Itās the āGame of Thronesā reveal weāve Bean waiting for.
From the Red Wedding and a certain characterās resurrection, to anything dealing with dragons, the HBO show has made a living off unexpected moments. However, none of these moments wouldāve been possible if not for the crazy one that started it all:
When Ned Stark (Sean Bean) lost his head.
The North remembers, dude.
Nedās death scene is brief. You see the sword coming down and his head starting to leave his body, but then the camera cuts away.
The execution has had a lasting impact on the show, essentially setting in motion everything thatās happened since. But up until now, a question has lingered ...
What were Ned Starkās final words?
If you look closely at Ned in his final seconds, you can see heās whispering something. For the longest time, fans have been wondering, what was he muttering?
The theories about Nedās final words are wild. Some suggest he was delivering one of the showās favorite phrases, āvalar morghulis,ā meaning all men must die. Others propose that Ned was thinking about Jon Snowās secret parentage, perhaps saying, āI kept my promiseā as he died. And there are those who argue Ned was trying to communicate with Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who might have time-traveling capabilities.
Thereās even speculation that Ned couldāve warged or somehow switched bodies, thus not dying at all. In fact, theorists who suspect Ned Stark is still alive believe his secret final words could lend credence to that speculation.
Well, in an interview with HuffPost about his new show āThe Oath,ā Sean Bean set things straight.
Ned was ... ājust saying a prayer.ā
āIt appears that way, doesnāt it?ā Bean said, alluding to the fact that, yes, it does appear as though the doomed man is praying. āI couldnāt be too specific, because I donāt know if religion [like that] was around in those days, whatever they were. I just thought, āWhat would you do if this were really gonna happen?ā You probably would pray. You probably would murmur some words and youād keep it quiet. Youād keep it to yourself.ā
āItās quite subtle in that many people wouldnāt pick it up,ā he added. āIt was an interesting thing to do for me at that point. Thereās not much you can do really, youāve got your head on a block. Thatās about the only thing you can do is murmur.ā
As far as all those rumors and theories that Nedās coming back, donāt count on it. Bean said HBO hasnāt contacted him about any possible return, and he thinks that would be weird anyway.
āNo, theyāve never said that,ā Bean said. āAnd yeah, Iāve heard rumors, but not from very good sources that I might be back. But I think Iāve done my time there, and I created a good character. Itād be rather strange to see him resurrected.ā
In other words: Bean there, done that. Though he doesnāt plan to return in Season 8, Bean seems proud of Nedās impact on the show. He was even appreciative after learning that fans jokingly suggested that a headless character who appeared during Season 6ā²s āBattle of the Bastardsā was a Ned Stark cameo.
āOh, really?ā he said. āI didnāt see. Oh, thatās cool. Thatās very clever.ā
During our interview, Bean continued talking about his new show on the Crackle streaming network, āThe Oath,ā a drama about corrupt police and gangs, what happened after he was stabbed in real life, and what it was like seeing Nic Cage break and bury a prehistoric bear skull.