Ed Sheeran's despised cameo on Game of Thrones last year is still being talked about, this time by an actual castmember. Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor, wasn't thrilled with the "Perfect" singer's television appearance—but not because of Sheeran himself.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Narin revealed he thinks any celebrity cameo on the fantasy show is a breach of reality. "I'm not a fan of the cameos in Game of Thrones. I don't like them," he said. "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."
He continued on by calling out Sheeran directly, saying he likes the popstar as a person, but not as a character in Westeros. "Especially Ed Sheeran," he said. "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?"
Nairn explained that a pop culture sensation has no place in the imagined world. "I'm not saying I'm not a fan of Ed Sheeran," Nairn said. "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?"
In his season seven premiere episode cameo, Sheeran plays a Lannister soldier who Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams, stumbles upon after her Red Wedding reprise. The group is a breath of fresh air for the young Stark, who hasn't often met nice people. They offer her food and drink and she stops for a brief moment as Sheeran sings a song.
Sheeran was, according to The Washington Post, invited onto the show as a surprise for Williams, a large fan of Sheeran's music. While sweet in context, fans were unimpressed at the distraction and mainstream attention Sheeran drew to the dark show.
It seems some viewers have yet to let it go, tweeting about it a year later.
remember that time ed sheeran ruined another good thing by having a cameo in a game of thrones episode
— knee v 🕊 (@yungbeefcake) June 27, 2018
I'm still angry about the Ed Sheeran cameo on Game of Thrones
— kelly (@knburchard) June 27, 2018
Neymar is as embarrassing as the time that Ed Sheeran was in Game of Thrones. Disgusting.
— Jak Ford-Lane (@JakFordLane) June 22, 2018
Sheeran's last release, Divide, broke first-day streaming records on Spotify. Sheeran is currently being sued for $100 million for allegedly ripping off Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in form of his 2014 release "Thinking Out Loud."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kelly started a career in journalism after completing her education at The New School in New York City. She currently ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
