The first episode of Game of Thrones Season 7, which premiered Sunday, was quite a refreshing start, setting the pace for this season. Character evolution has always been the show’s key strength, and the premiere episode took it up a notch, especially with regards to The Hound, A.K.A. Sandor Clegane. We saw him have an emotional moment, where he paid his respects to the dead that he once knew, and a moment of poignant clarity as Thoros from Myr gave him a little glimpse as the power of the Fire god. Rory McCann, who plays the Hound, recently spoke about this, and his character’s future on Season 7 of the show. Read on!
Rory McCann was recently interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, where he talked about quite a few things. Now, if you remember, The Hound and Arya Stark ran into a small cabin, back in Season 4, after the Red Wedding. A man and his young daughter lived in the cabin, and offered shelter to Hound and Arya, but Hound instead chose to rob them of their silver, saying they wouldn’t survive winter either way. The Season 7 premiere saw Hound running into the same cabin again, while travelling with the Brotherhood without Banners, and the Hound is seen to have an emotional moment as he finds the occupants dead bodies, which he proceeds to bury, as proper farewell. Speaking of the scene, Rory McCann said :
“I had probably been up for six or seven hours already. I’m in a grumpy mood anyway before I walk on set, because I feel like I’ve done my day already before the other actors arrive, because it takes so long to put my face on. (Laughs.) But I thought it was fantastic, going back to the same cottage that the Hound had visited before. It was quite a change of things through the Hound’s character, just in these few seasons. The development in him. The change in him.”
He went on to talk about how the Hound has evolved :
“I feel in a way, and even when he was with Arya, in a way he’s been looking for peace. He’s almost maybe looking for faith, and trying to understand the Brotherhood Without Banners and what the Lord of Light is. I don’t think he understands it totally, not yet. He’s trying to get into the heads of the guys he’s around. He’s becoming more human, I feel. He’s coming back to that farmhouse and seeing what he’s done. He sealed their fate, the way he left them last time. They may have died anyway, but the character we see now is more apologetic and has more remorse for the dead. He buries them. He even tries to do a prayer for them, but he can’t remember it.”
He was then asked about the scene that had the Hound look into the fire and see things, something which you wouldn’t expect his character being subjected to. He said :
“I remember it was bloody hot by that fire. (Laughs.) I was roasting over it. There was comedy there, for about two seconds before it was the Hound really seeing the truth, maybe seeing the future. Maybe he has powers. Maybe he does have a link to fire. It was a 12-hour day in that barn. I didn’t even know at the time [how it would play]. I thought you would see something in the fire as well. I didn’t realize you would just be watching the Hound’s reaction. I was almost imagining that I was seeing television for the first time, and I can’t believe I’m actually seeing moving pictures in a flame. That was what I was hanging onto: this surprised shock, and the “Oh, my god” of what’s going on, and maybe being on the right path. Maybe I am part of this bigger thing.”
He also spoke about the Thoros of Myr top knot burn, and how he had a good laugh with actor Paul Kaye about it. Rory McCann also spoke about how the Hound would feel about what Arya Stark has become :
“I think he would be slightly proud of her. He would probably tell her to calm things down a little bit, though. She’s taking things too far! (Laughs.) He taught her a lot, I think. The fact that she’s still alive, nevermind killing everybody? I think he would be proud of her.”
..and finally, about Cleganebowl. Speaking about Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who plays the role of The Mountain, he said :
“I’ve met him a couple of times. I’m in Iceland a lot. I have friends up there. I was just sailing with an Icelander for the last couple of weeks actually, who worked on the show. So I’ve met him a couple of times, out and about anyway, at gyms and stuff… which is quite funny, actually. I’ll make sure no one is about, and then I’ll go up to him and go: “Alright, man. You and me, brother. When’s it going to happen?” But to be honest, we don’t know. We don’t know.”
Read the full interview over here, and talk to us in the comments, down below!
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