Actor Kristian Nairn believes that the beloved character of Hodor will be missing in action from Game of Thrones season 5.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! News, actor Kristian Nairn said that the character of Hodor will not appear on Game of Thrones season 5.
“We have a season off and we have a year’s hiatus,” Nairn said of himself and co-star Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran Stark. According to Nairn, the reason for this filming hiatus is story-related.
“I imagine our storyline is up to the end of the books,” he said.
Last season of Game of Thrones did edge up against the last readers of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series have heard of Bran, though a few steps in his story still remain. But even so, a lack of published material has not yet seemed to concern showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who have been dealing with the fact that Martin’s series is – as yet – unfinished for several seasons.
Terri Schwartz of Zap2It has commented that Isaac Hempstead-Wright has been scheduled to film scenes for Game of Thrones season 5. As Bran now has other things on his mind beyond being hauled around the North by Hodor – like the discovery that his “three-eyed raven” is a weird old guy in a tree – it certainly seems possible that Hodor’s presence will not be necessary in the advancement of his storyline.
That said, it certainly would be a shame to have a Hodor-less season of Game of Thrones. Kristian Nairn has become a fan favorite in the rhetorically-limited but beautifully expressive role.
Instead of filming Game of Thrones season 5, Nairn, a professional DJ, plans to take his “Rave of Thrones” show on the road. It’s different in tone from the HBO series, perhaps – but certainly, no less wild.
Game of Thrones season 5 will air on HBO in Spring 2015.