8 Little Known Facts About The Mountain On 'Game Of Thrones'

Meet The Mountain

In the "Game of Thrones," you either win or you're recast.

Last night's episode of the hit HBO show had death, pervy pick-up lines and a huge -- literally -- casting change. The man hacking up prisoners and generally towering over everyone else in King's Landing is Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson, the newest actor to take on the role of Gregor Clegane, known to "GoT" fans as simply the Mountain. The character has seen plenty of shuffling over four seasons as Björnsson is now the third man to don the King's Guard uniform and do Tywin Lannister's dirty work, following the departures of Ian Whyte and Conan Stevens.

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And while both Stevens and Whyte perfectly played the king's brutish right-hand man, Björnsson resume proves he's the best choice to embody one of the most feared men in Westeros. Here are eight facts about the man known throughout the Seven Kingdoms as "the Mountain."

  1. Björnsson is 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 403 pounds, making him one of the show's largest cast members.
  2. After injuring his knee in basketball, Björnsson started competing in strongman competitions. He's won Iceland's Strongest Man competition and came in sixth in the 2011 World's Strongest Man contest.
  3. He could've been playing football for the Indianapolis Colts if owner Jim Irsay had his way.
  4. To keep that mountainous physique, he eats over 10,000 calories a day.
  5. His favorite character on the show is Cersei Lannister (go figure).
  6. He can bench press 507 pounds. That's the size of a full-grown grizzly bear.
  7. During his "GoT" audition, Björnsson said he nabbed the role after lifting a man in front of the casting team.
  8. The Great Sword Björnsson handles on the show is the size of a human being, but we doubt he has any problem swinging it.

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

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