Actor Kristian Nairn, known to audiences for his role as Hodor in "Game of Thrones," has released a memoir that reveals details about the series' filming and aspects of his personal life.
However, one detail may particularly pique the interest of gamers — as Nairn mentions in the book that World of Warcraft helped him overcome a "near-fatal" drug addiction.
"I snorted so much coke that when I lifted my head off the pillow, usually at noon, it felt like it was still stuck in my sinuses."
Nairn, also known as a DJ, admits to using amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, and codeine to help him endure all-night sets. Concurrently, he consumed a lot of alcohol and energy drinks — one night his intake reached 30 cans of Red Bull alongside numerous vodka cocktails.
Eventually, Nairn moved to a bungalow at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Ireland, where he played World of Warcraft day and night while "detoxing" from drugs and receiving a "dopamine fix" from the gaming experience. In the book, he notes that he typically chooses non-human characters in WoW:
"Who the hell wants to log in and look like an accountant?"
In an interview with Polygon, Nairn elaborated on his gaming preferences:
"I’m a collector and a completer. In Warcraft, you can change your attire to look however you want — that's what I really love. I'm too tense and terrible at PvP, and I almost got into a fight with a friend; we would just kill each other. But this game captivates me. It's what I strive for — to get everything I want in the game. I think I do that in real life too."
Overall, Nairn appreciates the well-crafted world and characters, despite the complexity of some expansions:
"As someone who has worked with scripts, I know how hard it is to repeat, how tough it is to merge stories as you keep expanding. But some of these characters are written as well as Tolkien's characters."
Among his favorite characters, Nairn cites Tyrion Lannister and Sylvanas Windrunner (despite her "downfall" in recent expansions):
"Some strange decisions were made, but I still love her."
Nairn added that he always takes a small gaming laptop and a Nostromo gaming keyboard with him on tour.
"I love my job, don't get me wrong, but it gets lonely. And Warcraft helps with that, you know? Because not only am I playing the game, but my friends are too; I can talk to them. You jump on Discord, and suddenly you’re home."
The actor mentioned that he has been a gamer his whole life, playing since the days of Atari computers.
"I had an Atari, then we moved to the Atari ST and Amiga, and then to consoles. I've been through it all. If I had kept all my consoles, my house would look like a gaming museum."
From other games, Nairn highlights Jet Set Radio Future, the first Gran Turismo, Street Fighter 2, and Pac-Man, which his mother got hooked on.
"My mom was so addicted to that game that I had to give up my computer; I couldn't get her out of my bedroom. I'd say, 'Stop playing. I want to play. My friends are here!'
Source: Polygon
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