Note: This post contains spoilers forGame of Thronesseason 8, episode 5, The Bells
Cleganebowl happened.
Did you bet on The Hound to win?
Turns out, the correct answer appropriately enough forGame of Thrones was neither.
The 50-year-old Scottish actor, like The Hound, isnt much of a talker.
Yet McCann is similar to The Hound in rather likable ways.
Im very close to being The Hound, McCann notes at one point.
Whats below are the most words weve ever gotten out of him.
During the interview, McCann sat in his trailer on the Belfast set.
He seemed to fill the entire space.
It doesnt help having half your face in latex and you just have a pool of sweat underneath.
But I maybe have 20 more days to go.
No point in complaining about it now.
What did you think of the scripts this year?Really good.
Im very happy with the way The Hounds story ends, thank you very much.
I love all the endings.
I dont know how they managed to sew it all together.
I dont know how it goes with George R.R.
Martins ending, if its the same or no.
I havent watched the series much.
Only watched a few episodes.
I dont watch the telly.
And when the shows on Im usually out in the wild sailing or something.
Im looking forward to getting the whole box set and then Ill watch it when I get the flu.
What was the table read like for you?It was quite emotional.
It was quite funny when the so-called Cleganebowl started.
I secretly brought a trumpet with me.
He did and I brought out this trumpet and [blew it].
I got butterflies in my stomach over that fight.
You havent shot it yet.No.
Im getting the fear with that.
The Mountain [actor Hafor Julius Bjornsson] is truly huge.
Hes kind of staggering.I hope he knows his fing strength.
Not just chicken.A chicken.
Then hed be eating again a couple hours later.
That almost sounds like The Hounds lines from the tavern scene with the chickens.Yeah.
There have been some great lines for The Hound.
Ive enjoyed all the Arya/Hound road trip stuff.
Those were my fondest memories.
Anything outside usually because Im so hot that Im more comfortable.
Whats the scene youre most proud of?I loved doing the Brienne fight.
That was great fun.
But I loved some of the dialogue scenes with Maisie and myself.
It came at the right time when I was just starting to relax.
The first couple years on the show I was very nervous all the time.
And then I found the character after a couple years.
What was unique about this season for you?The Winterfell battle …
I like [director Miguel Sapochnik], I can really connect with him.
There are some directors who dont speak much and if youre doing your job there are no words back.
But Miguel is very personable and [fellowGoTdirector] David Nutter is lovely as well.
Its been great seeing her again.
The last parting shot with Arya and The Hound is lovely.
She calls him Sandor for the first time in the whole 7, 8 years.
Its a lovely moment.
And the parting moment with Sansa was lovely too.
For Cleganebowl, you had figured this fight would happen.Im dead.
It would have been nice to keep living and go on a road trip and do a spin-off.
But Im absolutely delighted.
Im blessed to be given this storyline.
The Hound seems to get some great one liners.
You could have a T-shirt factory with just the one-liners Ive been given.
Ill be glad to be out of a job where Im in hours of makeup.
Im always on set first.
Ill bring my own caravan next time.
Im due for an upgrade.
Its a massive fight.
I think its going to take three days to film it.
Hes going to be throwing me.
Its a glorious death.
Hes laughing at it.
The Hound can see that [The Mountain] cant be killed by sticking a dagger in his eye.
He has to be burnt.
Of all the things Cleagane has to do, he has to go into the fire.
But his pain is over.
Its so right for his storyline.Maybe he could have found peace and wandered off.
But this is a fine way to go.
It seems pretty beautiful to me.
I see panic in some [fellow castmates] eyes: What are we going to do now?
Were on the map now.
Youll always have this.
Ive certainly not wanted to do a job when its close to time to shootThronesagain.
Ive been pretty unavailable the last six or seven years.
Im very protective of that.
So why have you kept to yourself so much?Its an ongoing thing.
I make myself lonely before every season, purely because Im going ontoThrones.
I dont want contact with anyone before starting the job.
Before that I was the weirdo who was going back to my room or in the gym.
And Im so like that home.
Im very close to being The Hound.
Im not used to human touch.
Im a bit of a recluse.
Now Ive made some friends.
Ive started to relax.
Ive learned a lot.
Its been a hell of an education.
All wood, 45 years old.
Gorgeous thing with a peat fire inside it.
Id like to go away for a couple years.
Maybe Im meant to take a nice job after this.
You live a pretty rustic life.Im a sailor and spent all my years trying to do up boats.
Now Im thinking of finishing my last few scenes sand sailing off into the sunset.
Where are you going to go?Thats my fing business.
That should be the end of this story.
Its a perfect final quote for McCann and/or The Hound.
But theres a final bit.
McCann thinks being around his castmates all these years has changed him, opened him up more.
But hes not the only one whos changed.
Before I was like, Wow, thats crazy.
Now Im like, Oh, I just bought a piece of land next to the sea too.
I realized hes really shaped me quite a lot as a person.
Ive realized his way of life does seem really appealing and Ive learned a lot from him.
I respect his friendship and loved working with him this year.
