Peter Dinklage talks “bittersweet” Game of Thrones season 8 – and why he’s glad it’s the final season

It’s never easy to say goodbye. Game of Thrones season 8 might be the last time we head to Westeros (until one of the spinoffs rolls into production anyway) but Peter Dinklage is sure that this is the right time to say adieu to the show – even if it is going to be hard for him to leave.

Speaking at Variety’s Sundance Film Festival, Dinklage said that the time is now for the fantasy epic to end, both for the actors who have been with Thrones for so long, and in terms of its narrative. Perhaps being wary of the series getting long in the tooth, he had this to say: “It’s the perfect time to end it. Sometimes shows stay on a little too long, the jumping-the-shark thing.”

Seeing Cersei literally jump a shark would be a lot of fun – Happy Days did it and I think it turned out alright – but I’m glad the process of winding things down has begun early.

Firstly, it’s going to be so darn hard to say farewell to a show that has dominated our lives for nearly a decade (!) and, most importantly, it’s going to send a message: shows will end when they should end, not when the networks have decided to stop milking that cash cow. I’m looking at you, AMC guy who said The Walking Dead is going to be around for at least 20 years.

But if it’s going to be hard for us, just imagine how the actors must be feeling. For Dinklage, that’s going to be the hardest part of wrapping everything up: “It’s bittersweet when it’s time to move on with everything. It’s always the sad part of our business, because you get pockets of great people for short amounts of time and then you have to move on and it’s always heartbreaking. Especially when you’ve spent more than a couple months with people.”

Great, now I’ve got something in my eye… I’m not crying, I swear.

Wish Thrones could stay post-season 8, think it’s the perfect time to say goodbye or *gasp* do you think it’s already outstayed its welcome? Let us know in the comments!

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.