‘Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Dishes on Character’s Relationship With Cersei

Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau recently shed some light on the confusing relationship between The Lannister twins, and what the future may hold in store for their noble house.

Warning! Spoilers for Game of Thrones season 7 lie ahead!

The Lannisters have starred in some of the most interesting, and arguable most heinous plotlines in Game of Thrones. Since beginning as seemingly equally evil halves of the same whole, Cersei (Lena Headey) has become the cut-throat queen of the Seven Kingdoms, whie Jaime Lannister (Coster-Waldau) has found something of a conscious. This culminated in their sudden separation at the end of season 7. Now, Coster-Waldau has sat down with The Wrap to discuss what that dynamic will look like going forward.

“His [Jaime’s] whole life has been about, ‘How can I accommodate my sister? How can I navigate this world so I can be close to her, so I can protect her?’” Coster-Waldau said. “And then the last couple of years, she’s been in constant danger. I mean, he’s tried his best, and he thought, I think, in Season 7 he finally had her complete trust and the fact that she revealed she’d made quite different plans when Theon Greyjoy, that Qyburn is now her closest ally. I think it shocked him.”

Of course, Coster-Waldau confirmed that the sight of a While Walker in King’s Landing also had a big impact on Jaime. He noted that the fact that Cersei reacted so differently likely caused the turning point in their relationship. After Jaime has made so many sacrifices for his twin, Coster-Waldau feels that he was struck when Cersei’s actions “didn’t make sense.”

“They have a future, potentially another shot at having a child, and she’s willing to risk everything for something to him that just doesn’t make sense,” he explained. “And on top of that, they just gave their word to the world, to everyone. And she just sees this crazy thing tried to kill her … And I think he sees her for a second the way the rest of the world sees her. And it shocked him and also the fact for a second she seemed as if she was ready to have the Mountain kill him — I think it broke his heart.”

Coster-Waldau could not share any more detailed analysis of the upcoming final season, except to say that it is great. He believes it will live up to everyone’s expectations, noting that “all the pieces fit,” particularly in the series finale.

“I read it, and I wrote [creators] Dan [“D.B.” Weiss] and David [Benioff] and said I don’t think they could have done a better job,” he recounted. I mean, when I read it — I’ve spent so many years working on this and been guessing and trying to figure out how this will end — and when I read it, some of the parts of it I’d get, and other parts of it were just completely shocking and surprising.”

The eight season of Game of Thrones will air on HBO some time in the beginning of 2019.