GoT's Richard Madden Reveals What It Was Really Like on Red Wedding Set
It wasn't just the Stark family that was decimated that day.
The Red Wedding remains one of the most memorable scenes from Game of Thrones. It was a moment that shocked viewers as a family was laid to waste in an act of revenge that provided an epic plot twist as season 3 neared its conclusion.
It was the scene in the novel series that hit showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss when they first read it and created within them an urge to bring this story to life.
It was also conceived early on in his writing by author George RR Martin. So, it stands to reason that it's a scene that stands out among all the myriad deaths, betrayals and plot twists that went on through the 8 seasons of Game of Thrones.
But what was it like for the actors who took part in it?
Appearing at the premiere for the new Amazon spy thriller, Citadel, Richard Madden (Robb Stark) said, 'I remember a lot of crying because at the end of it, I was going to be apart from my family that I had lived with for five years.'
Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) was traumatised by the scene. Shortly after it first aired, she described how it was 'incredibly emotional' and left her feeling 'like a walking shell'.
And Oona Chaplin (Talisa) said, even though she knew her time on the show was going to be up at the end of season 3, when she read the script, she was 'like, F**k, everyone dies!'. Despite this, she went on, 'even when it was on the page it was nothing compared to what it was like on the day.'
Clearly, filming the scene had a profound effect on those involved. And it's stuck with Madden until this day. He said losing 'my on-screen mother and my wife and this crew' was 'traumatic' and felt like 'losing my family.'
Since leaving Game of Thrones, Madden has starred as Prince Kit in Disney's live-action remake of Cinderella and PS David Budd in the hit BBC political thriller, Bodyguard. He also played John Reid, former music manager and Elton John's lover, in the 2019 movie Rocketman.
He's currently appearing alongside Indian actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Amazon's big budget spy series, Citadel, as Mason Kane.
Source: Variety, EW, EW.