“It’s going to blow up in their faces”: Liam Cunningham on Jon and Daenerys' relation

Game of Thrones season 7 began with a bang and ended with an even bigger bang. That said, there are high expectations for the final season of the show and people just can’t wait. But that’s still a long way to go, so while we wait, we’ve got the stars of Game of Thrones giving us their thoughts on what they expect season 8 will be like. Actor Liam Cunningham who plays Ser Davos Seaworth, spoke to Mashable about season 7 and the complications Jon and Dany’s new romance is going to create.

When asked about what his reaction was to the script of the finale episode, Liam said, “We had our story and obviously the first big scene in the dragon pit, but one of the beautiful things about that episode, and one of the things that [director] Jeremy Podeswa is incredibly good at, is capturing his actors when they aren’t necessarily speaking – reaction shots. And when you’ve got the level of actors that you had on that beautiful wooden platform in that extraordinary location, who know their characters so well, and you’re watching them, you wanna see what their reactions are to what they’re hearing.”

“And when you go from that intimate scene at the beginning with these characters speaking for their lives, and then you get to this epic quality at the end with the dragon blowing the Wall apart — a la the biggest Hollywood epics you’ve ever seen – when you’ve got an arc of an episode like that… I think it was absolutely remarkable and I think the fans were delighted with the quality of it. It was a joy to be a part of.”

About his expectations from season 8 after such a horrific ending of season 7, he said, “This is exactly it; obviously, from what I can say, logically, where we’ve left it, the Wall has come down — we haven’t finished this season with the guy on the other side of the Wall, they’ve blown the Wall apart, they’re through, they’re into the Seven Kingdoms. And we’ve got the information, this bombshell that Bran has confirmed about Jon’s lineage”

“What the hell [is that] gonna do to Daenerys when she finds out that she’s just fallen in love with her nephew, and she is no longer the queen of the Seven Kingdoms — her nephew that she’s just fallen in love with is entitled to be king of this Westeros world. What’s that gonna do to her? That information, it looks to me like it has to come out pretty quickly. I say this with the proviso that I have not seen one word of the new scripts; the actors have not been given them yet, we haven’t even been given a start date, and I mean that honestly”

Now that Jon is the rightful heir to the Iron throne, Liam discussed what it would mean to the characters. He said,“It’s the old saying that some people have greatness thrust upon them; what he’s going to do with that information, we just don’t know. Is it gonna suit him? What’s Daenerys’ reaction? What is Cersei’s reaction to this going to be?As well as that, we have the small problem of one hundred thousand undead coming through, as well”

He also spoke about how fans would be really disappointed if Davos were to die. “I’m involved in the Twittersphere and the amount of people who have used the word “riot” – the different people who’ve gone, “if Davos dies we riot” … What we know with this show is that the lord giveth and the lord taketh away. Nobody thought we’d have a character like Ned Stark – a decent, good man who was trying to find his way in a nest of vipers – and he was taken from us, which was a game-changer”

Talking about Jon and Dany’s relationship and how the fans had different reactions to it, Liam said,“It’s that build-up; it’s Tyrion outside the door, which gives it incredible gravitas. It’s a remarkable moment: just as perhaps the two of them have found real love, it’s going to blow up in their faces, and that’s what good drama is. You’re seeing one thing, but don’t forget that as an audience member, we know more than they do. That’s a fantastic fly on the wall situation for an audience to be in. Where it’s gonna go, anybody’s guess.”

Enter the Game of Laughs giveaway and stand a chance to win the officially licensed Jon Snow’s Longclaw sword and Arya Stark’s Valyrian Steel Catspaw Blade. Visit the giveaway page to read the details.

Finally, he addressed the whole Cleganebowl situation that fans want so bad to happen.“My son has been screaming at me for Cleganebowl, the infamous Cleganebowl — and to watch the wonderful Rory McCann walking up to his reanimated nemesis sets up wonderful stuff.”

Whether or not we do get blessed with Cleganebowl, one thing’s for sure. A lot of us want Davos to make it through to the final episode of the final season. What do you guys think about Davos’s chances in season 8? Tell us in the comments below!

 

If you have any important filming news about House of the Dragon, or if you want to collaborate with us or want to write for us, please drop us a message here.

 

Official House of the Dragon Merchandise