Ed Sheeran in Westeros! The singer made a cameo on the Game of Thrones season 7 premiere on Sunday, July 16, and fans had mixed reactions. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
In the “Dragonstone” episode, the 26-year-old superstar played a Lannister soldier who sings around a campfire. “For hands of gold are always cold, but a woman’s hands are warm,” he crooned.
Arya Stark (played by Maisie Williams) rides past on a horse, and the tune catches her attention. “It’s a pretty song. I’ve never heard it before,” she says. Sheeran’s unnamed character replies, “It’s a new one.” Arya then accepts the group’s invitation to sit down and join their meal. She reveals that she’s on her way to King’s Landing to assassinate Cersei (Lena Headey).
The Grammy winner celebrated his appearance by sharing a few Instagram photos. In one pic, he looks over his shoulder while wearing his GOT costume. “Throwback to the time I was a Lannister,” he wrote. In another photo, Sheeran poses with Williams and holds up his sword.
Sheeran’s guest role has been long-awaited since creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss announced his cameo at South by Southwest festival in March. “We knew that Maisie was a big fan of Ed Sheeran and for years, we’ve been trying to get him on the show so we can surprise Maisie,” Benioff said at the time. “This year we finally did it.”
Some fans were ecstatic about Sheeran popping up in the premiere. “Arya madness. Ed Sheeran cameo. Sansa looking phenomenal, Dany finally touching Westeros. Dragons. Game of Thrones well & truly back,” one fan tweeted. And of course, it inspired a lot of jokes. “Ed Sheeran’s really looking for that castle on the hill, huh #GameofThrones,” another viewer tweeted, referencing the star’s recent hit.
Others thought his cameo wasn’t subtle enough, though. “I don’t even watch Game of Thrones but still made Ed Sheeran ruined it,” one tweeter wrote.
See more reactions below:
Ed Sheeran: literally says two lines
Me: pic.twitter.com/4sddM6r5rn
— Virginia (@jaimelsnnister) July 17, 2017
I bet Ed Sheeran’s Game of Thrones song is already #1 on Spotify
— Ryan Healey (@RAHealey) July 17, 2017
Arya: That’s a pretty song. I’ve never heard it before.
Ed Sheeran: It’s new. Buy my album ÷ on iTunes #GameOfThrones #GoTS7— Salim Stark (@SalimAlSamar) July 17, 2017
game of thrones: we’re a prestige show pls take us seriously
game of thrones: here’s arya eating a squirrel next to ed sheeran— tori (2017) (@grinchhands) July 17, 2017
Me when @edsheeran showed up in tonight’s episode.#GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/r0HIjTqzkY
— Rebecca (@nota_regularmom) July 17, 2017
https://twitter.com/D3333licious/status/886832208152899584
Ed Sheeran’s cameo on #GameOfThrones has everyone playing wordplay on his songs. ???? pic.twitter.com/368BkUsPwF
— Earning Online (@_0nline_Inc0me) July 17, 2017
Only way to justify Ed Sheeran’s #GameOfThrones cameo is for him to greet Bran with: “When your legs don’t work like they used to before…”
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) July 17, 2017
So @EdSheeran time traveled into #GameOfThrones to invent singing: “For hands of gold are always cold, but a woman’s hands are warm” pic.twitter.com/pzKddLDXen
— Brian A. Hernandez (@BAHjournalist) July 17, 2017
When I see Ed Sheeran in Game of Thrones ! #GoT #GameOfThones pic.twitter.com/eC1S3G4NLF
— Sriram Krishna (@itskrish5) July 17, 2017
This is a show with dragons and I still can’t believe that Ed Sheeran is currently on screen. #GameOfThrones
— Nivea Serrao (@NiveaSerrao) July 17, 2017
