Richard Madden has come a long way since his Game of Thrones exit a decade ago. However, his role in the fantasy show comes to mind now because June 2 will be the 10-year anniversary of "The Rains Of Castamere" and the infamous Red Wedding scene that featured the surprise deaths of Madden's Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and others. So, as Madden promotes his news series, Citadel, he recently reflected on the iconic scene that helped propel his acting career even further.
Madden was on hand for interviews along with the cast of Citadel, the Amazon Prime original TV show he's starring in alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and others, recently. Amid answering questions about that, Variety brought up the anniversary of Robb Stark's infamous death on Game of Thrones, and the actor recalled how he felt filming that scene, saying:
I remember a lot of crying because at the end of it, I was going to be apart from my family that I had lived with for five years — my on-screen mother and my wife and this crew that had spent a lot of time together, so it was traumatic not only to shoot but traumatic because I was losing my family.
Richard Madden was apparently not OK when filming The Red Wedding, and based on what he had to say about it, it's totally understandable. While The Red Wedding was the cause of some of the most gruesome deaths on Game of Thrones, and viewers were stunned by it, the scene also had to be a bummer to film, especially since it's how quite a few actors had to say goodbye to the show.
Madden said years after filming, he was totally happy the show killed off Robb Stark, and there's no denying the exit helped him distance himself from similar medieval roles he wasn't looking to pursue afterward. In the years since he's gone on to star in hit movies and shows like Rocketman and the Bodyguard. He also joined the MCU with Eternals, so I think it's fair to say Madden is remembered for a lot more these days than just his time on Game of Thrones.
Still, there's no denying that when fans think of Game of Thrones, The Red Wedding remains one of the most shocking highlights of the show. Even though book readers knew the moment was coming, it was still a zeitgeist-defining and stunning moment in pop culture. I personally would throw it toward the top of a list of the most memorable television moments of the past decade, and I'd struggle to think of moments that have outshined it since. And while future Game of Thrones projects might make reference to The Red Wedding, it will always remain one of the most legendary scenes in GOT history.
While Madden reflected on the show that helped him rise to fame, as of now he seems plenty busy with other projects, while also occasionally dodging questions about if he'll be the next James Bond. Even though we're all bummed Rob died, it's still such an iconic moment in TV history, and while traumatic to shoot, Madden seems to be grateful for his time on GOT.
To check out what Richard Madden is up to now, you can stream Citadel with an Amazon Prime subscription. As far as when to expect more from the Game of Thrones world, we're still waiting on an official release date for House of the Dragon Season 2, but in the meantime, you can go back and watch the actor on GOT with an HBO Max subscription.
