GAME OF THRONES actor Kristian Nairn has hit out at Ed Sheeran over his much-maligned cameo role on the fantasy drama series.
Sheeran's character sings a song to Maisie Williams' Arya Stark during a brief appearance on the seventh season of the show. It was not well received by fans.
Unlike many other cameos on the series, it also announced well in advance of the episode air date.
Sheeran's jarring appearance also caused something of a social media storm, with most fans viewing it as a jarring distraction from ongoing events in the series.
That sentiment was evidently shared by some members of the Game of Thrones cast if Nairn's comments are anything to go by.
Nairn, who played Hodor on the series, explained to The Huffington Post why Sheeran's appearance ranked among the worst in the show's history.
"I'm not a fan of the cameos in Game of Thrones," he said.
"I don't like them. I think it's stupid. I don't mind going on the record on that. I just think it takes you right out of the world. Especially Ed Sheeran. I was like, 'Why is Ed Sheeran here?'
"I mean, Ed Sheeran's great. He's a great guy, great musician, but why is he in Game of Thrones?"
Though Nairn was keen to stress he likes Sheeran, he added that he was "just not a fan of the cameo".
"I think most people would agree with me there. It was a big snap to reality. It's like, 'What? What?'
"It's a fantasy show. We're all caught in this amazing world and spend so much time and money and talent to create, and all of a sudden there's a pop star? What?"
Game of Thrones isn't the only time Sheeran has turned his hand to a bit of acting, with other credits including the Australian soap Home and Away along with Bridget Jones's Baby.
He also had a recurring role in the short-lived series The Bastard Executioner, which was cancelled after just 10 episodes amid poor ratings.
