Jaime Lannister pushing Bran Stark out a window to his almost-death at the end of the “Game of Thrones” pilot because he saw him having sex with his twin sister Cersei is one of the most iconic moments in the history of the soon-to-be-ended HBO series.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau knows this, and that’s how he manages to defend the Kingslayer’s actions in this horrifying, but pivotal, scene.
On Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Coster-Waldau fielded questions he obviously couldn’t give answers to about the show’s upcoming eighth and final season. But when Jimmy Kimmel broached the theory that Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is actually the Night King– and reminded Nikolaj he was responsible for crippling the young Stark — then suddenly Nikolaj had something to say.
“Well, think about it this way: what would the show be without that?” Coster-Waldau asked Kimmel, adding, “We wouldn’t have the Three-Eyed Raven, we wouldn’t have Hodor/’Hold the door!’”
OK, he’s making some good points there. But we’d like to remind you that Jaime and Bran haven’t seen each other since the series premiere, and now the Kingslayer is on his way up to Winterfell ahead of the Season 8 premiere. So another big moment is coming, courtesy of that big shove.
Watch the video above, in which Coster-Waldau avoids saying pretty much anything about the final season of “Game of Thrones” — except that apparently none of you have guessed the ending yet.
“Game of Thrones” Season 8 premieres Sunday at 9/8c on HBO.