Hafthor Björnsson. Too cool a guy for you not to know about.

Hafthor Björnsson is an actor of the popular TV series Game of Thrones, a strongman, “Europe’s Strongest Man” and “The Strongest Viking on the Planet”. The other day Hafthor arrived in Moscow to visit the V International Festival of Sport and Healthy Lifestyle SN Pro 2017. Before signing autographs and taking pictures with his many fans, the actor talked to journalists. During the dialog with the press, the famous athlete and actor had time to show a photo of his daughter, lift two girls in his arms and, of course, answer questions both about filming in the famous series and about the professional career of the athlete.

The regime of the strongest man on the planet

– Hafthor, please tell us about your daily routine. How many hours a day do you train?
– Let me tell you how it is when I am at home in Iceland. I get up around 7 o’clock and start with active recovery – cardio training. At 8 o’clock – breakfast, then I sit down at the computer. I work all day. I eat every two and a half hours, that determines my schedule. At two o’clock I have my next workout, it lasts about an hour and a half. There may be more meetings or workouts throughout the day. I am careful about my health as I am a professional athlete. That is why I go to the bath in the evening.

– Have you ever been invited to a bathhouse in Russia?
– Not yet, I have heard about Russian baths, but not yet.

– How did you manage to keep your diet during filming?
– You can get carried away while filming, there’s a lot going on. I have to set an alarm clock that rings every two hours and reminds me to eat. I can’t afford to deviate from my diet. At my weight of 180 pounds, if I don’t eat I lose weight, if I start losing weight I lose strength. I have helpers, but watching my diet is my responsibility.

– Do you smoke or drink?
– I don’t smoke. A couple times a year I can afford a few glasses of red wine. I have a vodka business, I’ve tried it. It helps you sleep very well, a few drinks and you fall asleep like a child.

– What motivates you during training?
– I have a plan to increase my working weights every week. That’s how I gradually raise my working weight. For example, this week I have light workouts. Yesterday I did the deadlift – 350 kilograms, five wastes for five reps. This week is easy, next week will be harder. But it will all depend on how I’m feeling, what’s going on in my life. There is no key to success, you need a certain balance, equilibrium. Sometimes it’s important to just do your job.

– You are quite tall and pumped up, it probably makes you uncomfortable. How difficult is it for you and would you like to be smaller?
– No, I like my size, I like being tall. It was already hard to find shoes and clothes when I was young. That might be a problem, but I like who I am today. I chose this path on my own, I chose to be huge. But you’re right in that everything is easier when you’re normal sized. Maybe in the future, I’ll need to lose weight to stay healthy. Because when you’re big and heavy, you can’t always fit anywhere. For example, I have a big truck at home, but I still feel cramped in it. But that’s life.

– What kind of music do you like? For training and in your free time?
– I train to heavy metal, but I listen to everything.

I’ve broken a few world records and I’m proud of it. In 2015 in Norway I managed to break a record that had stood for 1000 years.

– Are you more of an athlete or an actor?
– I started my career as an athlete, I’ve been an athlete all my life. So first and foremost I am an athlete and then an actor. My acting career is not that long, I started on Game of Thrones and that wasn’t that long ago actually. But I enjoy both sports and acting.

– You do a lot of competitive acting. What title or achievement in sports are you most proud of?
– Yes, I have broken several world records and I am proud of that. In 2015 in Norway, I managed to break a record that had stood for 1000 years. A wooden log weighed over 750 kilograms, I lifted it on my shoulders and took five steps with it. My predecessor took three steps and his back broke, unfortunately he passed away. I managed to take five steps and my back is fine.

– Have you had any challenging injuries in your career?
– Yes, I have. Everybody gets hurt throughout their career. I had a quadriceps injury before the World Championships, but I didn’t tell anyone about it. I’ve had challenges, but I’m not proud of it and I don’t brag about it. I got injured two and a half weeks before the competition. We had a squat assignment in the finals and I didn’t perform well because of the injury, but I didn’t tell anyone about it.

About participating in the series “Game of Thrones”.

– Do you have difficulties combining your career as an actor and a professional athlete?
– Sometimes it’s very difficult because filming the “Game of Thrones” series takes 12 hours a day. The day can be very long sometimes. I have to ensure my diet, i.e. I have to keep my diet and train, so I have to train after filming. After such a long day, of course, it’s hard to find the motivation to go and train. I have a specific goal – I want to be the best in the sport. That’s the reason why I can’t relax and go to training every day.

– Describe your emotions when you were offered a role in Game of Thrones.
– I didn’t believe it at all, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. When they sent me a message in the mail, I didn’t even respond to it. It was just unbelievable because I was an athlete and a fan of the show. When I realized it was actually happening, I was very nervous. I thought starring in the most popular TV series in the world was too good to be true. I had no acting experience at the time, so I was very nervous. Emotions were running high.

– What do you have in common with your character from Game of Thrones?
– We’re strong, we’re very tall, we both have complex personalities. That’s all we have in common.

– What was your most memorable scene while filming Game of Thrones?
– Definitely the most memorable moment while filming is a battle I had in season 4 of the show.

I have a specific goal – I want to be the best in the sport. That’s the reason why I can’t relax and I go to practice every day.

– What is your favorite character on “Game of Thrones” and who do you think is worthy of the throne?
– That’s an easy question: Cersei and Cersei.

– Do you continue to practice swordsmanship?
– Yes, I continue to do the series, so I will have to use a sword in the future. I will be practicing more in ball fencing.

– Tell us what other projects would you like to be involved in?
– My schedule is set for the rest of the year. 2018 is also scheduled, including filming in Game of Thrones. I’d like to star in one more movie in 2018, but I’m not ready to announce the title yet.

Reasoning about Russia

– Which Russian powerlifters can you single out?
– I worked out yesterday with your champion and record holder in bench press Kirill Sarychev. You have a lot of great athletes, such as Mikhail Koklyaev.

– Do you watch movies? Maybe you have watched some Russian movie?
– I’m on the road all the time, so I don’t have time for movies. I like TV series more because you can watch them before you fall asleep. I’m a big fan of “The Sopranos,” I’m watching it now. And, of course, Vikings.

– Tell me, did you receive any offers to shoot from Russia and did you agree to shoot here?
– No, I haven’t received any offers to shoot in Russia, but I would love to do it. I really like the country and the people.

– What did you have time to visit in Moscow?
– Yesterday I had time to see the Kremlin and Red Square. It was very nice to walk around, but that’s all for now.

– What impressed you in Russia?
– I love Russia, I think it is a beautiful country. It is hard to say what impressed me here, as I have not been here long enough.

– What is your impression of Russian people?
– Positive. Everyone is very polite, I will definitely come back here. I would like to have the opportunity to come here again and stay for a few weeks!