Game of Thrones’ actress, Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on the hit series, has words for those who signed that petition. To recap, the now-infamous petition was calling for a remake of the entire final season. It garnered over 1 million signatures before Season 8 had even finished airing.
Nathalie Emmanuel has spoken out about fans’ reaction to the final season and those who signed the petition. A document that garnered its own takes. The criticism over the season continues to linger in the months since the series came to an end. Opening up about fans’ response to Game of Thrones’ final season, Nathalie Emmanuel told TVLine:
Listen, I think it’s totally fine if you don’t like something. That’s perfectly acceptable. What I didn’t like was that people were signing a petition. You can’t ask for receipts on art. You just can’t. The art has been created for you, and you can either choose to like it or not.
How did Nathalie Emmanuel feel about the ending of the series? The actress weighed in with her thoughts, and they sounded pretty positive. Emmanuel shared that she was “blown away” by Game of Thrones’ ending, which she acknowledged was a “hard to plane to land.”
Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8
Unfortunately, Nathalie Emmanuel’s Missandei was not alive to be a part of the finale, having met a brutal end in the episode before the penultimate. After her final episode aired, the actress shared a poignant tribute to her character. While acknowledging how tough it was for Game of Thrones to bring its epic story to a close, Emmanuel continued:
I don’t think people quite realize the undertaking and the amount of manpower it took to do that.
So true! Among the things the cast endured to deliver the final chapter of the series to the screen was a “miserable” shoot for the Battle of Winterfell. An episode that had its own controversy due to the lighting making it hard for viewers to see. A cinematographer subsequently defended the show.
Nathalie Emmanuel’s comments are a reminder of how much effort was made to complete Game of Thrones’ final season. Viewers did not get to take in the experience without a lot of people’s hard work. Despite all of the controversy, Game of Thrones landed a record-breaking amount of 2019 Emmy nominations.
HBO’s boss has since commented on the petition and whether the network ever seriously considered it. You probably know the answer. The much-publicized controversy has led to the cast speaking out about the backlash at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The same place that Conleth Hill, who played Varys, clarified his comments regarding his character’s ending.
The series finale led to an array of reactions and left many questions in its wake. One Game of Thrones alum thought it “was perfect.” Meanwhile, Lena Headey said she wanted a better death for Cersei, which occurred in the penultimate episode. As for the season as a whole, there were quite a few specific criticisms fans had for Game of Thrones’ final lap.
Stephen King weighed in with his own thoughts on why the final season was so hated. Will that be the case forever? As Nathalie Emmanuel points out, there was so much that went into making it. Whatever Game of Thrones’ fans thoughts on the final season, that deserves appreciation.
If you want to relive the final season and Nathalie Emmanuel’s fantastic performance as Missandei, you can do so on digital. While you wait to see if Game of Thrones wins the Emmys it got nominated for, there are a lot of summer premieres to enjoy.
