Cleganebowl confirmed. Well, not really, but in a recent interview with Express, actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane) fanned the flames of this popular theory, which posits that the the Mountin will eventually square off with his brother, Sandor “the Hound” Clegane.
"Everyone is expecting me and my brother to fight in this season. I don’t know if that’s going to happen or not. They don’t tell us that in the show but that’s definitely [something] I could see happening in the future because it looks like it would go that way because if you look at the story, it looks like that."
Remember that it was the Mountain who burned the Hound’s face when they were children, after finding his little brother playing with one of his toys. And you thought your older brother was rough. The series foreshadowed the potential showdown between the two brothers back in Season 1, after the Mountain (played by Conan Stevens at that time) was unhorsed by Loras Tyrell. When the Mountain went berserk, it was the Hound that saved Loras from certain death. So the groundwork is there.
Björnsson also talked about something he’s hoping to get during the remainder of his time on Game of Thrones: lines. “I would not mind, if The Mountain would get some lines,” he said. “I would definitely appreciate that and take it as a good challenge.”
The Mountain is kind of the silent type, especially since Qyburn reanimated him. I’m not even sure he can speak now, but we’ll see.
Elsewhere, comedy sports show Here’s the Rub caught up with Björnsson outside a gym, where he talked about his strongman diet, his bowl movements, and his favorite TV show. (Three guesses what that is.) Also included: footage of Björnsson lifting horrifyingly large amounts of weight. Here’s a quick clip:
Watch the full interview at Go90.
In other Mountain-related news, does everyone remember that awesome SodaStream commercial starring Björnsson and Hannah Waddingham (Septa Unella) as their Game of Thrones characters? If not, here it is:
As it turns out, not everyone found this commercial funny. The Daily Mail reports that SodaStream, a home carbonation company, has been served with a cease and desist letter from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). The IBWA is alleging that the SodaStream ad unfairly targets bottled water over other beverages, like soft drinks. The IBWA represents major corporate clients such as Nestle and Fiji Water, so it takes exception to any product that might replace plastic bottles, like SodaStream.
SodaStream contests the IBWA’s claims. Said CEO Daniel Birnbaum: “We will not let the IBWA’s threats stop us from trying to save the planet.”