Game of Thrones Director Defends Ed Sheeran’s Cameo: ‘He’s a Lovely Actor and a Lovely Person’

Pop star and Lannister soldier Ed Sheeran. Photo: HBO

Though Ed Sheeran appeared for only a fleeting moment during Game of Thrones’ season-seven premiere, the cameo was not appreciated by everybody — and many thought the singer quit Twitter because of the backlash (Sheeran denies that was the reason). But at least his performance had one rave review — from the episode’s director, Jeremy Podeswa. “I think Ed did a lovely job — he’s a lovely actor and a lovely person,” Podeswa told Newsweek. “He was appropriate for the part because he needed to sing. If people didn’t know who Ed was, they wouldn’t have thought about it twice.”

In past seasons, Westeros has been visited by several other bards from our boring non-magical real world, including members of Snow Patrol, Sigur Rós, and Coldplay. These quick scenes, however, did not seem to inspire the same sort of ire and scorn directed at the heavily tattooed singer. Podeswa blamed watchers for fixating too much on Sheeran’s status as a pop superstar. “The hoo-ha seems to be from things that are outside of the world of the show,” Podeswa said. “In the world of the show he did a lovely job, and he looks like he belongs in that world.”