. Everyone was suddenly going, ‘Is that a drone? Is that a drone?’ ” Crompton said. “It turned out it was from the SFX department on the other side of the set trying something out. But there was just this moment there thinking, ‘Don’t let there be any spoilers or anything, just let it happen.’ ”

If and when leaks do happen, however, Crompton said it’s never from a cast member. Not only are they “contractually obliged not to say anything, we’ve got a real affection for the show,” he said.

The full article is available here.