With great success comes great opportunities – such as being asked to star in hit TV shows. There’s just one problem, most singers aren’t trained as actors. So is it true that singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has starred in Game of Thrones?
Ed Sheeran made a surprise cameo in season seven, episode one of Game of Thrones. The episode, titled Dragonstone, aired in 2017 and features Ed playing the role of ‘Eddie’, a Lannister soldier. As part of the role, Ed also sings one of George R.R. Martin’s original songs, Hands of Gold.
How do you feel about celebrity cameos – do they make dystopian worlds less believable? Or is it not that deep? Stay tuned as we discuss Ed Sheeran’s role in the hit TV show, Game of Thrones including how he acquired the role and whether he will be making a return.
Eddie
First things first, how did Ed Sheeran come to star in Game of Thrones? Well, over the years Ed has been pretty open about his love for the show. And it turns out the feeling is mutual. Showrunner David Benioff explained that Ed was invited to make a cameo as a special treat for Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark.
“We knew that Maisie was a big fan of Ed Sheeran and for years we’ve been trying to get him on the show so we can surprise Maisie. This year we finally did it.” Benioff clarified.
So it seems that a Game of Thrones x Ed Sheeran collaboration has been a long time coming. Does this mean that Sheeran was given a pivotal role in the episode?
Well, not exactly. Ed plays the role of Eddie, a Lannister bannerman who is seen in the woods with 6 other men singing and eating rabbits. On her way to kill the queen, Arya stumbles across the soldiers and compliments their choice of song.
The scene continues with the men offering Arya some rabbit, which she gracefully accepts. They engage in some polite chit-chat until Stark jokes about being on her way to kill the queen, and then the scene abruptly ends.
All in all, Ed has around 4 minutes of screen time and 3/4 lines of dialogue. So this is undoubtedly a minor role, but fans were left questioning the fate of Eddie and the other Lannister soldiers. Is there scope for a second Sheeran cameo?
Probably not. During the season eight premiere of the show, three women are captured discussing the fate of the soldiers. “That boy Eddie, came back with his face burned right off. He’s got no eyelids now”, one of the women declares.
But what does Sheeran think of his character’s untimely downfall? It seems Ed would’ve preferred to have been killed off completely.
“It was fun being in Game of Thrones, but I definitely think they should’ve killed me off in that episode. I reckon that probably would’ve been the redemption for people that didn’t like it”, he told one interviewer.
Backlash
Upon the premiere of the episode in 2017, Ed was subjected to intense backlash. Some fans claimed that celebrity cameos detract from the magic of the show, while others asserted that Ed is a terrible actor.
It seems that the controversy was too much for Sheeran to handle, as he deleted his Twitter shortly after the episode was aired. Writing on Instagram Ed said:
“Had to get off it completely, wasn’t doing anything good for anyone’s sanity. I’m gonna be more present on here and work out things we can all do as a fan base. Love you all, you all rule x.”
Despite this widespread criticism, the episode’s director Jeremy Podeswa maintains that he doesn’t regret hiring Ed.
“If people didn’t know who Ed was, they wouldn’t have thought about it twice. The hoo-ha seems to be from things that are outside of the world of the show. In the world of the show, he did a lovely job.”, Podeswa told Newsweek.