Ed Sheeran Reveals Arya Stark Wasn’t Supposed to Make it Past Season 7 of Game of Thrones

Ed Sheeran has opened up about his Game of Thrones cameo, revealing that the series could have gone an entirely different direction.

Sheeran joined Dax Shepard on Monday’s episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, during which he revealed that the seventh season of Game of Thrones was meant to be Maisie Williams’ last as Arya Stark.

Fans of the hit HBO epic know that if Arya did not make it past Season 7, she — spoiler alert — would not have been able to kill The Night King, which marks one of the most pivotal moments of the entire series.

Sheeran confirmed that his cameo was meant as a surprise for Williams as she is a fan of his, but the moment was accidentally ruined by her co-star Sophie Turner, who spoiled the news while speaking at Comic-Con.

“I think Maisie was like, ‘What?’ ‘Cause she didn’t know not to say,” Sheeran shared.

“I don’t think they had written the ending yet,” he explained. “It was meant to be her last season but it wasn’t. And as a surprise for her, [they got] me on. So, she was meant to turn up on set. and I was by the fire.”

Sheeran also addressed the backlash his cameo received from fans, many of whom found his appearance in the show distracting.

“It was great,” he said of the cameo, adding, “I feel like people’s reaction to it sort of muddied my joy to it.”

“Anytime I meet someone that is like, ‘Oh you cameoed on that show,’ I’m like, ‘What would you say?’” he continued. “Everyone would say yes. I was a fan of the show; they asked me to be in it. I didn’t expect there to be that much backlash but I am definitely more careful when I am offered cameos now.”

Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff had previously addressed the cameo, saying, “We knew that Maisie was a big fan of Ed Sheeran, and for years we’ve been trying to get him on the show so we can surprise Maisie.”