Category: Uncategorized

SOURCE: Daily Record
AUTHOR: Steve Hendry
DATE: 08 July 2017
ORIGINAL: Click here
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NOTE: The story he tells of how he got into acting is about The Book Group, not Ratcatcher. He had a little bit part in the latter and no director is going to write a script specially for an actor in a little bit part. But we know Annie Griffin did write a script for him and he did take her climbing before that. I don’t know how Daily Record managed to fuck this up. Ratcatcher was his first mainstream acting job, at least according to IMDB, sure. But I don’t think he was credited in that role, and he wasn’t credited in several others until The Book Group came along.

Also, I think this is what that other story was referring to when it said he was “tired” of being in GOT and was swearing at fans. Assholes. But I can’t say for sure.

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The Glaswegian actor reveals he stays true to his character by telling fans to “f*** off” when they shout after him in the street.

Throughout his time on Game of Thrones, Scots star Rory McCann has picked up several injuries – but the worst was from throwing snowballs.

Storylines for the seventh series, which starts on July 17 on Sky Atlantic, are being closely guarded.

But the rumour mill about the Glaswegian’s character The Hound has gone into overdrive – with one claim that he captures a White Walker and another that he will fight his burnt brother “The Mountain”.

If they’re true, there’s plenty of scope for rough and tumble for the imposing Scotsman. The 48-year-old laughed: “I’ve been limping for two or three months to be honest.

“But the main injury was my shoulder over-stretching throwing too many snowballs in between takes in Iceland and I’m not getting any sympathy for that.”

The 6ft 6in giant – who became famous for the Scott’s Porage Oats adverts dressed in a vest and kilt – has to be careful when he is taking on physical challenges after he was almost killed in a rock climbing accident in 1990.

But he always seems to hurt or break something during filming of Game of Thrones.

He said: “I used to solo rock climb, which I don’t recommend because when you find out you can’t do the climb … yeah it didn’t work out but I’m still alive.

“I mean, I have a few bumps. I’m in plaster nearly every year. I’m a bit like that.”

Rory is one of the best-known characters in the hit TV show.

His character Sandor “The Hound” Clegane became a firm favourite with fans after his journey with Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) in the fourth series in 2014.

While he ended up being left for dead at the end of that series, he appeared again in series six.

It means Rory is internationally recognised – even though half his face is badly disfigured in the show.

He said: “I’m tall, I get recognised all over the place so I just try and keep my head down.

“I mean you just get people shouting out, ‘Hey you’re the Hound’ and I tell them to ‘f*** off’ and they seem happy and I carry on.”

To escape being hounded, the Hound spends much of his free time on a boat and, this year, was sailing around the west coast of Scotland – where he’s noticed similarities to the names of places in the show.

He said: “I sail a lot in Wester Ross.

“George (writer George R.R. Martin) is a big fan of Scotland and he’s picked up a lot of Scottish names. (Most of the action in Game of Thrones takes place in Westeros.)

“I could see me having a place there actually. There was an island for sale there but it was a bit too much money.”

The Hound’s scenes this year include lots of snow – which is something he loves, even though he shouldn’t be throwing snowballs.

Rory said filming in Iceland has always been his favourite because he lived there for a year, working as a carpenter after acting roles dried up.

The volcanic rock in Iceland has been used as the backdrop for scenes in the Riverlands and the Vale, for much of Arya and The Hound’s road trip and the big fight between The Hound and Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), one of Rory’s most memorable scenes.

He added: “I had a real gas doing that. I love Gwen and we had fun and ended up in my beloved Iceland so that was just a joy. It was really good fun.”

But there are certain downsides to filming in such cold climes.

He added: “It’s not very nice when you’re wearing a prosthetic head and the sweat that has been accumulating during the morning has literally frozen. There were some horrible times.”

Fortunately, there were plenty of good times, too. During filming this year, Rory, who is a
multi-instrumentalist, formed a band with other actors called The Brotherhood Without Banjos.

He said: “It was really great. We had five or six of the actors all playing. We brought musical instruments with us, yeah it was good, good fun.

“I had to sing for my supper a few times in Seville (where the show also filmed), playing piano and stuff.”

Looking ahead to the new series, Rory understands why fans can’t wait to find out how it unfolds.

But with everyone poring over the new trailer trying desperately to make sense of what is going to happen, the actor is being very careful to make sure he won’t be the one that spills the beans.

He said: “I can feel your frustration already because we can’t tell too much but I’m sore from killing things – or was it just chopping wood?”

From the trailer, there is a lot of fighting and the White Walkers – undead characters brought back to life by the Night’s King – move ever closer to The Wall.

And there are rumours that it will be The Hound who will save Westeros from the White Walkers.

“Really? Rory said. “Nah.” That’s one conspiracy theory put to the sword.

Series seven is the penultimate series – with the final run appearing on screen next year.

But there is hope of spin-off shows and Rory believes something based on The Hound would work.

But he said: “I’d like to carry on with Arya, to be honest, I had a great time working with her and that was a bit of a road trip. That was fun.”

The plotlines involving Rory’s screen character tend to be fairly dramatic, but the story of how he became an actor is arguably more incredible.

He said: “I’d never done any acting but I took a director up a mountain rock climbing one time and then started telling stories about that and she got me six months later, found me cutting down a tree in Glasgow and said, ‘I’ve written something for you.’

“And I remember thinking, ‘This sounds a load of rubbish’.

“But she convinced me to do it and that was my first job.” That was Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher in 1999.

He’s never looked back but with only two series in Game of Thrones, what does he see when he looks forward to the show’s finale?

One thing’s for sure – he doesn’t want it to fade to black like the ending of The Sopranos.

Laughing, he said: “I’ve only just got through The Sopranos and, please God, don’t make it end like that.

“I don’t know. Maybe it will end on, ‘Boom!’ Everybody dies.”

SOURCE: Daily Record
AUTHOR: Sarah Hilley
DATE: 27 April 2017
ORIGINAL: Click here
ARCHIVE: Click here
NOTE: “Swish yacht”? Bit of a drama queen there, yeah? Because I’ve seen that boat, and you have too if you’ve followed the Instagram. It’s beautiful, it’s a very nice boat, but it doesn’t have a “snobby better than you” vibe at all. It has more of a “peaceful home” vibe, I think.

Also, can Rory just fucking exist without someone tall-baiting him for five fucking minutes?

But whatever. Tabloids. Feh.

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The towering actor has become a regular at the marina-based Scotts restaurant after anchoring his wooden-masted vessel in the town’s harbour.

Game of Thrones star ‘The Hound’ has docked in Troon harbour after sailing in on his swish yacht.

Towering actor Rory McCann has adopted marina-based Scotts restaurant as a regular ‘dining room.’

Famed for appearances as a riotuous bloodthirsty killer called The Hound in hit Game of Thrones, McCann looked every inch the civilised gentleman as he made a low key entry to the restaurant wearing a cap last week.

And as the 6ft 6” giant tucked into lunch at the eatery on Friday with two other men, diners seemed oblivious to his presence.

After enjoying the Ayrshire grub overlooking the beautiful marina where he is docked, he left quietly without fanfare and headed back to his wooden-masted vessel just yards away.

And he deftly batted off a request for a photo from the Ayrshire Post after being approached by our reporter outside.

The 48-year-old bachelor has gained a reputation for keeping under the radar in the seaside town unlike his savage on-screen character who creates anarchy wherever he roams.

Scott’s restaurant manager Scott Stinson said some of the staff who were fans of the fantasy drama were left starstruck by his custom.

Scott said of McCann: “He comes in now and again as he has a boat in the marina. He pops in for breakfast and dinner. He is a very nice guy. A few of the staff watch Game of Thrones and they were like: ‘Oh My God’ when they saw him.”

The Post clocked two Japanese tourists armed with cameras who may have learned McCann’s whereabouts gazing hopefully in the direction of the marina.

McCann is known for living a quiet life sailing his immaculate wooden masted ketch around Scotland.

Twenty years ago Big Rory became well known as the face of Scott’s Porage Oats.

Like a lot of jobbing actors in Scotland he struggled to make cash and lived in rented accomodation.

But he’s been a huge hit on the Game of Thrones and it’s fair to say he is not short of a bob or two.

He has been in the show from the start and it’s now in its seventh series.

Originally from Glasgow, he seems to enjoy South Ayrshire life and was clocked partying in trendy Ayr pub the Smoking Goat last year.

Fans are eagerly anticipating the next series of the smashbox HBO hit in July.

But it doesn’t look like attention shy McCann is going to spill any spoilers on what his screen character Sandor Clegane will get up to next.

SOURCE: The Daily Record
AUTHOR: Sam Durkin
DATE: 27 June 2016
ORIGINAL: Click here
ARCHIVE: Click here
NOTE: This sighting referenced in this article.

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SCOTS actor Rory McCann is best known for killing foes on screen but more recently showed Ayrshire pub-goers he can slay on the dancefloor too.

GAME of Thrones star The Hound lived up to his wildman image when he was spotted roaring like a lion to a Beyonce hit on the dance floor of a backstreet boozer.

Better known for mercilessly slaying opponents on the smash hit TV show, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane – played by Scots actor Rory McCann – let loose to Single Ladies at a pub in Ayr after being egged on by starstruck locals.

A Game of Thrones fan was stunned to see her TV hero boogie in the Smoking Goat pub in Academy Street.

She said: “I recognised him as soon as he walked in – he’s so tall he barely fits through the door.

“He’s a really lovely guy and had some pretty good dance moves.

“He got up to all the Single Ladies and it got a few laughs from the girls.

Another local added: “He let out a few big roars, which the ladies liked – I think he was letting off some steam.”

The actor previously played the kilt-wearing hunk from the Scott’s Porage Oats adverts, and starred as dim-witted Lurch in silver screen comedy hit Hot Fuzz – a far cry from his previous job painting the Forth Road Bridge.

Six-foot-six McCann is known to shun the limelight. But when he hit the town in Ayr, where he docks his boat, he was spotted by two sharp-eyed locals who got in tow with the actor.

The trio made their way to the trendy pub where they partied until closing time and the generous Glasgow-born star slipped £200 behind the bar to keep the booze flowing.

Despite getting a grilling from fellow revellers, he refused to reveal any spoilers.

Game of Thrones fans are baying for blood after speculation The Hound might face off once again with his on-screen brother The Mountain in a much anticipated clash – dubbed the Cleganebowl.

And after his fancy footwork, The Hound is firm favourite to emerge victorious – at least among his Ayrshire fans.

SOURCE: Access Online
AUTHOR: Jolie Lash
DATE: 26 April 2014
ORIGINAL: Click here
ARCHIVE: Click here

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While traveling through Westeros in “Game of Thrones,” Rory McCann’s The Hound has found himself in an increasing number of altercations. And the Scottish actor behind the sword-wielding character gave some of the credit for the terrifying nature of those massive, heart-stopping roars he does while fighting, to visits to Britain’s capital city.

“Most of the time, we do all these roars after six months in some studio in London,” Rory told AccessHollywood.com about his impressive battle cry.

“It’s probably getting out my anger of being in London for the weekend. … I do ‘Roaaaarrrrr!’ Yeah, it’ll be — it’s the Highlander in me, must be,” he said.

It’s a pretty impressive sight to see The Hound/Sandor Clegane fighting on the show, but just as impressive in the latest season of the show (Season 4) has been watching the drama between his character and Maisie Williams’ Arya. Whether they are fighting together in an Inn, or she’s taking him to task for breaking his code, they are an engrossing pair to watch.

But while Arya was furious over The Hound’s most recent move – knocking over the man who took them in, and stealing the farmer’s silver, Rory explained how his character justified things.

“He saw them as dead. They’ve got visitors all the time; they’re gonna be killed. He’s on his own, generally. It’s a way of survival. Have to do it. He does it. It’s showing a kind of bad side, but in a way, it’s for the both of them,” Rory told Access. “I think he justified it to himself and still didn’t think of himself as a thief. It was like, ‘That is dead man’s money, so I’m taking it. Thanks for the soup.’

“I think he might have done a couple of chores just before he did that,” Rory added, jokingly. “Maybe he had a sweep around the barn and the barnyard.”

Off screen, other events from the episode — The Hound’s unique way of clearing his nose, and the way he gulped down “rabbit stew” — left the young woman who plays Arya unimpressed, according to Rory.

“Maisie came up to me after that because we did the snot, and all the eating and I was eating loads of food and I remember her just looking at me and going, ‘You’re not embarrassed? You’re not embarrassed with yourself?’ with a really serious face,” Rory laughed, recounting the comments and looks he got from Maisie. “I’m doing the – I call it the ‘shepherd’s blow,’ — and she’s going, ‘That’s disgusting. Disgusting.’ [There were] maybe 10, 15 takes, with the guy going, ‘More snot. More snot.’”

And there’s likely to be much more issues of personal hygiene and fighting as Arya and The Hound continue their Westeros road trip, hoping to get to The Vale.

“They’ve got a run-in nearly every time. Run-ins with each other as well. There’s a lot of arguing,” Rory said.

SOURCE: The Los Angeles Times via The Mercury News
AUTHOR: none given (Los Angeles Times)
DATE: 08 May 2013
ORIGINAL: Click here
ARCHIVE: Click here
NOTE: If you have ever seen that photo of Rory in the beret, scarf, and three-piece suit with vest (outfit color scheme basically greens, browns, and maroons with a black hat) and wondered where it was from, I’m pretty sure it originated here.

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GLENCOE, Scotland — The Hound is alive and well in the North. At least for now.

Rory McCann, known to fans of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” as Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, strolls into the parking lot of a popular climbers haunt in the heart of town. The large Scotsman looks every bit the rugged outdoorsman coming in from a Highland winter, dressed in layers of wool, goose down and tweed. Yet his demeanor warms when he smiles, explaining the morning’s adventure in his native Scottish brogue.

“My car won’t start. I had to park it back there on a hill so I can get it going on the roll,” he said. “I may need a push.”

Born and raised in Glasgow, McCann, 44, is home in the northern Scottish Highlands, even mooring his sailboat in a region known as Wester Ross — almost the identical name of the fictional continent, Westeros, at the center of HBO’s hit fantasy series. Yet beyond his size, a nomadic lifestyle and solitary tendencies, he doesn’t see many parallels with his fearsome character, long a fan favorite of the popular genre drama based on the writings of George R.R. Martin.

“The Hound is a tortured soul, bullied as a child and forced to be a bodyguard for someone he doesn’t like. I can’t say I relate, much,” he said. “Though it was meant to be. You know, my name McCann actually translates from ‘canis,’ or ‘canine.’ I am a hound.”

McCann’s path to bad-boy sworn shield is the stuff struggling actors envy. Broke and hitchhiking through Llanberis Pass, Wales, in 1987, he came across the “Willow” movie set and an extra casting call for two tall men to play drunks. At 6-foot-6, McCann got a spot.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t understand how serious the whole business was, and I kept laughing during takes,” he said. “I was eventually chucked off the set.”

Still, McCann was inspired by the experience, and he sought an agent in Glasgow. But acting work was hard to come by for a then-untrained actor, and he spent the next several years working as a forester, tree surgeon, bouncer and even a painter on the iconic Forth Rail Bridge.

Finally, he got a call from Scott’s Porage Oats, which was looking for an actor to portray the man on its package in a series of television commercials. McCann, a dead ringer, soon found local fame as the strapping Porage Oats man, strutting around wintry scenes in a kilt — and sometimes less — kept toasty by his porridge.

A few years later, he landed his first real break, a role in the BAFTA-nominated Scottish comedy “The Book Group.” The show was the brainchild of American filmmaker Annie Griffin, whom McCann once took climbing. While in the mountains with Griffin, he shared tales of his outdoor adventures, including the dramatic story of his near-fatal accident in 1990.

Climbing solo, he had gotten stuck on an overhanging rock face in Yorkshire, holding on until his strength gave out. He dropped more than 70 feet, breaking both ankles, an arm, a wrist and fracturing his skull. With the help of a friend who saw the fall, he lived to tell the tale.

Months after their climb, Griffin sent him a script for the newly developed show, inviting him to play the part of Kenny McLeod, a former climber who became a paraplegic in a fall.

“Reading the script, I couldn’t believe it. Those were my stories, my experiences, my fall, but with an alternate outcome,” McCann said. “Of course I took the part.”

A self-described man’s man, he chooses to live a mostly lone, transient lifestyle, a choice that allows him to fully enjoy the stunning hills, glens and lochs of the region. He says one acting job can sustain him for a year or more as he moves between his sailboat and trailer, hiking, climbing and camping wherever the mood takes him.

“This place feeds my soul,” he said, leaning forward to look up at Buachaille Etive Mor, covered in a fresh coat of January snow. “I’m blessed.”