Two of the most popular characters on Game of Thrones were The Hound – a giant man begrudgingly used as Joffrey’s bodyguard – and his even bigger and scarier brother The Mountain. The Hound was the more humane of the two, and he developed a friendship of sorts with young Arya Stark.
In Game of Thrones, neither The Hound or The Mountain were exactly known for smiling, laughing or joking – given that The Mountain was a mindlessly brutal enforcer and The Hound was on a lifelong quest for vengeance. But Rory McCann, who played The Hound in the fantasy series, was actually once thrown off a major movie set for laughing too much.
In a 2013 LA Times interview, McCann described his nomadic lifestyle, which he still maintains despite his acting success. His acting career stemmed from a time when he was broke and hitchhiking through Wales in 1987. He came across the Willow Disney movie set and there was a casting call for two tall extras to play drunks. At 6 feet, 6 inches, McCann won one of the roles.
McCann explains; “Unfortunately, I didn’t understand how serious the whole business was and I kept laughing during takes. I was eventually chucked off the set.” He went on to become the face of Scott’s Porridge Oats, and after a very bad climbing accident, won the role of Kenny McLeod, a former climber who became a paraplegic in a fall. He would go on to play one of the best Game of Thrones characters.
Willow is a 1988 fantasy movie starring Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and Joanna Whalley. A TV sequel series premiered on Disney Plus on November 30, 2022, and by May 2023 had already been removed from the platform, as part of cost-cutting measures implemented by streaming services to avoid paying residuals.
Check out our guides to the Game of Thrones cast and to the House of the Dragon season 2 release date.