Having enjoyed an extended break, Gendry returned to Game of Thrones last season, joining Jon Snow in his expedition beyond the Wall.

He was last seen arriving at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, exhausted, delivering Jon's request for aid in his battle against the White Walkers.

But what role will Robert Baratheon's bastard play in the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, set to air in 2019?

HBO

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Gendry actor Joe Dempsie revealed that he's been filming "a fair bit" for the final six episodes.

"I've done well out of it this year, for sure," he said, before adding that fans shouldn't assume his character survives till the end.

"As with all these things, we never shoot in chronological order – so you might have people coming in at the beginning and at the end, but it doesn't necessarily mean they make it all the way through!

"For me personally, the only real hope I had for the character was just that he would be there when the reckoning came. You got the sense – even back in season 3 – that this was a show that was building towards some incredible climax, so you just wanted to be there when it all happened.

"Not even necessarily just from a character point-of-view, [but] from a personal point of view – to be stood there on the set when they're making that ending... that end game. So yeah, I'm very happy to be involved and be on set for season 8."

HBO

Gendry returned to the show after a four-year absence – last seen rowing away from Dragonstone island, he resurfaced working as a blacksmith in King's Landing.

Though GoT showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss had promised Dempsie that they would eventually revisit his character, the actor admitted that he wasn't entirely sure if he'd be back.

"I'm aware that David and Dan have a million-and-one things that they need to think about when they're putting their story arcs together," he said. "It was one of the reasons why I never took for granted returning to the show at all.

"That was always the idea, that was what they said to me when I left at the end of season 3, but things can change and there's so many strands they have to keep in their mind and weave together that you're never sure.

HBO

"It wouldn't have surprised me, and it wouldn't have angered me at all, if they'd got to season 7 and just not really had time for Gendry. So to not only come back and have that loose end tied up, but to have been given the amount of story I got, has been great – because not everyone gets that."

Whatever fate ultimately ends up befalling Gendry next year, Dempsie is just relieved that he's no longer being asked by fans when he'll be returning to the show.

"That became a fairly consistent part of my day-to-day existence for the years that I was out of the show, so it's nice not to have to keep that particular secret!

"However, there's a whole raft of new secrets that I now have to keep, so it never really lets up, the pressure to keep your mouth shut when it comes to anything to do with Game of Thrones!"

Joe Dempsie stars in Deep State, premiering April 5 at 9pm on FOX. Game of Thrones season 8 will air on HBO and Sky Atlantic in 2019.

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