Game of Thrones actors Kristian Nairn and Isaac Hempstead Wright reunite 7 years after “The Door,” one of the series’ most emotional episodes.
Game of Thrones stars Kristian Nairn and Isaac Hempstead Wright reunite seven years after “The Door,” a standout episode for their characters. In the critically acclaimed HBO series, Hempstead Wright played Brandon Stark, most commonly known as “Bran,” who goes on a deeply mystical journey throughout all eight seasons. Nairn played Hodor, a servant of House Stark who is deeply loyal to Bran. Their journey culminated in heartbreaking fashion in “The Door,” which remains one of Game of Thrones’ most surprising and emotional episodes.
Now, Nairn shares his reunion with Hempstead Wright on Instagram. Check out his post below:
He describes the life-changing impact of being in Game of Thrones, how he cherishes the friendship he forged with Hempstead Wright, and how happy he is to see his young co-star doing well.
Why “The Door” Is An Iconic Game Of Thrones Episode
While Game of Thrones’ “The Door” features many scenes across Westeros and Essos, the scenes beyond the Wall with Bran and Hodor are what make the episode iconic. Hodor, the loyal and simpleminded servant who can only say his name, was always present in Bran’s story, but there was never much exploration of his character. That all changed as the Night King and the Army of the Dead converged on Bran, Hodor, the Three-Eyed Raven, Meera Reed, Bran’s direwolf Summer, and the Children of the Forest. Bran split his consciousness, with part of his mind warging into Hodor in the present.
The other part of his mind remained in a vision of the past where the Three-Eyed Raven gave Bran all the memories and knowledge he needed to be the next Three-Eyed Raven. In the present, Hodor defended his companions from the Army of the Dead and was repeatedly told by Meera to “hold the door,” which he does, even as the wights kill him. Meanwhile, in Bran’s vision of the past, a boy named Wylis began to convulse and repeat “hold the door” when Bran locked eyes with him, with the repeated phrase gradually transforming into “Hodor.”
Viewers realized that Bran was responsible for Wylis becoming Hodor just as Hodor sacrificed his life in the present to save Bran and Meera. Unlike most of the major plot twists that had occurred in Game of Thrones up to this point, this revelation hadn’t occurred yet in the books, which made it a shock for all audiences. Hodor was always a likable character, but this episode made his story one of the most tragic in all of Game of Thrones, with Hodor revealed as a victim of Bran’s actions, yet still protected him to the very end.
