Fans were sad to see the end of several fan-favorite characters in last night's chilling episode of
Game of Thrones, "The Long Night", but one was a bit more brutal than the others.
While it was rough to say goodbye to the likes of Jorah Mormant and Edd, there was one character in particular that was hard for fans to see go: the young Lyanna Mormont, played by Bella Ramsey.
The tough and courageous young girl was a favorite to many for her stiff personality, and she was often required to speak up and call out foolish men thrice her age. Sadly, she went out being crushed by a giant, while also bringing down the beast herself. This is after many grown men fled in terror from the undead creature, so it goes to show one last time just how stong her character was.
Ramsey was happy that Lyanna went out the way she did, or at least that's what she tells Variety. Here is what she had to say about how the scene went down.
“I was in a big claw machine, it was like a robot, it was programmed to do certain moves, to shake me about and simulate being lifted up by a giant, so that was intense. I was very high, maybe 20 foot up in the air, and I had the dragon glass in my hand and the eye of the giant was actually a green polystyrene ball.”
Miguel Sapochnik, the director of the episode, gave Bella the following advice to assist her in shooting the scene.
“He said someone removed Lyanna’s fear gene, so fear isn’t part of her vocabulary, isn’t one of the emotions that she feels. We really talked about that and how she would react to the giant and what’s going on in her face and in her mind. It was sheer determination and courage that she wasn’t intimidated by this giant, this was just another object to face in the battle."
They also made sure that Ramsey was surrounded by stunt men so she wouldn't accidentally be paraded over in the exhausting mess of a battle, which the actor seems to have appreciated.
“Lyanna’s there to kill a giant, not to get stamped on by extras, so the we took extra precautions. I’m glad they did because it was very intense."
While this episode was tough to watch, there will be plenty more where this came from, so be sure to check out the trailer for the next episode below!
In Season 7, Daenerys Targaryen has finally set sail for Westeros with her armies, dragons and new Hand of the Queen, Tyrion Lannister. Jon Snow has been named King in the North after defeating Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and returning Winterfell to House Stark. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister has seized the Iron Throne by incinerating the High Sparrow, his followers and her rivals in the Sept of Baelor. But as old alliances fracture and new ones emerge, an army of dead men marches on the Wall, threatening to end the game of thrones forever.
Game of Thrones returns with a brand new episode May 5