Game of Thrones season 7 episode 3: Showrunners discuss Olenna Tyrell's death in The Queen’s Justice
Dame Diana Rigg portrayed the fan-favourite character
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Game of Thrones marches on, season seven’s third episode being remarkably good, featuring huge reunions, notable meetings, and some dramatic revelations.
** Spoilers for ‘The Queen’s Justice’ ahead **
The episode ended with fan-favourite Lady Olenna Tyrell — played by the ever wonderful Dame Diana Rigg — meet her eventual fate.
Having stormed the Tyrell home of Highgarden, Jaime offers Olenna poison, rather than Cersei’s wanted humiliating death. Being a proud woman, Olenna drinks without hesitation, letting the Lannister know with her final words that she murdered Joffrey.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly post-episode, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Jaime actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, discussed the character.
“When we initially cast Diana Rigg, we met with Nina Gold, our legendary casting director, and we had tea with her,” Benioff told the publication. “Dames don’t audition for you, you audition for them. And we loved her. She was funny, she was bawdy, she was everything we wanted for that character.
“We’ve been very lucky to write for these legendary actors — like Diana Rigg. Max Von Sydow, Jim Broadbent, and Charles Dance — people who have been doing it for so long and are so frickin’ good at what they do. She’s one of the best in the world and [Olenna’s final scene] is one of my favourites in the whole season. She really brought it.”
Weiss added: “What I love about the way she plays the scene is that even though you leave the scene knowing she’s soon going to be dead shortly after you cut to black you still feel like she won. She’s probably the only character to win her own death scene.”
Coster-Waldau was also full of praise for Riggs, contrasting her character with Cersei: “Olenna is like Cersei in so many ways, but just from our point of view she’s been on the ‘good’ side/
“And I just love how she goes out. She goes out with bite. She’s never going to beg. She did an amazing job. It was fun to be there and when we wrapped the showrunners came around and said a few words. She’s had a huge impact on the series.”
Speaking about Jaime’s thought on the murder, the actor said: “He’s trying to be nice about it. But he’s still killing her, man. She’s an old lady, but she has to go!”
Olenna wasn’t the only character to die during the episode; Ellaria and Tyene Sand have been confirmed dead by actor Indira Varma. The episode ‘The Queen’s Justice’ also saw two Targaryens meet and two Starks reunite. Read our review and recap here.
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