Imagine turning up to set one day to shoot an intense scene on Game of Thrones, and a giant prosthetic penis is waiting for you in the makeup trailer. That’s what happened to actor Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor in the hit HBO series. As a result of the giant’s blood in his DNA, Hodor stands at a staggering 6’10”, and towers over every other human character in Westeros. Only able to speak the word “Hodor,” which is how he earned his name, audiences learn very little about the character until the later seasons of Game of Thrones — apart from in one scene, where we learn a little too much about him.
In his new book, Beyond the Throne, Kristian Nairn reflects on his time working on Game of Thrones. In an excerpt released by Vanity Fair, the actor recalled a very revealing scene, and the prosthetics required to make it happen. While Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) lost his private parts in Game of Thrones, Hodor got an extension. Nairn recalled seeing the prosthetic for the first time, in the company of the make-up team. He wrote:
“The moment I saw its size, though, I’d said to [makeup designer] Paul [Engelen]: ‘I could use it as a f*cking draft excluder!’ Sixteen inches of hard, weird plastic that looks like a hollowed-out dildo.”
Kristian Nairn’s reaction to the prosthetic was apparently shared by the entire cast and crew. The actor remembered an encounter with Richard Madden (who plays Rob Stark). “Apparently, he’d stolen it from the special effects department,” Nairn wrote, before detailing Madden’s reaction to the prosthetic. He continued:
“‘Holy God, look at the size of it!’ he was shouting to the small assembled crowd of assistant directors and runners, all pissing themselves laughing. ‘This is yours!’ he yelled to me as I walked over.”
Kristian Nairn Explains the Painful Process of Attaching the Prosthetic
Shooting a medieval fantasy series across various blistering hot and freezing cold locations like Malta and rural Ireland is bound to come with some painful experiences. Many actors have recalled their time working on Game of Thrones, outlining some of the more uncomfortable moments. However, Kristian Nairn’s experience with the prosthetic might be the most uncomfortable retelling yet.
Unlike other practical effects like bald caps, which are simply glued and stuck to the intended areas, the prosthetic penis required a lengthy process of braiding and gluing. According to Nairn, the process was exactly as painful as you would expect. He wrote:
“Right. Don’t make a fuss, Kristian, I think, but f*ck me, it’s painful. The glue gets applied in blobs that stubbornly pull at my pubic hair before it gets worked into the surrounding area.
With my pubic hair plaited and the glue applied it’s now time for the painting of the prosthesis. This seems to take forever.”
Nairn played Hodor from the very first episode, right up until the character’s tear-jerking death in Season 6. Even thinking about the scene conjures up images of a young Hodor shouting “Hold the door.” Thankfully for Nairn, fans remember that scene more than the uncomfortable prosthetic.
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