Game of Thrones came back with a vengeance this week after being on hiatus for more than a year. Season 7 of the wildly popular HBO show premiered Sunday, and it was beyond what anyone expected. The numbers came back and they proved what we all knew: the world has been ready to be thrown back into the world of Westeros.
The first episode was a rollercoaster. There were secret clues, disgusting poop scenes—and a surprise cameo from one Ed Sheeran. The singer-songwriter appeared as a Lannister soldier in a scene Arya Stark rides into. Twitter users immediately tore into Sheeran, prompting him to delete his account. In an interview with Variety, Jeremy Podeswa, the director of the Season 7 opening episode, came to Sheeran's defense.
"It was lovely working with Ed," Podeswa told Variety. "He is one of the nicest guys in the world, and he really is one of the guys. He's lovely, he’s a team player, he wants to do a good job, he takes direction, he's very open."
So sweet.
"He's a big fan of the show and he was really excited to be a part of it," Podeswa continued. "I think his lovely voice was used to great effect and he just has a really nice presence. He blends into the world of the show in a nice way where if you didn't have all these associations with him and his musical career, nobody would even blink about his presence on the show."
Podeswa has a point. But unfortunately for Sheeran, we do know him, all too well. His ubiquity—on the radio and atop the Billboard charts—makes it difficult for people to warmly welcome him in yet another space. Lucky for him, the next episode of Game of Thrones is right around the corner; his appearance will be old news in no time. That is, if he's done gracing the show with his presence. If there's more to come, Sheeran might want to stay off of social media for a little while longer.
