Aaron Rodgers might want to keep his helmet on — it gets pretty rough in Westeros. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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“Game of Thrones” is quickly coming to an end, but possibly not before featuring a cameo appearance from a certain Khaleesi-worshiping quarterback. According to a recent report, Packers star Aaron Rodgers is set to lend his acting talents to the hit HBO show.
If true, Rodgers could well be included in the fifth episode of the final season, which airs on Sunday. Last month, he tweeted a request for no “Thrones” spoilers, and in an intriguing hashtag, he said that “episode 5 should be good.”
After episode 5 comes the series finale, on May 19, so Rodgers only has two shots at it. Green Bay fans, though, should expect to see him at some point, according to a veteran Packers reporter.
Rodgers and his girlfriend, former racecar driver Danica Patrick, were reportedly spotted last summer in Northern Ireland, where much of the filming of “Thrones” takes place. In April, shortly after his “episode 5” tweet, he said (via Packers Wire), “I have a bit of inside information about who is alive in one of the episodes, but I’ll share that down the line.”
At the time, Rodgers made an accurate prediction about episode 3, which featured the epic battle against the Night King and his undead army (um, if you don’t want spoilers about things that have already happened on the show, then thanks for clicking on this post but it’s time to stop reading).
“Theon, he’s gonna have to play some kind of role to redeem what he did in Winterfell,” said the two-time NFL MVP. “I think a major character that we maybe don’t expect is going to go this week.”
[The 12 things that are really bothering us on ‘Game of Thrones’ right now]
Of course, Rodgers may simply have been speaking from the perspective of an uber-fan, one that he shared in a 2017 feature by The Ringer. Telling the website that Daenerys Targaryen, a.k.a. Khaleesi, was his favorite character, he said, “There are just so many story lines and you have to really pay attention to keep up. With these shows, I’m dialed in and I really want to tie everything together.”
Rodgers tied things together well enough to opine to The Ringer that Daenerys and Jon Snow were related, which “Thrones” viewers subsequently learned to be the case, although as aunt and nephew, not as siblings, as he suggested. He also wondered aloud if Tyrion Lannister was related to those two, and he proclaimed, “I love Arya.”
Rodgers followed that up by appearing in several promos for the final season of “Thrones,” in which he sat on the Iron Throne. In one spot, he declared, “I’m Lord Aaron, of House Rodgers of Greenwater Bay, the true King in the North,” and went on to extol the “legacy” of the Bay, including the fact that the “throne” (i.e., the NFL championship) has been there 13 times.
A cameo appearance by Rodgers would not be the first time a sports star has popped up on the show. Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard got to show off his arm as a spear-throwing soldier in 2017, and described the opportunity as “just a dream come true.”
Other celebrities to have gained “Thrones” immortality include pop star Ed Sheeran, country music’s Chris Stapleton and Royd Tolkien, a great-grandson of “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien. In this season’s first episode, two of the men Theon killed as he rescued his sister Yara were played by Rob McElhenney, of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and “Silicon Valley” actor Martin Starr.
Rodgers was hinting at a “Thrones” appearance as far back as February 2018, well before he began turning heads in Belfast. When asked during an interview with Dan Patrick if he had been “approached” to be on the show, the quarterback replied, “I can’t confirm or deny that.”
He did confirm that if he were to make a cameo, he would “definitely want to be killed, or in one of the steamy scenes.” That prompted a question about whether Rodgers would be willing to do a nude scene, to which he said, “Partial,” specifying “upper” as opposed to “lower” nudity.
So from the sound of it, if (when?) Rodgers shows up on “Thrones,” he’ll be sure to have some clothes on. Packers fans hoping to see a naked bootleg will just have to wait until it’s football season.
(H/T Green Bay Press Gazette)
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