(SPOILER ALERT – Please don’t read further if you haven’t watched episode 9 of season 6 of Game of Thrones)
This Monday we witnessed one of the most gruesome battles in Game of Thrones history. The battle of the bastards had lots of action, drama, VFX and a lot of hard work went into making that episode.
Starks finally regained Winterfell but in the process many characters died. The most mourned death is of the giant Wun Wun and mind you Rickon Stark also died in this very episode. Wun Wun was instrumental in helping Jon Snow get Winterfell again, he literally smashed the big gates, finished his job and sacrificed his life.
But do you know how they created the giant on screen? First thing you should know is that the actor who is playing Wun Wun is no less than a giant. He is a Welsh actor, stuntman and former professional basketball player.
Ian Whyte is actually 7 feet and 1 inch tall!
Wun Wun was created by the perfect amalgamation of costumes & computer graphics.
“We made a huge foam suit which he fits into and then the costume department wrapped him with animal pelts, all kinds of bones and things. He had quite an extensive silicone rubber prosthetic makeup on his head.” said Prosthetics supervisor Barrie Gower
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And rest of the magic was created via green screen
Before joining the show business Whyte used to be a basketball player for the Newcastle Eagles!
The actor-stuntman also had roles in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Alien vs. Predator, Prometheus and few other films
Confused where you saw him in Harry Potter? He was playing a stuntman for Madame Oylmpe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. So, technically Wun Wun was not the first time he was playing a giant.