"Deadwood" star Ian McShane made a dramatic "Game of Thrones" debut as well as exit on June 5, Sunday, in the episode "The Broken Man." The actor recently hoped that despite his short stay in the hit HBO series, his character Brother Ray will have a lasting impact on The Hound.
"I don't know what happens in the next episodes. But if they're following the Western code, he'll seek to avenge me, then continue his life in a different way," the 73-year-old actor told Entertainment Weekly.
"Game of Thrones" Season 6 episode 7 began with a rare cold-open sequence before the opening credits, wherein Brother Ray was shown spiritually nurturing The Hound, only to be murdered by a band of attackers at the end of the episode. McShane's appearance was long being anticipated since the time he declared in November 2015 that he will bring a long-lost character back into the show.
Speaking further on his miniscule yet impacting role, the actor said that his character's main use was to re-introduce a character people thought was long gone and "who needed some humanity." He further added that the Hound has not seen humanity until he met Brother Ray.
McShane revealed that "GoT" showrunners had written a two-page speech and were looking for someone to play the role when they approached him. His small role admittedly required him to shoot in Belfast for just five days. Speaking about his death scene, the actor claimed that it was quite easy to shoot as he just had to hold his breath for 10 seconds.
Back in November 2015, McShane created quite a stir when he let slip a major spoiler that his role, a priest, brings back a popular character who was thought to have died in an earlier season. While his statement gave birth to several fan theories, the actor was seemingly left unimpressed as he famously called "GoT" as just the show of "tits and dragons" while speaking during an interview with Telegraph.
McShane is likely to be seen in the movie adaptation of his hit TV series "Deadwood." Meanwhile, watch his shot from "GoT" Season 6 episode 7 below: