Natalie Dormer Thought Her Game Of Thrones Death Was A Golden Ticket

Natalie Dormer Thought Her Game Of Thrones Death Was A ‘Golden Ticket’

HBO

When an actor signs onto a TV series, it can be a leap of faith. The threat of cancellation in an ever-increasing unpredictable media landscape hovers over ensemble casts like the Sword of Damocles. On the flip side, for a popular TV series like HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” the series can last for an incredibly long time. When this happens, it introduces a new dilemma: characters outlasting their narrative purpose.

In the case of Natalie Dormer’s Margaery Tyrell, the character was killed off at the right time. That isn’t to say that viewers wanted her to meet a tragic end; Margaery was a fan favorite for her beauty, cleverness, and likable personality. But by season 6, there wasn’t much more that could be explored with her character after she became Queen Consort. With Cersei Lannister still alive, Margaery’s fate was inevitable.  Showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff crafted a fiery send-off for Margaery and several other characters in the “Game of Thrones” season 6 finale. Outmaneuvered by Cersei, Margaery is killed alongside her brother, father, the High Sparrow, and others when the Great Sept of Baelor is destroyed by wildfire. The execution of this particular moment stills sends chills up and down the spine, and wraps up the life of a character who had always aimed to outmaneuver those around her, but — ultimately — lost the game of thrones. 

For Dormer, though, this exit from the award-winning series ended up being a godsend.

In the case of Natalie Dormer’s Margaery Tyrell, the character was killed off at the right time. That isn’t to say that viewers wanted her to meet a tragic end; Margaery was a fan favorite for her beauty, cleverness, and likable personality. But by season 6, there wasn’t much more that could be explored with her character after she became Queen Consort. With Cersei Lannister still alive, Margaery’s fate was inevitable. 

Showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff crafted a fiery send-off for Margaery and several other characters in the “Game of Thrones” season 6 finale. Outmaneuvered by Cersei, Margaery is killed alongside her brother, father, the High Sparrow, and others when the Great Sept of Baelor is destroyed by wildfire. The execution of this particular moment stills sends chills up and down the spine, and wraps up the life of a character who had always aimed to outmaneuver those around her, but — ultimately — lost the game of thrones. 

For Dormer, though, this exit from the award-winning series ended up being a godsend.

A golden exit

Since her departure from “Game of Thrones,” Dormer has kept busy. Of particular note are her appearances in the limited series “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and the mini-series spinoff “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”.