Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie discusses the arc of her character, Brienne of Tarth, and the impact the series has had on her career. Since her debut in Game of Thrones season 2, Christie has gone on to star in a range of projects, including Netflix’s Wednesday and The Sandman, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. Christie will next appear in Severance season 2 as she joins the star-studded cast of the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series.

While speaking with Radio Times, Christie looked back at her Game of Thrones role, describing it as “unlike anything else” she has done. She reflects on the experience of portraying a central character in the series that became a cultural phenomenon and expressed her love and gratitude for playing Brienne. Christie also broke down how rewarding the culmination of Brienne’s arc was for her on a personal and professional level after playing the character for years. Check out her comments below:

I didn’t pay the most attention to it because I was very, very invested in my character. I had a wonderful character to play that I loved so much and was so rich and there was so much to explore. I love the writing. I love the character as created by George RR Martin. I love the adaptation by [showrunners] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss]. I thought that was really brilliant.

The character fed me for all of those years. The character never once stopped feeding me, and I never stopped working on the character right to the very end, even with things that people were surprised by, like when Brienne smiled when she was knighted. That made complete sense to me that she hadn’t really smiled. This is the time she smiled, because she got the thing she wanted in a very intimate and special way.

Brienne Of Tarth Had One Of Game Of Thrones’ Best Arcs

The Most Honorable Person In Westeros Became A Knight

As divisive as Game of Thrones season 8 remains, Brienne’s satisfying arc remains a highlight. Brienne had always wanted to be a knight and was unable to become one because of the patriarchal society she lived in, the irony being that she was consistently more honorable than most of the men who were knighted. Receiving the title befitting of her many admirable traits and deeds throughout the series and seeing Brienne finally getting knighted was deeply moving, as was her rare smile, while her friends and allies clapped with genuine happiness for her.

This development was also meaningful because Jaime Lannister was the one to knight her. Their relationship began as a forced pairing when Catelyn Stark charged Brienne with safely delivering Jaime to King’s Landing in exchange for Sansa and Arya. Jaime and Brienne initially despised each other, only to eventually grow to respect and even love each other. Jaime knighting Brienne demonstrated his respect and love for her more than anything else ever could.

Brienne ultimately honored her promise to deliver Jaime to King’s Landing and later honored his promise to find and protect Sansa and Arya as well.

His later decision to leave Brienne for a doomed reunion with Cersei Lannister was disappointing, but it did not undermine Brienne’s arc, as it was more about Jaime’s character development than that of Brienne. Becoming the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in the series finale was also perfect, an excellent way to follow up on Brienne being knighted and conclude her story. Brienne’s stellar character remains one of the best parts of Game of Thrones‘ controversial ending.