You'll Love the Emotional Way Fans React to Seeing Kristian Nairn After Hodor's Death

Although we all know Kristian Nairn best for trying to stop the Night King from taking over Westeros in Game of Thrones as fan-favorite character Hodor, the Irish actor has a new challenge ahead of him: saving the environment, one plastic bottle at a time. After exiting the HBO hit, Nairn lined up a few exciting new projects, including a campaign for SodaStream alongside The Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik that aims to change the way people think about their carbon footprint and what they can do to make a difference.

That doesn't mean his time on Game of Thrones is completely in the rearview, however. I recently hopped on the phone with him to discuss everything from SodaStream to the emotional way his role as Hodor is still touching fans everywhere.

POPSUGAR: Even though you're no longer on Game of Thrones, I'm sure fans still approach you. Has there been a change in how they come up to you now, though, because of Hodor's death?

Kristian Nairn: Oh, yeah. They always ask me if Hodor's going to come back as a White Walker. They almost always ask me that. But actually a couple of weeks ago I was on a Delta flight, and I was sitting across from these three little kids who were like, "You made me cry!" It's funny because I just have to be like, "Uh, sorry!" People definitely have a passionate response. It makes a lot of people sad when they see me. [laughs] I think it's like post-traumatic stress disorder, seeing me brings back horrible memories. I guess that's nice! [laughs]

PS: Hodor was such a fan favorite, I can imagine. You must've had so many great interactions with fans over the years.

KN: There was one at Comic-Con, and a lot of people have told me this type of story, but a woman came up to me in line and told me that her little child, her boy, he was autistic and never really spoke. She said that when he watched Game of Thrones and saw Hodor on the TV, and saw that I repeated "Hodor, Hodor" over and over again, he really loved it. He'd sort of light up. I ended up making her a video for her kid, and she came back the next day and showed me his reaction. He was just laughing and talking. Stuff like that just means the world to me; it's really sweet.

PS: That's a really beautiful connection.

KN: Yeah, sometimes you forget that what you do can really affect people's lives. You can make their lives better, and their days better. If I can make your day better, then I know I've done my job correctly.

PS: Of all the campaigns that you could have worked with, what is it about SodaStream's message that really drew you in?

KN: Well I was actually a big fan of SodaStream beforehand, because I had one back when I was a teenager. Obviously that was a long time ago now, unfortunately. [laughs] I had two SodaStreams in the house before they even contacted me, so it felt right. I got a SodaStream in the first place for two reasons: one, because I drink a lot of soda, so it's a way to really cut down on your sugar, and the second is because I had so many plastic bottles. My mother used to yell at me, because the bedroom would be full of plastic. You know, it's just such a bad habit, to say the least. I think on a bigger scale, that's what's important about the company.

PS: Have you learned more about conserving the environment through this campaign, or is it something you've always been passionate about?

KN: Absolutely. I mean, I'm obviously watching the news like other people and just seeing how much plastic is in our seas and seeing animals wash up on the shore absolutely filled with plastic, the fish eating the plastic . . . it's just horrible. So, so horrible. Sometimes people think that what they do doesn't make a difference, but it does. If everyone follows that rule, then nothing will ever change. Even on a small level, I think we can all make a bit of a difference.

PS: Totally, and that's obviously something that Mayim Bialik, who's also doing the SodaStream campaign with you, seems to take to heart. What was it like filming the commercial with her? Did you guys have a fun time on set?

KN: Yeah, I loved it! Mayim's awesome. It was really nice to meet her. I'd seen her character on The Big Bang Theory, and she's not too different from that in real life. She's brilliant, really smart, and talented, and of course she's really funny. It was a pleasure to work with her.