'Game of Thrones': Kristofer Hivju Ships Tormund and Brienne, Too!

Ethan Alter
·Senior Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
(Credit: HBO)
(Credit: HBO)

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.”

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:

“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:

It’s an Internet trifecta — three memes in one GIF!

Forget Love Actually; for children of the ‘90s, Ghost is still the most:

And speaking of ‘90s tributes…

Here’s what the lovers look like out of costume (and beard):

Presenting the 50 Shades sequel we all really want to see:

This looks like the cover illustration for the world’s best Valentine’s card:

If the corset fits:

Their cuteness makes our hearts bleed:

Brienne’s our top pick for Queen of the World:

Cue up “Like a Virgin”… now:

Check out Westeros’s top dating app:


Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.