In an interview with The Sun, the 60-year-old actor said he has turned down roles because people would know his character is going to die.
“I just had to cut that out and start surviving, otherwise it was all a bit predictable,” said Bean.
“I did do one job and they said, ‘We’re going to kill you’, and I was like, ‘Oh no!’ and then they said, ‘Well, can we injure you badly?’ and I was like, ‘OK, so long as I stay alive this time’,” joked the actor.
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“I’ve played a lot of baddies, they were great but they weren’t very fulfilling — and I always died,” added Bean.
It’s not just the actor that’s fed up with his characters always dying – Bean’s fans were also tired of seeing the actor die, even starting the viral #dontkillseanbean campaign back in 2014.
Bean’s last on-screen death was on the set of Game of Thrones back 2011, when the character he played, Ned Stark, was beheaded, meaning the actor has remained death-free for almost nine years.
Let’s hope we see more of Sean Bean’s characters surviving in the future!
Here’s the full list of Sean Bean characters who have died:
Ranuccio “Caravaggio” (1986)
German Soldier “War Requiem” (1989)
Tadgh McCabe “The Field” (1990)
Carver Doone “Lorna Doone” (1990)
Robert Lovelace “Clarissa” (1991)
Gabriel Lewis “Screen One: Tell Me That You Love Me” (1991)
Sean Miller”Patriot Games” (1992)
Lord Richard Fenton “Scarlett” (1994)
Alec Trevelyan “Goldeneye” (1995)
Dave Toombs “Airborne” (1998)
Jason Locke “Essex Boys” (2000)
Patrick Koster “Don’t Say a Word” (2001)
Boromir “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
Cleric Errol Partridge”Equilibrium” (2002)
Robert Aske “Henry VIII” (2003)
Dr. Merrick “The Island” (2005)
John Ryder “The Hitcher” (2007)
Bryant “Outlaw” (2007)
Loki “Far North” (2007)
John Dawson “Red Riding: 1974” (2008)
Pyke Kubic / Reese Kubic “Ca$h” (2010)
Ulrich”Black Death” (2010)
Markus Kane “Death Race 2” (2010)
Jones “Age of Heroes” (2011)
Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark “Game of Thrones: Baelor” (2011)
Harry “Silent Hill: Revelation” (2012)
Frank Stinson “Wicked Blood” (Bad Blood) (2014)
Inspector John Marlott “The Frankenstein Chronicles: Lost and Found” (2015)
Regis Lucis Caelum “Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV” (2016; animated)
Excellent actors tend to be excellent at other stuffs, go figure.