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Hear the GAME OF THRONES Showrunners Talk about (Spoiler’s) Death

The GAME OF THRONES showrunners had a lot to say about the fan-favorite character (Spoiler’s) death on Sunday night.

Did we mention (Spoiler’s) death? You’ve been warned!

Lady Olenna Tyrell (Dame Diana Rigg) died of painless poison in Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones, entitled “The Queen’s Justice.” Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) gave her the poison after his forces seized the Tyrell home of Highgarden, but Olenna managed to get the final word even in death: she confessed to Jaime that she was responsible for Joffrey’s death. She wanted her arch-rival Cersei to know that she was the one who killed her son. Showrunner David Benioff had this to say about the sharp-witted Tyrell’s death:

When we initially cast Diana Rigg, we met with Nina Gold, our legendary casting director, and we had tea with her. Dames don’t audition for you, you audition for them. And we loved her. She was funny, she was bawdy, she was everything we wanted for that character. We’ve been very lucky to write for these legendary actors – like Diana Rigg, Max Von sydow, Jim Broadbent, and Charles Dance – people who have been doing it for so long and are so frickin’ good at what they do. She’s one of the best in the world and [Olenna’s final scene] is one of my favorites in the whole season. She really brought it.

game of thrones (spoiler's) death

Benioff wasn’t the only one praising Diana Rigg; executive producer D.B. Weiss added,

What I love about the way she plays the scene is that even though you leave the scene knowing she’s soon going to be dead shortly after you cut to black you still feel like she won. She’s probably the only character to win her own death scene.

Of course, Game of Thrones showrunners aren’t the only people who have praised Rigg over the years. She has been nominated for eight Emmy awards over her career, including three for Game of Thrones, winning one in 1997 for the PBS miniseries Mrs. Danvers. Benioff hopes that next year, her last eligible year for Game of Thrones, she’ll get “the just recognition for how good she is in her final season.”

(Source)

By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary