Going to note that GRRM is probably hugely restricted as to what he can and can not say about the way the TV show has taken things. These days, anyone involved with big media productions has to sign what amounts to a gagging order saying you will only say good things about the product for a specified amount of time. And this often means having to say turds are raisins, or at the very least obliquely not answering anyone who asks about the turds in their raisins.

This is a big part of why you only see defensive answers about movies and TV shows from their producers, actors, or writers. Because they signed very strongly worded agreements not to say anything that might imply the show is bad in any way. Don't assume they tactically agree with how things have ended up, because they're liable for penalty fees if they ever agreed with critics that the product was bad.

It's my assumption that no one involved with any major production is telling the truth or expressing their own feelings about any entertainment product, till years after it's finished.