As it turns out, Game of Thrones actors were just as invested in their characters as the fans were. Especially Alfie Allen, who portrayed Theon Greyjoy, one of the most tormented figures in the series.
Knowing that no one in Westeros was safe, Allen tried to get ahead of the inevitable and asked the showrunners how his character would meet his end. However, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss weren’t about to make things easy for him — they handed him a fake script at the end of Season 2.
"I gave this rousing speech, and then Brienne [Gwendoline Christie] just appears out of nowhere and stabs me in the heart, saying, 'This is my Winterfell. Not yours.' I honestly thought it was a great way to go," Allen recalled in an interview.
Naturally, Allen believed it — but that was only the first part of the cruel joke. Soon after, he received a call from the showrunners:
"— So, how do you like your death?
— Very cool!
— How would you feel about coming back next season… as a zombie?
— I’m in!
— What about being a zombie… with no lines?"
Only after that did the creators burst into laughter and admit that the entire conversation was a prank.
Ironically, Theon’s actual fate nearly turned him into a zombie after all. In the real script, he was stabbed by the Night King — who, as we know, had a habit of resurrecting his victims as White Walkers. So, the showrunners’ joke could have turned out to be strangely prophetic…
Luckily for Allen, Theon remained dead — but at least he wasn’t walking.
