3 ms·

Perhaps a gimmick — known name, killed off. Buzz!

• alexpotato 4y ago
  No perhaps. Ned being killed off early is a key part of the "no one is safe in the game of thrones!" motif. Having a known actor and playing against type (nice guy when usually villain) just underscores the surprise. There is a similar story about Gene Wilder in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He first appears with a limp and then somersaults to show he's fine. The whole point of that scene is to have the audience think "I can never trust anything this guy says again".
  • Tao3300 4y ago
    > Having a known actor and playing against type (nice guy when usually villain) just underscores the surprise. Normally you'd be right, except Sean Bean always dies.
    • ModernMech 4y ago
      You’re right, he was killed off early in Equilibrium too!
    • hef19898 4y ago
      Which makes Sharpe so much more impressive, he saved Sean Bean over multiple episodes / movies!