An actor who starred in the series Game of Thrones was in a deep crisis a few years ago. Only World of Warcraft saved him from it.
Which actor is being referred to? Kristian Nairn played the giant Hodor in Game of Thrones, who was always taciturn but nevertheless won a place in the hearts of viewers. His colleague Peter Dinklage was skeptical about whether the series would work. Fortunately, he was mistaken. Game of Thrones became a huge success and also brought Kristian Nairn a lot of attention. In addition to his work as an actor, Nairn is also active as a DJ and drag performer.
One of his biggest hobbies is gaming – he is particularly fond of World of Warcraft. When Kristian Nairn struggled with a strong addiction a few years ago, Blizzard’s MMORPG turned out to be his salvation.
Here you can see a cinematic trailer for the latest WoW expansion The War Within:
From morning till night WoW
What addiction is being referred to? In his book “Beyond the Throne,” Nairn talks about a time in his life when he was addicted to drugs. According to his own statements, he consumed cocaine and other substances to stand at the DJ booth all night long.
Before long, the actor’s condition deteriorated, both physically and mentally. This also affected his professional life, as his performance suffered due to the addiction.
Eventually, Nairn pulled the emergency brake and retreated to a bungalow in the mountains. There, he played World of Warcraft from morning to night and escaped into the fictional world. This distracted him from drugs and helped with the detoxification, which ultimately succeeded.
What type of player is Nairn? In his book, the actor emphasizes that he always embodies non-human characters in the game. He is human enough in real life, with all the problems that come with it.
In a conversation with Polygon, he explains that he is a really bad PvP player. What matters more to him is collecting and completing, the characters, and the story. He does not view WoW uncritically. He has already “lost” friends and partners to the game and another kind of addiction.
For Nairn himself, it was the right decision to withdraw a bit from the world through gaming. Today, he claims to be in a “much healthier place.”
Is he still playing WoW? Yes, he does, even on the go. On his travels, Nairn always carries a small laptop with him, on which the game runs. He has been playing the MMORPG for almost 20 years. The actor still loves it and is grateful to it – after all, an important part of his life has been decisively shaped by the game.
