The fifth season of the fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones is all set to air on HBO on April 12th, 2015. Adding to the excitement, we bring you 10 fun facts you may not have known about the show!
1. George RR Martin, is not the Writer of Season 5
Author George RR Martin, who had written an episode on each of the first four seasons, has not written any for the fifth. He was working to finish writing the sixth novel of the series, The Winds of Winter. The fifth season has been written by David Benioff, DB Weiss, Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill.
2. Hodor is a DJ in Real Life!
Kristian Nairn who plays the role of the loveable giant Hodor, is a DJ in real life. Towering at 6 foot 10 inches he is also the tallest GOT cast member. Nairn sings, plays guitar, and performs on stage. And yes, he can speak more than just the word ‘Hodor’.
3. Aemon Targaryen is Blind in Real Life too
Peter Vaughan, who is in his 90’s now, plays Maester Aemon Targaryen on the show. Like his character on the popular series he is partially blind in real life too.
4. More than 150 Girls in 2012 were Named ‘Khaleesi’
Remember how NRIs rushed to name their newborns ‘Simran’ back in the 90’s after Yash Raj’s smash hit DDLJ? If you do, you’ll probably be able to relate to this: Game of Thrones’ popularity reached such heights in 2012 that Social Security Administration records in USA show nearly 150 newborn baby girls given the name ‘Khaleesi’ that year!
5. Viserys is Charles Dickens’ Great-Great-Grandson
Khaleesi’s evil Targaryen brother from the first season was played by Harold Lloyd. His mother Marion, before she became a Lloyd, was a Dickens, the great-granddaughter of none other than the legendary author Charles Dickens! Talent sure runs in this family.
Watch the trailer of the latest season here.
6. Cersei Lannister Almost went Bankrupt Paying Her Debts
Lena Heady who plays the role of Cersei Lannister in HBO’s stellar show almost went bankrupt in 2013. She revealed her financial situation, admiting to have “less than $5 in her bank account” (Source: ContactMusic). After her divorce from Peter Loughran, her dried-up accounts made her live off of credit cards. Fortunes eventually turned for her and she even bought a house later in California for $790,000.
7. King Joffrey May Never Act Again
The 22-year-old Jack Gleeson who played the most hated character on television, King Joffrey, might never act again. He even got a letter from George RR Martin which said: “Congratulations on your marvellous performance! Everybody hates you now.” He has decided to devote time to studying at University College Dublin.
8. The Horse Heart Khaleesi Ate was a Big Gummy Bear
A true blue GOT fan will never forget how a pregnant Daenerys consumed a raw horse heart to prove herself to the Dothraki people. However, what you probably didn’t know was that the bloody mass you saw her eat was actually seven pounds of gummy bear!
9. Sansa Adopted her Dire Wolf
The dog that played Sansa’s dire wolf, Lady, was adopted by Sophie Turner, the actress who plays Sansa on the show.
10. George RR Martin did not Write the Dothraki Language
The Dothraki language in the series is not written by George RR Martin. HBO hired a company that specialised in creating imaginary languages to do it.
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