Hodor might have been a man of few words, but his offscreen counterpart, Game of Thrones [1] actor and DJ Kristian Nairn, apparently knows exactly what to say to make us laugh embarrassingly loud at our desks in the middle of a very quiet office.
During a very candid interview with HuffPost [2], Nairn was happy to voice his opinions about the HBO series' predilection for cameos from famous musicians [3], especially Ed Sheeran's surprise appearance in season seven. In short: it was the worst.
"I'm not a fan of the cameos in Game of Thrones. I don't like them. I think it's stupid," he said. "I don't mind going on the record on that. I just think it takes you right out of the world . . . Especially Ed Sheeran. I was like, 'Why is Ed Sheeran here?' I mean, Ed Sheeran's great. He's a great guy, great musician, but why is he in Game of Thrones?"
To be fair, most of the show's previous cameos — Sigur Rós, Coldplay's Will Champion — have been artists who are significantly less recognizable than the 27-year-old singer-songwriter, who's one of the music industry's biggest names. In the show, Sheeran is a part of a group of soldiers who Arya (Maisie Williams) runs into on the road en route to King's Landing, and even belts out a song (not "Shape of You," sadly). It's impossible not to notice him.
"I'm not saying I'm not a fan of Ed Sheeran," Nairn further clarified of the scene. "I'm being tactful here, but just not a fan of the cameo. I think most people would agree with me there. It was a big snap to reality. It's like, 'What? What?' It's a fantasy show. We're all caught in this amazing world and spend so much time and money and talent to create, and all of a sudden there's a pop star? What?"