Why Peter Dinklage Thinks Now Is the “Perfect Time to End” Game of Thrones

After seven seasons and counting on Game of Thrones, it appears Peter Dinklage is ready to bid Westeros a fond farewell when Season 8 bows next year. The actor said in a recent interview that the HBO drama ending is “bittersweet,” but added that as far as he’s concerned, “it’s a perfect time to end it.”

“It’s the final season, so it’s a pretty long one,” the actor told Variety. “We’re really taking our time with this one.” Early this year, HBO confirmed that, as has long been expected, the eighth and final season will not air until 2019. The upside? Word on the street is that each episode could be feature-length.

Little more is officially known about the upcoming season, but we do know a few details. The director line-up will comprise co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who will helm their first episode together since Season 4, as well as battle director extraordinaire Miguel Sapochnik and David Nutter. The writing staff will include Benioff, Weiss, and veterans Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill. On screen, a new mercenary character named Harry Strickland will debut—a member of the Golden Company, which Euron Greyjoy enlisted to help defeat Daenerys.

“We get, you know, pockets of great people for a short amount of time, and then you have to move on, and it’s always heartbreaking—especially when you’ve spent more than a couple months with people,” Dinklage added in his Variety interview. “But yeah, it’s time. Story-wise, not just for all our lives. . . It’s a perfect time to end it. Sometimes shows stay on a little too long. The jumping the shark thing.”

Season 7 saw a couple of critics wondering if the series has begun to do just that. The series remains a ratings juggernaut, however, and shows no signs of slowing down, so it’s a safe bet that it will maintain its cultural status through the end of its final season. After all, by now, isn’t everyone ready to see who—if anyone—actually wins the Game?

Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:Game of Thrones Locations Around the World

Dragonstone, a.k.a. San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Spain.

Photo: Left; courtesy of HBO, Right; by Alberto Loyo/REX/Shutterstock.

Casterly Rock, a.k.a. Castle of Trujillo, Caceres, Spain.

Photo: Left; courtesy of HBO, Right; from KarSol/REX/Shutterstock.

Dragonstone Beach, a.k.a. Itzurun Beach, Spain.

Photo: Left; by Macall B. Polay/courtesy of HBO, Right; by Jose Arcos Aguilar/REX/Shutterstock.

Highgarden, a.k.a. Castillo de Almodóvar del Río, Spain.

Photo: Left; courtesy of HBO, Right; from siete_vidas/REX/Shutterstock.

King’s Landing, a.k.a. Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Photo: Left; courtesy of HBO, Right; by Paul Shio.

Great Pit of Daznak, a.k.a. Seville, Spain.

Photo: Left; by Botond Horvath/REX/Shutterstock, Right; by Nick Wall/Courtesy of HBO.

Astapor, a.k.a. Ait Benhaddou, Souss-Massa-Drâa, Morocco.

Photo: Left; from imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock, Right; courtesy of HBO.PreviousNext

Laura BradleyLaura Bradley is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com. She was formerly an editorial assistant at Slate and lives in Brooklyn.