Entertainment

Game Of Thrones star Jacob Anderson says reaction to show’s ending is a ‘shame’

He played the warrior Grey Worm.
He played the warrior Grey Worm. He played the warrior Grey Worm.

Game Of Thrones star Jacob Anderson said the mixed reaction to the show’s ending was a “shame”.

The hugely popular fantasy epic, also starring Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke and Sophie Turner, finished its eight-season run in May but many fans were left disappointed.

An online petition calling for the final season to be remade with “competent writers” has so far attracted more than 1.6 million signatures.

British actor Anderson, who played warrior Grey Worm on Game Of Thrones, said the popularity of the show meant it would have been difficult to please everyone.

Jacob Anderson
Jacob Anderson Jacob Anderson starred as the warrior Grey Worm on Game Of Thrones (Isabel Infantes/PA)

Speaking at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in Santa Monica, he told the Press Association: “I feel like not everybody is going to love everything. There’s no way to make everybody happy.

“It’s a shame when people say something is good or bad with complete resolve anyway, it’s subjective.

“Storytelling is subjective. It’s fine if people don’t like it, some other people did.”

Asked if it would have been “impossible” for writers David Benioff and DB Weiss to produce an ending which satisfied the entire Game Of Thrones fanbase, Anderson, 28, said: “Yes, completely. I think the boys ended it how they wanted to end it.”

Jacob Anderson
Jacob Anderson Jacob Anderson said the reaction to Game Of Thrones’ ending was a ‘shame’ (Ian West/PA Wire)

The character arc of Grey Worm, which saw him become a villain, was a major bone of contention for fans upset with the eighth season.

However Anderson was pleased with how the character turned out.

He said: “Grey Worm just turned into a jerk at the last minute, he turned into the villain. I kind of enjoyed it, that’s fun.

“It was quite fun to play though that scene where I had to stare everybody down, that kind of trial, was a nightmare because we’re all bad at keeping straight faces.

“I’m probably the worst, so having to look into Joe Dempsie’s (Gendry) eyes and not die laughing was really difficult.”

Anderson, who as well as his acting career releases music under the name Raleigh Ritchie, said he was happy Game Of Thrones’ ending was known.

He said: “It’s been good, I’m glad that it’s out now and people have seen it. I think everybody involved with the show had a little bit of anxiety about what are people going to think.

“Even though we all kind of knew it was gong to be polarising. A show that beloved, there’s no right or wrong way to end it.”