Sean Bean had already mastered the art of dying on-screen before Game of Thrones made it a global spectacle. Fans were still recovering from Boromir’s heroic last stand when GoT decided to serve up another heartbreak – Ned Stark’s shocking exit. While audiences were left traumatized, Bean himself had a clear favorite.
He preferred Boromir’s arrow-filled farewell over Ned’s cold and public beheading. Can’t blame him, though – one had a warrior’s dignity, the other a messy political fallout.
Sean Bean’s ultimate death scene: Boromir’s heroic exit still reigns supreme
Sean Bean had died in all kinds of ways – beheaded, crushed, skewered, even pulled apart by horses. But when it came to picking a favorite, Boromir’s tragic last stand in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring won by a mile. He admitted (via EW):
It’s my favorite death scene, and I’ve done a few. You couldn’t ask for a more heroic death.
Can’t argue with that now, can you?
Unlike Ned Stark’s brutal execution in Game of Thrones, Boromir went out in full warrior mode, taking three arrows to the chest while defending the Hobbits from the Uruk-hai. Director Peter Jackson considered CGI arrows but scrapped the idea. Instead, Bean wore a metal breastplate under his costume and mimed every shot.
That final moment with Aragorn was improvised. The night before filming, Bean, Viggo Mortensen, Jackson, and co-writer Fran Walsh brainstormed over beers and wine. The result was Boromir’s now-iconic farewell: “My brother, my captain, my king.”
And if anyone knew how to sell a good death, it was Bean. He explained,
You can’t show off. You can’t be vain or posing…. Because every time you die, it’s a big f—ing moment!
Boromir’s heroics still break hearts decades later, but at least this was a send-off even the master of dying could be proud of.
Sean Bean’s This City Is Ours brings love and crime to BBC this March
Sean Bean is back in the crime world, and this time, it’s personal. This City Is Ours, the latest drama from The Last Kingdom writer Stephen Butchard, officially premieres on Sunday, March 23, at 9 PM on BBC One and iPlayer (via Radio Times).
Set in Liverpool, the eight-part series follows Michael, a seasoned gangster working under crime boss Ronnie. But when Ronnie hints at retirement, Michael starts dreaming of a different life – one with Diana, the woman he loves. But love and crime don’t mix, especially when Ronnie’s son, Jamie, wants to take over.
With power struggles, betrayal, and a missing cocaine shipment shaking up the gang’s empire, Michael faces his toughest fight yet – to save Diana, their child, and himself. Filmed in Liverpool and Spain, This City Is Ours is a gripping tale of love, loyalty, and ruthless ambition.
Watch The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones on Max.
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