'Game of Thrones': Kristofer Hivju Ships Tormund and Brienne, Too!
Of all the unexpected plot twists to crop up on the sixth season of Game of Thrones, the most surprising — and delightful — has to be the burgeoning romance between stoic knight Brienne of Tarth and lusty wildling Tormund Giantsbane. Since they first laid eyes on each other in the season’s fourth episode, ‘ship-happy social media has anointed them the show’s One True Pairing. Just type in #briemund or #torrienne to Twitter and Instagram and you’ll be rewarded with all manner of elaborate tributes to their love.
Related: Catch Up on ‘Game of Thrones’ With Our Recaps
And nobody’s happier about the fans’ embrace of Brienne and Tormund than Kristofer Hivju, the red-bearded Norwegian actor who plays the hirsute Lloyd Dobler to Gwendoline Christie’s commanding Diane Court in this medieval version of Say Anything. “It’s been unexpected and very funny,” Hivju told us recently. “In all that darkness, when you give the fans some light, they take it to their breasts.”
Say Anything to her Tormund……. anything…. #Briemund #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/cydjKundyk
— Liisa Lee (@Liisabelle) May 25, 2016
And it turns out that Hivju is as avid a consumer of fan art as the rest of us; in fact, he recently joined Instagram specifically to see all the artwork viewers are producing. “Gwendoline and I have been sending each other the coolest pictures we’ve found online. There are so many cool caricatures and drawings out there right now.” One of his personal favorites is a Love Actually inspired image that’s been making the rounds:
Best ship ever, again. #GameofThrones #ilTronodiSpade #Torrienne #Briemund #GoTSeason6 @lovegwendoline pic.twitter.com/stNglsKp8B
— Sansa ‘na Jorah (@heiswicked) May 31, 2016
“That was a good one,” he says, laughing. “It’s been a lot of fun. Gwendoline is an amazing actress and so filled with light; we enjoyed playing that relationship.” Here’s a round-up of some of the best #briemund/#torrienne tributes online right now.
Talk about your fine art:
T
ormund loves Brienne ????#Torrienne pic.twitter.com/sfGvudCiH3— Blanche Bañez (@TheThirdIdiot) May 26, 2016
It’s an Internet trifecta — three memes in one GIF!
Haha. @GameOfThrones #Torrienne pic.twitter.com/bZZFQHcvYg
— Liz Cantu (@Love_Bake_Live) May 25, 2016
Forget Love Actually; for children of the ‘90s, Ghost is still the most:
Here for this #briemund #torrienne pic.twitter.com/uICwEoZLgg
— bby girl (@Scarlarella) May 23, 2016
And speaking of ‘90s tributes…
Here’s what the lovers look like out of costume (and beard):
Couple of the month #GameofThrones #Briemund pic.twitter.com/ZeHPV4NxSh
— Cirdan™ (@Horrorcirdan) June 2, 2016
Presenting the 50 Shades sequel we all really want to see:
Fifty Shades of #Tarthbane. (Revised for me mate, Tormund.) #Briemund #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/NI6ADcdzna
— Ygritte (@YgritteTheWild) June 1, 2016
This looks like the cover illustration for the world’s best Valentine’s card:
Brienne and Tormund are too cute ❤ #GameOfThrones #Briemundhttps://t.co/YwxU7pjgeu pic.twitter.com/LLknwzHGnf
— Чувственный ворчун (@kirstein_96) May 29, 2016
If the corset fits:
#gameofthrones #torrienne by foxxkatt pic.twitter.com/txyj6TORhp
— JonSnowyy (@jonsnowyy) May 20, 2016
Their cuteness makes our hearts bleed:
@lovegwendoline I don’t ship anything…except this. So I scribbled it. Xoxo???? #briemund #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/BR04lyDKik
— Amanda Rachels (@AmandaRachels) May 27, 2016
Brienne’s our top pick for Queen of the World:
Next time on #GameofThrones #Briemund pic.twitter.com/nlgWXXxVVy
— The Pixel Factor (@ThePixelFactor) May 17, 2016
Cue up “Like a Virgin”… now:
I’ve never felt this desire, this…hunger before. #Tarthbane #Briemund pic.twitter.com/buQwbcVGQz
— 50 Shades of Thrones (@50ShadesGoT) May 26, 2016
Check out Westeros’s top dating app:
Brienne of Swiping Right. #Briemund needs to happen!#GameofThrones #GoTAtlantic pic.twitter.com/iHomAwBJYj
— Sky Atlantic (@skyatlantic) May 26, 2016
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.