Rory McCann played one of the most memorable characters in Game of Thrones: Sandor Clegane, a.k.a. The Hound. Fans will surely recall the significant changes that The Hound underwent throughout the show, but it may surprise them to discover that McCann, the actor himself, also went through quite a transformation in the years prior to his casting. In fact, his look was so different, some fans were taken aback by his old photos.
It turns out that McCann used to be a commercial model in Britain before he starred in Game of Thrones. He was featured in several local product adverts back in the day, including one famous advert for a brand of oatmeal called Scott's Porage Oats.
The advert, which was published in 1998, recently resurfaced on social media, and fans were caught off-guard by how different he looked back then. In the photo, the young McCann is shown to be all smiles, clean-shaven, and with smoldering eyes, which is a rather stark difference from his appearance in Game of Thrones​​​​​​. The Sun even referred to him as 'hunky' and 'unrecognizable,' which are fitting descriptors.
McCann, who is now 52, would have been in his 20s during that television campaign. He would later go on to star in other works, including one major comedy television drama called The Book Group. In that series, he took on a role of a disabled personal trainer, and he ended up taking home the Scottish BAFTA for best TV performance. He also starred in other TV shows including State of Play, Peter in Paradise, and the British version of Shameless. Of course, Game of Thrones was undeniably his claim-to-fame project.
With the House of the Dragon set to release sometime this year, many fans have been wondering whether McCann's Clegane or any of the other beloved Game ofThrones characters will be returning to the franchise. Well, given that the House of the Dragon will take place well before the events of Game ofThrones, that is highly unlikely to happen. For now, you can catch McCann in The Irregulars, where he makes a short appearance as The Bird Master, as well as in Jumanji: The Next Level, where he plays Jurgen the Brutal.
Game of Thrones is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: The Sun