HBO/Helen Sloane(LOS ANGELES) — Remember the public outcry when Ed Sheeran made a cameo appearance in the seventh season premiere of Game of Thrones? Turns out one of the show’s stars wasn’t really happy about it, either.
Kristian Nairn, who played the doomed fan-favorite character Hodor on the hit HBO series, tells The Huffington Post, “I’m not a fan of the cameos in Game of Thrones. I don’t like them. I think it’s stupid. I don’t mind going on the record on that. I just think it takes you right out of the world. Especially Ed Sheeran.”
He adds, “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?”
“I’m not saying I’m not a fan of Ed Sheeran. I’m being tactful here, but just not a fan of the cameo,” Nairn clarifies. “I think most people would agree with me there. It was a big snap to reality. It’s like, ‘What? What?’”
According to Nairn, having Ed pop up — or any other musician — distracts from the fact that Game of Thrones is essentially a fantasy.
As he puts it, “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?”
It’s mostly been alternative and metal bands who’ve made cameos in Game of Thrones, including Mastodon, Bastille, Of Monsters and Men, and members of Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Those were mostly blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearances, though, while Ed had an actual speaking role.
“I mean, I understand why people want to be in it,” Nairn adds, “but just no. Go away.”
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.