Not only does Euron Greyjoy actor Pilou Asbæk not understand the fan backlash to the Game of Thrones ending, but he thinks it was "perfect." A portion of fans were very vocal about their disappointment over how Game of Thrones concluded, which saw Daenerys finally becoming the mad queen, Jon Snow murdering her for her sins, and Bran Stark ending up taking the title of King of Westeros.
The common consensus is that the show felt rushed towards the end, losing the earned character development and nuance it presented so masterfully in earlier seasons. Author of the books on which the show was based, George R. R. Martin, had himself gone on record to say the series could have easily stretched out for ten seasons. For better or worse, that was not the path showrunners David Benioff and D.B.Weiss opted to go down. They instead wrapped the series up after eight seasons, with a shortened episode count for the final two years.
While some of the cast have sympathized with fans over their outrage, Pilou Absæk doesn't exactly fall into that category. EW reports that whilst on the red carpet for the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards, the man who portrayed one of the show's many antagonists stated: “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." Absæk went on to offer a real-life comparison to the fan reaction, saying, "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.”
Some fans will surely disagree with the notion they were simply upset because Game of Thrones had to end. Of course, Pilou did feature rather prominently in the show's climatic season, forcing his way into a relationship with Cersei Lannister and engaging in a brutal final battle with her brother Jaime, where Euron ultimately met his end. Whether this swayed Asbæk's opinion on the show's finale remains uncertain. However, it could be argued that his clash with Jaime was one of the better parts of an otherwise controversial season of Game of Thrones.
Martin has yet to finish the book series, so it remains to be seen whether that story's end will closely align with that of the show's or deviate into a different direction - a possibility considering the audience reaction. Meanwhile, the legacy of Game of Thrones on television isn't over yet. Despite a spinoff cancelled at the pilot stage, another, focused on House Targaryen, has already been green lit for HBO. Many fans may have disliked the finale of Game of Thrones, but more time in its world awaits.
Source: EW