Before Game of Thrones Season 8 started, some rumors were floating around that claimed Fifty Shades of Grey and The Fall star Jamie Dornan was among the many actors putting an appearance in for the final season. Such murmurs were patently untrue. So, just how did all of that buzz begin?
Jamie Dornan opened up about how those rumors got started while guesting on the podcast Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner. Turns out, all all began with the series' big wrap party, which had a guest list that Game of Thrones fans played very close attention. Said list included Dornan and quite a few of his familiar colleagues from The Fall. Here's what Dornan said when asked about the existence of those Thrones rumors.
Yeah, that is true. What I loved about that is I’m not on any social media, so I got sent some stuff about people thinking I must be in the final series because I was at the wrap party. This was THE wrap party. This was 'Game of Thrones never exists again,' yeah, the final wrap party. Every single member of the crew on The Fall works on Game of Thrones.
In a season that has seen was expected to have its share of high-profile cameos, it makes sense for fans to wonder about the headline-making Irishman. It turns out, though, that Jamie Dornan just wanted to celebrate the end of Game of Thrones with some of his former co-workers, which makes absolute sense.
As he mentions, Jamie Dornan had a personal connection to the HBO hit thanks to some of the many crew members. Before Dornan was cast as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, he starred as a serial killer opposite Gillian Anderson in the television series, The Fall. Like Game of Thrones, The Fall filmed in Belfast, Ireland, which provided a chance for the crew to work on both when applicable. Dornan continued:
They’re always trying to do it where they’re not – we did three years of The Fall – where they weren’t shooting at the same time. Every single person on The Fall is wearing a Game of Thrones jacket. I feel like I’m in Game of Thrones because I’m surrounded by their attire all the time.
Jamie Dornan wasn't a familiar face to just the Game of Thrones crew members, either. He has starred with at least two of the cast members during his career. He was in the series New Worlds with Joe Dempsie, who plays Gendry, and Dornan most recently starred with Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion, in a movie for HBO. The two were in My Dinner with Hervé together.
That experience led to Peter Dinklage helping Jamie Dornan prepare for the final film in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed. All things considered, including his locational and personal proximity to the show, it would make sense for Dornan to at least cameo in Game of Thrones’ final season.
Since he did not want to miss the wrap party, why miss a chance to briefly star? I mean, technically, it could still happen This season has featured several stealth cameos, even from showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It may be worth keeping an eye out just to be sure.
If he was willing, one would hope that the show's creative team would have done something ridiculously fun with Jamie Dornan. Him getting cast in a Game of Thrones role with spoken lines is a perhaps a stretch. Him putting in a solely visual cameo seems far likelier.
Another major celeb who attended the wrap party along with Jamie Dornan was former Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa. He has been another actor that fans have been speculating may put in a guest appearance in the final season. There are only two episodes left for either to get seen, so the clock is ticking.
Find out if they do when Game of Thrones’ final season continues. New episodes air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
