Ciarán Hinds has revealed he didn’t keep up with Game of Thrones once his character of Mance Ryder was killed off, and fair enough.
The 69-year-old actor, recently Oscar-nominated for his turn in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film Belfast, starred as Rayder, the leader of the Free Folk – who was dubbed the ‘King-Beyond-the-Wall’ – for three seasons until 2015.
A wildling by birth raised in the Night’s Watch, Rayder fled and ultimately became a fierce leader in his own right and opponent to the organisation.
His grisly end saw him burned to death at the stake as a prisoner of Stannis Baratheon, after refusing to bend the knee following a defeat at Castle Black, with Jon Snow shooting him with an arrow to curtail his suffering.
In a new interview, Ciarán admitted he ‘didn’t follow the show once Mance died’ but implied he’d be keen to sit down and get to the end when time permits (so no thoughts from his end yet on the controversial finale).
‘I owe myself a treat once I stop working to watch it from beginning to end,’ he added.
The actor also praised his character’s ‘lack of bulls**ttery’, telling NME: ‘He didn’t bother with any of the extraneous nonsense that we usually see from people who lead. He said: “This is what the issue is, I believe in it, these people need help, and we are going to take action. And I will be as they are and I will live the life that they do.”
‘It’s not leading from the front. It’s leading from the centre, in a way, because he’s right in the middle of it. He knows that he has the capability to be the spokesperson, but he didn’t put himself higher than the rest of them.
‘I think that’s probably why people followed him,’ he concluded.
Game Of Thrones author George RR Martin recently dropped hints as to what viewers can expect when they tune into the hotly anticipated prequel series, House Of The Dragon, later this year.
Taking to his blog, he revealed he’d seen rough cuts of some of the episodes and promised that ‘those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters (as I do) will like this series, I think’.
He also teased that ‘the spine of the story is the human conflicts’, alongside – obvs – dragons.
The new series stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans and Paddy Considine.
House Of The Dragon will launch on August 22 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : The Sex Pistols are re-releasing God Save The Queen for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee
