As Game Of Thrones fans brace themselves for the long wait ahead of the eighth and final season, Peter Dinklage reflected on his time as wily fan favorite, Tyrion Lannister. Speaking with Variety at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, Dinklage touched on the extended production schedule (and average episode runtime), noting that the cast and crew are “taking our time” with the final six episodes.
When asked if “it is sad” to bid farewell to the scrappy and clever character he’s played on the HBO series since 2011, Dinklage of course answered in the affirmative. “Yeah, it’s bittersweet, when it’s time to move on,” he tells the interviewer (and Elle Fanning, his co-star in Reed Morano’s I Think We’re Alone Now). “It’s always heartbreaking,” the actor continues, “but yeah, it’s time. Storywise, not just for all our lives. I think if they went any further, they… it’s the perfect time to end it. Sometimes shows stay on a little too long—the ‘jumping the shark’ thing.”
Earlier this month at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, HBO confirmed that Game Of Thrones wouldn’t return until 2019, which is also when we can expect to see new seasons of True Detective and Veep.