Ian McShane to Game of Thrones fans: “Maybe you should get out a little more”
Ian McShane played Brother Ray in Game of Thrones season 6. As you may remember, Brother Ray saved Sandor “the Hound” Clegane from the brink of death and took him in to his community of peace-loving peasants. Unfortunately, he was killed by rogue members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, which set the Hound on a path for revenge.
All of that was revealed in the seventh episode of the season, “The Broken Man.” But McShane caught some heat for letting the cat out of the bag a bit early when he talked to Pop Goes the News:
"I am responsible for bringing somebody back that you think you’re never going to see again. I’ll leave it at that."
Of course, the internet took the hint and ran with it, drawing the conclusion that The Hound was indeed coming back to the show. Later, McShane jovially defended his decision to spill the beans. “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape,” he told The Telegraph. “I was accused of giving the plot away, but I just think get a f—ing life. It’s only tits and dragons.” He continued his defense after the season was over when he talked to Vulture. “[I]f you tease it up, more people will watch it. So it wasn’t exactly bad publicity for HBO, you know?”
Now, McShane is hitting the interview circuit to promote his new series on Starz, American Gods. He gave an interview to Empire Magazine for their April issue, and the subject of his prior comments about Game of Thrones came up. His opinion hasn’t changed.
"The show is huge but some fans seem to identify with it (too closely). You want to say, ‘Have you thought about your lifestyle? Maybe you should get out a little more.’"
Then he appeared to directly address the spoiler question.
"Firstly, you love it, secondly, you’ll have forgotten by the time it comes out. And what am I giving away? A character beloved by everybody returns. Get a f****** life."
As he revealed in the Vulture interview, McShane was wary of committing to a lengthy role on the show, so maybe he doesn’t feel overly obligated to keep its secrets. “It’s a good plot. I got hung. I’m out of there, man.” Please, never change, Ian McShane. Never change.