Oona Chaplin: "It satisfies desires for nudity and violence"

Warning: contains spoilers!

Millions vented their shock, frustrations and grief online last night to mourn the events in the sensational and utterly gut-wrenching penultimate episode of the third season as Walder Frey exacted revenge on the North’s beloved Stark family.

Branded as some of the most gruesome scenes ever shown on TV as most of the dwindling clan were massacred at the ‘red wedding’ – including Catelyn Stark, Robb ‘King in the North’ Stark, and his heavily pregnant bride Talisa Maegyr, played by 27-year-old actress Oona Chaplin (it’s her birthday today).

It’s transformed non-fantasy lovers into fantasy lovers because it’s universal

“I didn’t realise the impact Game of Thrones would have when I first joined,” she told The Big Issue. “You feel like you’re a part of a classic and I always said that if I was part of one classic then I could happily retire. I’m kinda screwed now because I’m not ready to retire.”

One thing is for certain, Chaplin won’t be returning to the Northern Ireland wilderness later this year to film season four after her character was brutally knifed to death in last night’s game-changer.

“You can’t wait to be surprised by it,” she says. “It’s transformed non-fantasy lovers into fantasy lovers because it’s universal and true.”

So it’s success isn’t just down to the nudity?

“I’m not going to lie, I think that’s definitely a part of it. I quite like the nudity. The more nakedness the better, but that’s just me.

“It’s got something for everyone. It’s satisfied those basic human needs to see nakedness and violence and it has tapped into a universal truth that unfortunately we’re facing now, which is this huge struggle for power.

“A lot of people nowadays feel really powerless. We don’t know how to address the fact that we’re all angry about this current status quo, and that’s very much like Game Of Thrones except they have dragons as well. Dragons and beautiful naked ladies.”