Kristian Nairn Had Hodor's Game Of Thrones Fate Spoiled For Him By Finn Jones
"Game of Thrones" was an absolute powerhouse of a series for HBO. Though it has now been several years since the dark fantasy series aired its contentious final season, the show remains one of the most popular franchises that the network has ever seen (via Variety). Now, with its prequel series "House of the Dragon" also pulling in impressive viewership numbers (via Parrot Analytics), it looks like HBO won't be done with adapting the works of George R.R. Martin for some time.
"Game of Thrones" follows the plotting, scheming, and warring among many different noble houses as they strive for power and influence. A character who was never involved in these conflicts very much, though, was Hodor (Kristian Nairn). As the caretaker and guardian of Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Hodor is a gentle and mysterious giant who remains enigmatic across the series due to the fact that he only ever says the nonsensical word "hodor," hence his moniker.
Of course, fans who stuck with the show through Season 6 will no doubt recall the tragic meaning behind the word, even if Nairn himself had it spoiled before he even laid eyes on the script that featured the death of his character.
Finn Jones assured Nairn that his death was a good one
In 2018, Kristian Nairn sat down with Huffington Post to talk about his career, his time on "Game of Thrones," and, naturally, the pivotal death scene that occurred for his character in Season 6, Episode 5 ("Hold the Door"). When it came time to discuss Hodor's tragic fate in the series, though, Nairn revealed that he actually had the death of his character spoiled by castmate Finn Jones, who portrays Loras Tyrell.
"[He] tipped me off. He got the script before me. We all do that thing. 'Do we make it to the end of the season?' And he was like, 'No, you don't, but it's a really cool way you're gonna go,'" Nairn recalled Jones telling him. To say that Hodor dies in an unexpected way would be an understatement, with Bran accidentally showing a young Hodor his eventual demise, holding a door and traumatizing him so deeply that he repeats a truncated version of the phrase for his entire life.
Nairn said that "Game of Thrones" showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff called him a few days later to confirm his fate. Still, Nairn seems to remember the character fondly following his death. "Hodor was such a close character in my heart, also to the fans of the show. I think he deserves that send-off," he said. As for Jones' Loras Tyrell, he was also killed off shortly thereafter when the Red Keep was blown up by Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) in the Season 6 finale.