Kristian Nairn dishes on ‘Game Of Thrones’ behind-the-scenes secrets, his gay mentors & new memoir
Game Of Thrones, he only had one word from them: Hodor!Now he’s finally able to share his side of the story—in as many words as he wants—thanks to his new memoir, Beyond The Throne: Epic Journeys, Enduring Friendships, And Surprising Tales, available everywhere on September 22.One one hand, the book is sure to keep GOT fans fed while they wait for the arrival of spinoff series A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms in 2025, offering up Nairn’s firsthand account of life on set.
But it also doubles as a personal story of self-acceptance, as the actor offers up his own journey—and Hodor’s—as a beacon of hope for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Nairn never imagined the fantastical world of Westeros would become such a crucial part of his life.
Before he was cast as Hodor—his first ever acting role—he was a DJ, regularly spinning as the resident performer at the Belfast gay nightclub, the Kremlin.Though he had already been out in his personal and social life, Nairn suddenly found himself wrapped up in a whole new level of fame as GOT became a worldwide cultural phenomenon, and he realized how impactful it could be for him to, essentially, come out again.“I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview,” he told GOT fan site Winter Is Coming back in 2014. “[My sexuality is] a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted.”Since his GOT days, Nairn has continued DJing all over the world, known for his super-popular themed “Rave Of Thrones.” He also played the fan-favorite Wee John Feeney on the beloved, queer-inclusive HBO pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death—a character whose secret passion for drag was inspired by Nairn’s own drag persona, Revvlon.Needless.
