Celeb roundup: the Mountain explains why he’s huge, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Honored by GQ, and more

Welcome to another Game of Thrones Celebrity Roundup, where we check in on our favorite actors and see what they’re up to outside the show.

The Mountain, aka Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson, talked to GQ Magazine about how he got so huge. He currently weighs in at a svelte 396 lbs and stands at 6’9″.

"I was always taller than everybody else. I’ve been training all my life, but probably didn’t grow muscle-y until I quit doing basketball. I played for Iceland’s under-18 and under-17 team, so it wasn’t until probably 2007, 2008 that I start to gain a lot of weight."

“Quit doing basketball.” Call me cautious, but I’d not want to be the one to draw the short-straw and have guard Gregor Clegane in the low-post, as he gets the ball and drives the lane for a dunk. No, I prefer to keep my intestines intact, thank you. Speaking of GQ, the magazine kept it in the Game of Thrones family by naming Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) its International Star of the Year.

Apparently, the sixth edition of the ceremony was originally scheduled for November 18, but had to be postponed following the terror attacks on the Paris cafés and concert hall on November 13.

Finally, we turn to the late Ser Barristan Selmy…or rather the actor who so splendidly portrayed him, Ian McElhinney. He and the actor who portrays Ser Alliser Thorne—Owen Teale—are starring in a Canadian production of classic play Gaslight, which is drawing rather decent reviews from Torontoist.

Gaslight, Toronto Mirvish Productions

The site gave the production three out of five stars.

"If you’re up for some old-school melodrama and don’t mind giggling behind your hand half the time, Gaslight can be fun. But let’s be thankful that the feeble child-wife character was gassed long ago."

Teale plays a Victorian villain who plots to drive his sweet, fragile wife (Flora Montgomery) insane. McElhinney plays the detective hero. Sounds about right.