“Hey, they were in Game of Thrones”—Where else have you seen these 55 GoT cast members? (Part 2)

17) KRISTIAN NAIRN

Hodor was a simpleton, a loyal and gentle servant whose main role was to be both a protector and a beast of burden to Brandon Stark. Powered by Irish actor and musician Kristian Nairn, the character quickly won our hearts.

In the end, Hodor’s story was more tragic and more important than we ever first could have imagined. We’ll never feel the same way about saying “Hold the door” again.

As he tells The Hollywood Reporter, Nairn thought Hodor’s demise was both sad and fitting:

"I actually cried. I didn’t cry openly, but I had a little bit of a sob to myself. It’s just so sad. To me, it’s very satisfying as well. It ties up a lot about Hodor. It ties him all together and kills him at the same time. It’s very Game of Thrones. It gives you something you want with one hand, then cuts your hand off with the other one."

Nairn’s international celebrity began with Game of Thrones, and he’s played versions of Hodor on several different shows, including Chronicles of Comic Con (2013), The Wil Wheaton Project (2014) and The Insider (2014), plus a stint on a Sodastream commercial (above).

He’s taken non-Hodor acting roles in TV and film, too, including in Four Warriors (2015), Mythika: The Godslayer (2015, below) and Ripper Street (2012, 2013).

Off-camera, the 6’10” Nairn has a busy career as a DJ. In an interview with Culturated, he lists Kate Bush, Gary Newman, Bjork and Danzig as a few of his many influences, and he has no intention of leaving the stage: “I’ve been playing music since I was 3 or 4 years old, and it’s always been a HUGE part of my life. I learned to DJ at music college. One night, I covered for a DJ who was sick. That was 20 years ago, and I haven’t stopped DJing since.”

Look for Nairn in the features The Appearance and Robin Hood The Rebellion in 2018.