How Hodor became the heart of ‘Game of Thrones’

Like Sailor Moon and Ron Swanson before him, Hodor belongs to a special league of TV characters who have become memes. There’s fan art, a smartphone app, GIFs, supercuts and lots (and lots) more.

Nairn is well aware of how much power he yields as the actor behind the most beloved character on the internet’s favorite TV show. And he’s using this unique position to promote his other passion: house music.

In addition to shooting “Game of Thrones,” he’s toured the planet spinning house. And Nairn has embraced the world’s bottomless enthusiasm for his TV gig. He’s hosted events titled “Rave of Thrones,” where fans are encouraged to come dressed up as their favorite characters from the show.

In a conversation with Sean Rameswaram, Nairn reveals that his woolen Hodor getup reeks of death. After an episode featuring Hodor and his gang slaughtering rabbits, the wardrobe department covered his already-thick costume in rabbit carcasses. “If you look closely, you’ll see little rabbit feet and asses. There’s ears and stuff hanging off the costume. There are little faces. It lives in props. You can literally smell it before you see it.”

In the meantime, new Hodor-related content is being created almost daily online, thanks to fans. He even gets to cross fantasy worlds and have a chat with another monosyllabic character.

(Originally aired October 1, 2015)