Game of Thrones’ Kristian Nairn reveals he thought Hodor was the third Clegane brother

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SFX magazine’s latest issue reveals one of the most brilliant Thrones theories yet

Imagine the Cleganebowl in Game of Thrones season 8 being a triple threat. Fans excited to see the Hound and the Mountain clashing could’ve got Hodor joining in too. Well, that is, if actor Kristian Nairn’s barmy theory rang true. Unfortunately, it didn’t – but his reasoning behind it actually holds up surprisingly well. Maybe there’s another plot twist around the corner?

Speaking to our sister publication SFX magazine, Nairn reveals that not only did he try and delve into Hodor’s backstory early on by bribing creator George R.R. Martin with alcohol (“I bought him whiskies, vodkas, everything… never worked. He has a good poker face”) he also had a lightbulb moment of his own, one where he might be related to a few other big boys on Game of Thrones.

“A theory I had, being a big guy,” Nairn explains, “Maybe he was another one of the Clegane brothers, and something happened to him as a child, like it did with the Hound, having his face burnt, which made him the way he is.”

I mean… it’s not the worst theory in the world? It definitely deserves a place among our long list of Game of Thrones theories, that’s for sure. It certainly chimes with what we found out eventually happened to Hodor – a Bran-led traumatic event as a child through some timey-wimey weirdness – and all the main players pretty much know each other in some way anyway. In fact, I think I prefer this theory…

But there’s plenty more Hodor musings where they came from. Be sure to pick up the new issue of SFX to see how Kristian Nairn found out about his character’s death and his utterly tear-jerking reaction to whether he misses playing Hodor. Keep the hankies handy.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.