Don't tell Euron Greyjoy actor Pilou Asbæk that season 8 of HBO's Game of Thrones was bad television.
At the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Pilou revealed that he and some of the other cast members gave the ending a 20 minute standing ovation during their first table read. He reckons that people hated season 8 because it meant the show was ending, not because it was rushed or seemed to flounder without George R.R. Martin's books to serve as a guide.
"When we had the read-through… we ended up doing a standing ovation for 15, 20 minutes. It was a perfect ending. But people were upset because an era finished. I kind of get it, I was a big fan of the show before I became a part of it, and if it had ended in that way, I would have been angry as well. Because when something you like so much says, ‘No,’ it’s like a break-up. And Game of Thrones broke up with millions of people all over the world, and they got upset."
In addition to Game of Thrones, Asbæk is best known for roles in Lucy, Ghost in the Shell and Overlord. He'll next be seen in the Chinese film Project X-Traction with John Cena and Jackie Chan.