One does not simply… NOT say hi to Kristian Nairn!
Hodor may not have the most interesting story arc. He is not even a knight (can you hear it? It’s Finn Jones and Daniel Portman screaming: “kniiiiiights FTW, yo!”) He does not plot unfathomable schemes we then remember for the ages (or does he?), nor does he have a sharp, clever tongue ready to outwit or charm at whim. He doesn’t even own a monster-pet like Dany or a pet-pet like Tommen. Up until recently, he was just the bulky simpleton pushing the Bran-mobile around. Now he also kicks skeleton asses while possessed, which qualifies for some awesomeness, but still the question remains…
Why do we all LUV Hodor? What’s in a name (a name repeated once and again and again)?
You are so NOT finding it out here!
Woot. Not what I expected. Yeah, the “H-word”. Yeah, “hi” is an “H-word”; I meant the other one. The one with “Ho”. Hehe. “Ho”.
MARINO: Kristian, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us.
M: Hodor has become quite the media phenomenon…
M: ...And you are Hodor so, why is that?
There you have it. The Hodorian Mysteries are impenetrable to the man himself! How are we the rest, non-Hodors, even try to understand them? Madness lies down that path!
M: The thing is, you have to act exclusively through your physique. Is there an evolution in how you portray Hodor?
M: Did you find it had to interpret Hodor so differently while he is being possessed?
M: Here’s a tough one: Isaac [Hempstead-Wright] is growing up so fast… How do they do to make him look like he is the same age as last season?
PAUSE. Bran can be a little girl and…
M: There’s…two Hodors?
Cloning would have been cooler, but I guess camera tricks are more practical and less ethically challenging. Still… Bring in the clones, HBO!
M: What do you expect from next season?
Sure, sure… So much for spoilers. You train your actors well, showrunners. I applaud the undoubtedly evil methods you employ to ruthlessly coax them into silence.
M: But if you could write Hodor’s path, what would you like for him?
M: Thank you very much, Kristian.
M: Could you send a greeting to the Spanish Game of Thrones fans? I’m coming from Spain.
Was I messing with Kristian’s MIND, you ask? Not really. The thing is I am backed by the awesome guys of Westeros.org but I am also a self-appointed ambassador for Spanish fans, and the Spanish publisher of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. There, now you know how this all works. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.
M: Yeah, but this is for the Spanish AGOT community!
A “HODOR” uttered LIVE is much better than on TV, trust me on this!
M: Thank you so much, Kristian.
High-fiving Hodor achieved!!! My hand may have been destroyed in the mighty clash but who cares!
And that’s a wrap! I caught a plane and got back to Spain! Some things did happen in the interim (like flossing and failing miserably to get free Wi-Fi), but I still don’t know you well enough to share MY intimacies.
And while I am at it…
Thank you, YOU, amazing reader (because you are amazing and I LOVE YOU) for having taken the time* to travel with me along this remarkably surreal interview tour. Your amusement is what fuels me, so please let me know if you have felt slightly amused at some point ^_^.
All the best,
Marino Santirso, the Pale Dornishman
*Please note that neither Westeros.org nor I can give you back your time, mostly because we cannot bend reality through the power of our will alone; we do require some rare ingredients and an eclipse. We appreciate your understanding or lack thereof!
Marino Santirso is a biped hailing from Northern Spain who writes, translates and edits words for companies such as… can’t really tell you. He collaborated in the Spanish edition of “A Dance with Dragons” and is in charge of the Spanish versions of the “A Game of Thrones” LCG and board games. He loves Dorne because “Ser Arthur Dayne had a magic sword” and “OMG the Red Viper is almost a Maester!” He also likes to stick his finger into béchamel sauce when no one is watching and won’t probably be allowed to write anything else for anyone else anywhere ever. He is a gentle soul; please handle with care.