Bran Stark Actor Thought Game Of Thrones Ending Was A Joke

The series finale for Game of Thrones has finally aired, and that means spoilers are flying everywhere - including here. But for one person in particular, being able to discuss the ending of Game of Thrones is a massive relief. Isaac Hempstead Wright has revealed that he’s been waiting for months to crow to the world that his character Bran Stark shockingly ended up as ruler of Westeros.

As he enthusiastically put it to Entertainment Weekly, quote, "I just want to shout: 'King motherf---ers!'"

Of course, Game of Thrones is a series famous for its twists, having shocked fans before with scenes like the Red Wedding, the gruesome battle between Prince Oberyn Martell and the Mountain, Jon Snow's impermanent "death," the haunting sacrifice of Shireen Baratheon by her own parents, and many more.

But that didn't prepare Hempstead Wright for the reality of Bran becoming King. In fact, when he first read the script for the finale, he thought the scene where the gathered nobles of Westeros elect Bran king was actually an elaborate prank.

"When I got to the [Dragonpit scene] in the last episode and they're like, 'What about Bran?' I had to get up and pace around the room. I genuinely thought it was a joke script.”

According to the actor, his first thought upon reading the script was that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had sent each cast member a script with their own character ending up on the Iron Throne.

Once he realized that Game of Thrones really would end with The North becoming its own independent kingdom and the so-called "Bran the Broken" rising as the ruler of the remaining Six Kingdoms, Hempstead Wright got to thinking about whether it all made sense - and from the actor's perspective, he feels Bran is a fantastic fit for the job.

Bran may not be strictly human anymore, given his otherworldly status as the unemotional Three-Eyed Raven. But his psychic omniscience and separation from the petty squabbles of his fellow man is also beneficial, letting him potentially keep Westeros safe like no one else can. He's all logic and reason, without the dangerous emotions that led to the disastrous reigns of previous terrible monarchs like King Robert, King Joffrey, Queen Cersei, and Queen Daenerys.

Hempstead Wright said,

"I think he'll be a really good king actually. Perhaps there will be something missing in having a real emotive leader, which is a useful quality in a king or queen as well. At the same time, you can't really argue with Bran. He's like, 'No, I know everything.'"

The actor assured fans that despite his initial shock, he’s happy with the way the Thrones finale worked out. But he did share his thoughts about an alternate conclusion he might have enjoyed even more. Thinking about other ways the series ending could have gone, Hempstead Wright shared,

"I kind of did want to die and get in one good death scene with an exploding head or something."

It’s a relatable desire, but come on - no one can beat the Viper in that department.

Of course, not everyone is happy with Bran becoming king, or the events that led up to it, like Jon killing Daenerys. After the finale aired on May 19, fans flocked to social media to vent their outrage and frustration - which is, after all, the primary use of social media.

Even Thrones actors themselves have expressed frustration with how the series ended, though most of those gripes centered more on each star's respective character arcs and less on the larger picture.

When all is said and done, though, Hempstead Wright is confident that the ending of Game of Thrones - as shocking and polarizing as it is - is exactly how A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin would have drawn the story to a close if he had gotten there first. Speaking before the finale aired, the actor shared a prediction about the fan reaction that turned out to be correct, saying,

"Not everyone will be happy. [...] I don't think anybody will think it's predictable and that's as much as you can hope for. People are going to be angry. There's going to be a lot of broken hearts. It's 'bittersweet,' exactly as George R. R. Martin intended. It's a fitting conclusion to this epic saga."

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