Many Game of Thrones fans were traumatized when the season 3 episode “The Rains of Castamere” premiered on HBO a decade ago, and that trauma extended to behind the scenes as well. The episode is one of the most memorable of the series, known for its shocking “Red Wedding” sequence. The bloody episode notably killed off Richard Madden’s Robb Stark along with his pregnant bride, Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin), and his mother, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley). The dark episode was widely acclaimed and even nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

The episode aired on June 2, 2013, and Madden is reflecting on his Game of Thrones exit nearly ten years to the day later. Just ahead of the tenth anniversary, Madden spoke with Variety about filming that episode, and he recalls how many tears were shed on the set. The actor then describes that it was “traumatic” in multiple ways, as his character’s death also meant saying goodbye to the Game of Thrones family he’d bonded with while filming the show. As Madden explains:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

“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 — my on-screen mother and my wife and this crew that had spent a lot of time together, so it was traumatic not only to shoot but traumatic because I was losing my family.”

In a separate interview with Entertainment Tonight, Madden spoke more about how he feels about that ordeal. He clarifies that he has “fond memories” of filming Game of Thrones, just not that one “particular scene,” as he puts it. And that just made it all the more difficult to say goodbye at the end.

“I still have fond memories of that whole experience. I mean, not that particular scene, but the whole experience I have fond memories of. It’s nice to be back into recurring series drama where you get so much time to tell a story, and the you get these huge payoffs like [the Red Wedding.] Three seasons deep we got to have this horrible death with characters that you’re invested in.”

Meanwhile, the Game of Thrones franchise has continued with the prequel series House of the Dragon. Madden was asked about the show, and the actor admits he hasn’t yet gotten around to it. That’s not a knock against House of the Dragon, but it’s simply because Madden has been busy with other projects. With that said, Madden does plan to catch up on House of the Dragon at some point.

“I’ve been very busy doing other things, but I’ll get around to it.”

Related: Bella Ramsey Fondly Recalls How Welcoming Kit Harington Was on Game of Thrones Set

The Red Wedding Was Also Traumatic Behind the Scenes

HBO

After his final appearance in Game of Thrones, Madden went on to appear in movies like Rocketman, 1917, and Eternals. More recently, he can be seen as one of the main stars alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the spy action series Citadel. The high-budget series had already been renewed for a second season ahead of its recent premiere. Let’s hope his character on this new series doesn’t have a fate similar to that of Robb Stark.

You can stream the grisly Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones, dubbed “The Rains of Castamere,” on HBO Max. As for House of the Dragon, season 2 is currently in the works. It is not affected by the writers’ strike that has paused other television productions, as the scripts for the second season had already been written. A release date has not yet been set for the new season. Meanwhile, you can also catch more of Richard Madden by streaming his new series Citadel on Prime Video.