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Nikolaj Coster Waldau has revealed that he was surprised when he heard about the incest in Game of Thrones.



At the conclusion of the show's first episode, it emerged that Waldau's character Jaime Lannister has a sexual relationship with his twin sister Queen Cersei.

Waldau explained: "The end of episode one... when I saw that the first time I was shocked, I have to say."

However, Waldau suggested that some people may be able to understand the relationship between the siblings.

"I think usually as an actor you... build on your own experience," he said. "This particular aspect of his character was different. Having a relationship, an intimate relationship, with your own sister... it's a mouthful. But what is interesting and I think what you can relate to is that you fall in love with someone you shouldn't fall in love with, or someone it would be really inappropriate but you can't help yourself."

He added: "Of course, also it is a different world. If you go back a couple of hundred years, the whole idea that royal families would marry cousins - it's not that far [away]."

Waldau also claimed that Jaime is "passionately" in love and suggested that he would not stay in court otherwise.

"He has chosen to enter the King's Guard," he said. "When you enter that, you can't marry. You say, 'I'm dedicating my life to this'. He did that to be close to his sister. So he does not like the world and the whole political aspect of the court but he has to be there because the woman he wants to be close to is there. She, on the other hand, loves power. I think that's her big love."

Game of Thrones airs on Sundays at 9pm on HBO in the US and on Mondays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic in the UK.