Actor Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor in Game of Thrones, speaks out on what he’d want his future lines to be, and what his favorite scene in the series is so far.
Possibly the most-loved character in HBO’s Game of Thrones TV series is the one who doesn’t utter any other word aside from his name. I’m of course referring to Hodor, Bran Stark’s gigantic but non-violent companion, who’s been in the series from the beginning and hasn’t croaked yet, even if he’s not as smart as most of the characters in the show. Speaking to GQ, Kristian Nairn, the actor who plays Hodor, talks about his portrayal of the character. Nairn reveals that the scene with Locke where Hodor gets angry is possibly his favorite scene of the character so far.
Oh, it was fantastic. That was one of my favorite scenes so far, if not my favorite. And it was nice to see the whole range of emotions there. It was something completely different from Hodor’s usually docile self. I definitely got some aggression out that day.
Nairn was also asked if he’d want Hodor to have another line of dialogue, and what would it be if given the chance.
Yes! I would like, you know, it’ll be in his future, whatever happens, to say something really emotional to Bran like “It was always a pleasure to look after you”, and then just to be snuffed out. I think that would be really emotional… an epitaph, almost, something that would really pull the heartstrings.
In the same interview, Nairn also shares how he thinks Hodor has changed as the show progressed stating, “He’s been pushed to the edge of his physical strength. He’s gone from his comfort zone of Winterfell. I think he’s a little depressed, to be honest. And then this whole warg-ing situation, Bran uses him to do these violent acts, he doesn’t enjoy that very much. Obviously, he’s very loyal to Bran and that sort of overtakes that. Bran really is the only thing he has left of home.”
For more Game of Thrones reading here on The Escapist, check out how Westeros would look like if it was based in the US; it seems we’ll be visiting Dorne come Season 5, according to the series’ showrunners.
Given Hodor’s rather unique situation, it’s easy to see why a lot of people empathize with him. At the same time, I can’t help but feel irritated sometimes that he’s too feeble-minded to be able to protect those around him with ease, given his size and strength. But if that was the case, we wouldn’t be subjected to countless Hodor jokes, either.
Source: GQ via Winter is Coming
