'GoT' Star On His Sexuality: "No One Asked!"

This Game of Thrones star feels weird about headlines that announce someone has "come out" because he, himself, was never really "in". Actor Kristian Nairn opened up about his sexuality to the blog Winter Is Coming on Tuesday. The Irish actor, who's known for his role as Hodor on the popular HBO series, told the blog that he's never hidden his sexuality from anyone in his life and that it's only taken him so long to share it publicly because no one ever asked.

But that's not for lack of trying — Nairn admits that he's even attempted to steer interview questions toward his sexuality so that he could be open about it. He told Winter Is Coming:

I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview, cos it’s not something you just blurt out. I’ve tried to lead the questions a few times, to no avail!

Nairn also acknowledged that he's well aware of how popular he and his character are in the gay community, specifically with those who identify as "bears." The actor went on to say, "when you talk about the gay community, you are talking about MY community," before stating that he feels privileged to receive such high recognition. Nairn also told the blog that it's all "really lovely," including the extensive fan mail he receives from this particular group of fans.

Nairn also opened up about how his sexuality has had no effect on his work on GoT — he's never had an issue with anyone on set in regard to his personal life. And that includes the parents of the children he regularly appears on screen with. Nairn said:

I would love to see the children in question on the show react to [someone telling them] that. That’s so not even been an issue. The families and kids on the show are so switched on to reality, to “old ways” aren’t an issue.

Regardless of how accepting the GoT cast and crew have been, he still feels it's important that his sexuality be acknowledged.

I had an upbringing to respect other people’s privacy, and their right to be and choose what they want, and I expect, no, demand no less for myself. It’s a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted. I have and always will stand my ground.

Nairn has since seen an outpouring of support from fans on Twitter, who are calling him brave for discussing his sexuality with the media. He responded to one such fan with a laugh, though:

You rock, Hodor!