‘Every minute of every day, this show is on your mind or in your life.
It was October 2015.
Sometime around 4 a.m. on the set ofGame of Thrones.
HBO
The production had set up camp in a military-controlled patch of Spanish desert.
The troops patrolled the distant perimeter, effectively scaring off any paparazzi.
You’d recognize this setting as Vaes Dothrak, where Daenerys was held prisoner in season 6.
(Emilia Clarke had already shot hertriumphant emergence from the fireseparately.)
It’s an interview we waited a few years to publish until the timing felt just right.
This was a unique point in the show’s history.
They’d decided the fates of every major character.
Sometimes they gave actors cryptic suggestions when filming certain scenes, with those final episodes in mind.
AfterThronesis finished, fans will look back and see subtle hints that were dropped.
There were some fears, too.
In addition to the usual writer worries (can we get it right?
The cast was getting so popular, and there were so many members who were absolutely essential.
Beyond the worries, there was also relief and sadness.
Very few fans realize the enormous amount of year-round work Benioff and Weiss put intoGoT.
They don’t just pen the scripts while filming happens somewhere else.
“But it certainly doesn’t get easier.”
So how did they really feel about the show ending?
“You always put everything into it.
That’s such a rare gift.”
Weiss was quiet for a bit before answering.
The duo get the alert from the crew: It’s time.
We gather to watch the result of vengeful Daenerys torching the temple.
“Bring up the flames!”
a crew member yells.
Hidden gas lines are turned on.
The hut’s wood and grass catch fire quickly.
The blaze is incredible.
The intensity of the heat, the soaring height, the overwhelming diversity of billions of flames.
Nowadays, most productions use special effects for fire, even small ones.
“We always use real fire when we can,” Benioff noted as he watched.
The dragons may not be real, but their flames are deadly.
The temple collapses into the sand.
The fire dies down, and then it’s gone.
