'Game of Thrones' actor: Season 8 puts characters in 'alien environment'

Game of Thrones went full throttle in Season 7, and it's no surprise that the show won't slow down now.

Actor John Bradley, who plays Sam Tarly, told TV Guide that characters are going to keep being pushed by new elements and traveling the seven kingdoms deeper and faster than ever before.

"Each of the characters this year is placed in a completely alien environment at some point in the season that they've never been placed in before," Bradley said. "The thrill is seeing how they react to it and how they respond... This season, I think, more than any other is stretching these characters."

That's consistent with the hyperspeed travel seemingly invented in Season 7, with Jon traveling from Winterfell to Dragonstone to the wall and back before going down to King's Landing – all in just a few episodes while the White Walkers took their sweet time marching south. Dragons flew across the country; even ravens brought their A game in the commuting department.

But Bradley's comments are intriguing from a character perspective. An alien environment isn't necessarily a physical place; it's an unfamiliar situation (Arya, no longer sniffing out traitors), an important task (Cersei trying to play nice with others), or a new threat (White! Walkers!).

"The stakes definitely feel ramped up," Bradley told TV Guide. "We know that we've got a real job to do. This has been a part of people's lives for so many years. This is our eighth season, and we are kind of feeling the pressure to get it right because we want to satisfy people...we just kind of want to give them an ending that they deserve."

Game of Thrones Season 8 does not yet have an official air date, though Sophie Turner seemed to suggest it won't return until 2019.