‘Game of Thrones’ Grew on Amanda Peet — Defended Husband’s Series Finale
Amanda Peet had the good fortune of being right there when her husband, David Benioff, developed Game of Thrones. However, she wasn't paying attention to the amazingness from the start.
Peet was not a fan of the show at the beginning. It eventually grew on her, though, and she even avoided her husband when he was at work at home.
She eventually became a fan of the show and even stood by how the show ended in season 8, which faced massive backlash.
Amanda Peet Grew to Love ‘Game of Thrones’
In 2015, when Game of Thrones was all the rage, Peet revealed her initial thoughts about the show. And it wasn't pretty.
During an appearance on Conan in January 2015, O'Brien asked her about what she said when her husband first introduced her to the show's idea.
Even before answering the question, Peet realized she was going to get some jeers from fans of the show. "I'm gonna come off so badly on this show," she quipped.
Amanda Peet with her husband, 'Game of Thrones' creator David Benioff in 2016. (Photo: Twitter)
Then, she admitted she did not like the idea when Benioff told her. "Yes, I thought it was a terrible idea. Terrible," Peet said.
O'Brien then pressed her about what she found terrible. To this, she said, "Just silly."
Peet compared the show with the beloved Dungeons and Dragons, but "real, with real people."
The audience groaned at her comment, and she could not hold back her surprise. "I'm married to him," she defended herself.
O'Brien, too, came to her defense, saying if someone pitched him the same idea, he would probably think something similar. But only after seeing the cast and the story in more detail would he change his opinion.
He then made a joke at his and his show's expense. "If someone came up to someone and they said there's gonna be this guy with orange hair [who] dances around, it's gonna be a show... it's terrible," he wisecracked.
"But then you see it and it becomes a sensation," he continued, to which the crowd went nuts. Peet couldn't hold her laughter or her applause, either.
The conversation then became about how she loved the show and avoided looking at Game of Thrones stuff her husband was working on just that afternoon.
Amanda Peet Defended ‘Game of Thrones’ Ending
Peet was obviously very close to the show's creation, having one of the creators as her husband. But she also always realized it was just a TV show.
So, she did not get the blowback the show received when it ended the way it did.
Amanda Peet wants to divorce showrunner David Benioff over Jon Snow's death #GameOfThrones http://t.co/WIiJnWohXo pic.twitter.com/uxu2UFTKN2 — Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) September 6, 2015
While talking with Andy Cohen in June 2020, Peet revealed her thoughts on the show's ending. She said she "loved it" and stood by her opinion almost a year after the season finale aired.
She felt like people just did not want to let go of their favorite thing to watch on TV, and the backlash was coming from there. "Look, maybe I'm just too close to it, but I didn't understand the blowback. For God's sake, people, it's a television show," she added.
The husband and wife, who got married in September 2006 and has three kids, has since worked together on Netflix's The Chair.
That was Benioff and D.B. Weiss's first project after GoT ended. Peet, too, has a writing credit on the show.