Sean Bean recently gave his reaction to the Game of Thrones finale. Before HBO’s smash hit, Bean was known for portraying another valiant warrior, Boromir, in another massively popular adaptation of a fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. A decade later, Bean went on to portray Lord Eddard Stark in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Bean portrayed the head of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Warden of the North for the first season of Game of Thrones before his death in episode 9, “Baelor.” Ned discovering the illegitimacy of Cersei Lannister’s children and his subsequent execution acted as the series’ first major twist, which went on to become one of many surprising reveals and shocking deaths. King Joffrey’s rash decision to behead the former Hand of the King was also the inciting incident for the War of the Five Kings, which shaped the events of the show for years to come.
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Now, Bean has an unexpected reaction when he was recently asked about the highly controversial ending to Game of Thrones, a show he once received top billing for. Talking to The Times, Bean was asked if he thought Sansa Stark’s decision to withdraw from the realm paralleled the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, but the actor admitted he stopped following the show after his character’s untimely death. When asked if he has seen the show’s finale, Bean replied simply, “No. What happened?“
At that point, the reporter conducting the interview became concerned about potentially spoiling the ending to Game of Thrones for Bean if he ever wanted to finish the series, but Bean insisted, “I’ll have forgotten by then, go on.” The interviewer went on to reveal the show’s ending, including Bran Stark becoming King and Sansa assuming the mantle of Queen of the North. Looking for more details, Bean said, “So did Winterfell stay separate? Oh, good for them.”
While many fans reacted negatively to Bran becoming King at the series end, Bean seemed to have the opposite reaction, though he may be a bit biased considering Ned and Bran’s paternal bond. It may come as a surprise to many that Bean did not continue following Game of Thrones, but he is an incredibly busy actor who probably doesn’t have time to invest in 8 seasons of an expansive fantasy series. His latest role can be seen in the three-part series, Time, a portrait of life in prison. Perhaps it was best Bean bowed out of Game of Thrones early and avoided the visceral reaction many fans had to the final season.
Source: The Times
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