Ed Sheeran admits his Game Of Thrones cameo was ‘jarring’ as he reflects on huge fan backlash and claims ‘I just get s**t on for things a lot in my career’

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Ed Sheeran has spoken about the negative reaction to his appearance on Game of Thrones, acknowledging that it caused some upset among viewers.

The 35-year-old singer-songwriter had a small role in season seven of the show. He played a Lannister soldier who led a singalong around a campfire while Arya Stark was traveling to King’s Landing to assassinate Cersei.

The popular musician performed a song called “Hands of Gold” for the army, but viewers largely disliked it, saying it clashed with the atmosphere of the show and pulled them out of the story.

I was listening to Ed on Benny Blanco’s podcast, ‘Friends Keep Secrets,’ and he admitted something I found really interesting. He basically said he thinks he caused some trouble – or ‘ruffled some feathers,’ as he put it – while working on ‘Game of Thrones.’ It’s cool to hear him acknowledge that!

The singer, known for ‘Give Me Love,’ explained that he stood by his decision to take the part, saying anyone in his position would have eagerly accepted such a prominent role in the popular HBO series.

The show is also famous for featuring guest appearances by well-known figures, such as Will Champion from Coldplay, the bands Of Monsters and Men and Sigur Rós, actor Rob McElhenney, and singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

He explained that everyone loves the show, and that anyone offered a role immediately accepts. He confirmed he said yes when asked to participate and really enjoyed the experience.

Ed mentioned that several musicians made cameo appearances in the scene. He said members of Coldplay and Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol were present, and Chris Stapleton played a White Walker. He added that they filmed the scene multiple times.

He believes his cameo annoyed fans because it happened when he was already everywhere. He’d just released his most successful album, Divide, which included the hugely popular song “Shape of You” – the first track to reach 2 billion streams on Spotify.

He admitted that he felt like he was all over the place back then, and that experience was quite shocking for him.

Someone asked me if I faced any criticism for taking on the role, and honestly, I did – a lot of it! But you know, it’s kind of become par for the course in my career. I’m used to getting flak for my choices, and I just try to ignore it.

Much of it happened during the year of the ‘Divide’ album, and I believe that’s because I was constantly visible and involved in everything.

Ed was invited onto the popular fantasy series by its creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as a special surprise for Maisie Williams, who played Arya. They revealed they had wanted the singer to appear on the show for a long time.

He first gained acting experience in 2015 with the series The Bastard Executioner, and had earlier appeared in popular Australian and New Zealand shows like Home and Away and Shortland Street. He also had a role in the film Bridget Jones’ Baby.

I remember filming my Game of Thrones scene back in November 2016, and honestly, at the time it was a blast! But looking back, I shared on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast that the way people reacted to it actually kind of dampened my initial excitement. It’s a reminder that even great experiences can be complicated by external reactions, you know?

Kristian Nairn, the actor who played Hodor, also publicly expressed his disapproval with how things turned out.

He told HuffPost in 2018 that he disliked the cameo appearances in Game of Thrones, calling them ‘stupid’ and stating he was happy to say so publicly.

It just completely pulls you out of the story. I felt that way especially with Ed Sheeran’s appearance. I remember thinking, “What is Ed Sheeran doing in Game of Thrones?” He’s a fantastic artist and person, but it felt really out of place to see him there.

Earlier reports suggested Ed left Twitter due to online harassment, but he refuted those claims, stating he’d intended to leave anyway and calling his brief return a resounding success.

After experiencing a strong reaction to his appearances, the Grammy-winning artist stated in 2021 that he’s become more cautious about accepting roles in films and television shows.

Appearing in ‘Game of Thrones’ was a complicated experience. While some people were annoyed by his cameo, he always enjoys hearing what fans think of it. He shared this on Absolute Radio, explaining that he’s curious to hear their reactions whenever someone recognizes him from the show.

Most people would have accepted the offer. As a fan of the series, I was excited to join the cast. I didn’t anticipate the negative reaction, but it’s made me think twice before agreeing to any future guest appearances.

Ed Sheeran, known for his hit song “Thinking Out Loud,” has remained active in film, appearing in several major movies like Yesterday, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Red Notice, Sumotherhood, and recently, Zootopia 2.

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2026-03-12 17:05