Peter Dinklage is sad that his time on the Game of Thrones set is finally over. For the past eight years Dinklage has been playing fan favorite Tyrion Lannister, a character whose wit and perseverance has aided him in avoiding a bloody end like so many other members of the series. He is now poised to observe the fate of Westeros in the show’s final season next year.

HBO’s Game of Thrones is based off George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. While the show initially stuck close to the source material, later seasons diverged from the books. With Martin’s series currently unfinished, show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have created their vision for how the story should end. The show has been a huge success, quickly gathering a large and loyal fanbase. Despite the popularity, it has since been decided that show would end before overstaying its welcome. Fans were sad to learn that season 8 would not only be the last but would have only six episodes. Details for the final season have been kept closely under wraps but it has been reported that some episodes will have feature length runtimes. Still, fans aren’t ready to see the series go. Neither is the cast.

Related: George R. R. Martin Unsure Why Game Of Thrones Is Already Ending

While backstage for the Emmys Dinklage was asked how he felt regarding his last day on set. “It was very sad,” he said, according to Indiewire. “This is not only a great TV show to be part of, but it was an enormous family to be part of.” He concluded by saying it was “definitely hard to say goodbye to because it wasn’t just saying goodbye to the show, [it] was saying goodbye to a life over there.”

Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5

While Dinklage may have finished production for season 8, fans still have a long time to wait before they too say goodbye to the series. Production on the final season was pushed back, providing Benioff and Weiss more time to write their scripts. Work on season 8 will go well into 2019. If fans are lucky, GOT will return to HBO’s lineup sometime in the summer of next year.

Season 8 spells out the end of GOT as audiences know it, but it doesn’t mean leaving Westeros for good. Due to the show’s popularity, HBO has greenlit a spinoff/prequel that will begin shooting in February 2019. But while the show is said to be expanding on Martin’s universe, it will be with an entirely new cast. HBO will have to hope the premise of their spinoff is a strong enough incentive for audiences to continue visiting Westeros. With the final season months away, fans have time to look forward to the conclusion and learning the fates of Tyrion and everyone else in Game of Thrones. They also can prepare themselves to say goodbye to their favorite characters as their journeys at last come to an end.

More: Game of Thrones: 25 Things That Make No Sense About Jon Snow And Daenery's Relationship

Source: Indiewire