Why The Villain From The Knuckles Series Looks So Familiar

Jim Carrey may be coming out of retirement for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," but he won't be playing Dr. Robotnik in the "Knuckles" spin-off series, leaving a villain-shaped hole for someone else to fill. Fortunately, the Paramount+ show has found a fantastic actor to fill the void: Rory McCann.

"Game of Thrones" fans know McCann from his tenure as Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound, though you might not recognize him in the "Knuckles" trailer. That burn makeup and unkempt mane leave a specific kind of impression. The actor's new, bearded baddie is known only as "The Buyer" right now, but the preview provides a few clues to the character's identity. It's suggested that he worked with Dr. Robotnik, and he appears to be constructing similar machines. He plans to steal Knuckles' unique power for devious new inventions.

Of course, it's possible that you recognized McCann in the "Knuckles" trailer despite never watching "Game of Thrones." He's done much more than play everyone's favorite antihero in the Westeros. Here's why the villain from the "Knuckles" series looks so familiar.

Born in Glasgow, Rory McCann took a roundabout route to stardom, working periodically as a painter, gardener, and carpenter while struggling to get a big break on screen. Acting opportunities began to open up in the 2000s with films like the Ewan MacGregor-led drama "Young Adam," the historical epic "Alexander," which starred Colin Farrell, and 2005's "Beowulf & Grendel.'

In 2007, McCann played Michael Armstrong, aka Lurch, in the Edgar Wright police parody "Hot Fuzz," humorously utilizing his imposing stature. Though the role was small, the film's cult status helped it form a lasting impression. He also continued his trend of historical epics and mythical adventures by playing McNess in "Solomon Kane" and Belo in the 2010 remake of "Clash of the Titans."

At the same time that he was racking up movie credits, McCann worked steadily in television. His portrayal of Kenny McLeod in the Channel 4 series "The Book Group" won a Scottish BAFTA award for best television performance in 2002. He also had recurring roles as Adam in the drama series "Rockface," Derek Hatch in "The Jury," and Father Crichton in the original U.K. version of "Shameless."

Though Rory McCann was already a veteran actor on the big and small screens when he was cast in "Game of Thrones," the HBO series changed everything for him. He became a household name throughout the show's first few seasons, and it dominated much of his acting work for the better part of a decade. He appeared in 38 episodes across seven of the fantasy drama's eight seasons.

"Before each season, I phone all my friends and tell them I don't want to speak or have any contact with anyone at all," McCann told Entertainment Weekly in a 2019 interview at the end of Season 8. "I make myself lonely before every season, purely because I'm going onto 'Thrones.' I don't want contact with anyone before starting the job. It's only been in the past couple of years I've started to talk to people and go out to pubs and be with the other actors."

On the whole, McCann said that he's grateful for the experience of being on "Game of Thrones," though it doesn't seem like he ever let the added fame go to his head. "I'm very close to being the Hound," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm not used to human touch. I'm a bit of a recluse. Now I've made some friends. I've started to relax. I've learned a lot. It's been a hell of an education."

Though "Game of Thrones" took up most of Rory McCann's time from 2010 to 2019, he still managed to squeeze in some other projects throughout the show's run, and he's been pretty busy since Season 8 wrapped up. In 2015, while the Hound was on a temporary hiatus from Westeros, McCann appeared in the BBC drama "Banished," acting alongside the likes of Orla Brady and Genevieve O'Reilly in a story about the British Empire's use of Australia as a prison colony. He also played John Ross in John Maclean's "Slow West" in 2015 and getaway driver Tennyson Torch in the 2017 action movie "xXx: Return of Xander Cage."

More recently, McCann has kept his roles diverse. He played the villainous Jurgen the Brutal in 2019's "Jumanji: The Next Level," departing from the serious tone of "Game of Thrones." In 2023, he appeared as Armstrong in the action thriller "Jackdraw" alongside Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. On TV, McCann has primarily stuck to voice acting over the last several years, with roles like Megatron in "Transformers: EarthSpark" and Duke Vedmirein "The Legend of Vox Machina." However, he's still done some live-action TV acting, playing Arthur Hilton in Netflix's Sherlock Holmes spin-off series "The Irregulars."

"Knuckles" should give McCann a fun, goofy playground to act in. The series premieres on Paramount+ on April 26, 2024.