Warning: Contains Spoilers
HBOThe latest episode of Game of Thrones had people shook.
No exaggeration, people were calling The Long Night a remarkable piece of television; it even resulted in people’s Fitbits congratulating them for their cardio workout. That’s how intense it was.
After all the tension, the build up, the dragons, the fighting (etc., etc.), who could have guessed that ending? FYI: major spoilers ahead.
With the episode culminating in a brief exchange between Arya and Melisandre, sparking the beginning of the end of The Battle of Winterfell, things got (even more) tense as Arya realised her true mission.
Taking it upon herself to kill the Night King and as a result, setting off a chain reaction that wiped out his whole army, Arya quickly became the hero of the hour (and the entire show).
But now another hero is emerging in the form of the Night King. No, not the character, but the man who plays him: Slovakian actor Vladimir Furdik.
Furdik, who used to be a stuntman and has appeared in Skyfall and Snow White and the Huntsman, looks nothing like his ice-cold Game of Thrones character and has actually turned into something of a fan favourite.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BujBu2NAW59/
The 48-year-old actor documents his star-studded life on his Instagram page, giving fans an insight into what he gets up to outside (and inside) work.
Posing with fellow Game Of Thrones stars Kristofer Hivju and Gwendoline Christie, posting pictures of his make-up (and prosthetic) covered face, Furdik couldn’t look more different than his murderous portrayal of the Night King.
Fans of the show have been quick to comment on this difference, referring to the actor as their new ‘King’ and professing a newfound love for him – calling him ‘cute’ and ‘on fire’.
While one person called him a ‘very good looking man’ and asked him not to tell her husband (your secret’s safe with me), another said they couldn’t believe how ‘hot’ he was in real life.
Unfortunately, Furdik won’t be on our screens for the rest of the GoT season because, as I’ve already mentioned, Arya killed him in an epic showdown. Although the young Stark succeeded in her mission was a massive shock to a lot of people, she was apparently destined to do it since series one.
During Arya’s conversation with Melisandre in the latest episode, the latter subtly convinces Arya that she will be the one to kill the Night King by referencing the conversation they had when the pair first met.
Way back in season one, Melisandre tells Arya she will kill ‘a great many people,’ and has closed – or will close – ‘brown eyes, green eyes, and blue eyes’ forever.
Check it out:
Regardless of whether or not it was meant to be though, the Night King has gone forever.
On the other hand, our new king – Vladimir Furdik – has not.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).