Kings in the North
When Ross Mulhall and his family welcomed two Northern Inuit cubs into their home, they had no idea they would become an international success, starring in one of TV’s most popular series, Game of Thrones®. Here, Ross speaks to Clodagh Dooley about Odin a
Clodagh Dooley speaks to Ross Mulhall, owner of Northern Inuit’s Odin and Thor, who starred as the direwolves in Game of Thrones®
“Myself and my brothers, Caelan and William, always wanted a dog when we were younger and our friend’s aunt owned a Northern Inuit which we loved,” says Ross. “The dog had pups and we went with our dad, William, to go and buy one but ended up buying two – Odin and Thor!”
As this breed of dog is rare, Ross explains they must be registered through the Northern Inuit Society online. When Game of Thrones® first came to Ireland, producers started a search for the breed and through the online society, they spotted Odin and Thor.
“Anytime that a TV show uses wolves, they use Northern Inuits because they are highly intelligent, easy to train and wolf-like in their appearance,” says Ross. “When ‘GoT’ producers saw we had this breed, they rang us asking if they could check them out, adding it was for a new TV show filmed in Belfast about swords and shields. We didn’t know how big the show would get at this stage, but as soon as we heard this, we invited them to our house!”
Casting call
The ‘GoT’ dog trainer visited the Mulhalls, who live in the beautiful coastal village of Ardglass in Co Down, and Odin and Thor were instantly cast.
“She tried to train the dogs at our house but because we only had them a few weeks, it was quite difficult as we kept playing with them,” laughs Ross. “So, the trainer asked if she could take them to the ‘GoT’ studios and her own apartment in Belfast, which we agreed to.
“We were able to visit them anytime we wanted and when we did, we saw all the other Northern Intuits that were being trained too.
“Odin and Thor were in season one as Robb Stark and Bran Stark’s direwolves, Summer and Grey Wind. In other seasons, the show started using CGI (computer-generated imagery) to make the direwolves look bigger.”
And, while Odin and Thor may have finished filming with ‘GoT’ after season one, the rest of the family were just getting started!
“My dad was cast as the Dothraki slave master in season one because he had long hair and the big beard,” Ross tells me. “Then, just as filming started for season five, myself, my family and some friends had finished building a boat called a skiff. After sharing photos of it online, producers of ‘GoT’ were in touch with us again, without realising they had already cast our dogs and dad, William, in season one!”
“We thought it was great because the show was after getting huge,” Ross tells me. “So, we took the boat up and they painted it to make it look more authentic. They needed someone to operate the boat and teach the actors and extras how to get in and out of it safely.
“I was later cast as a marine stuntman so I became a part of the cast and crew. I was actually steering the boat in the episode ‘Lord of Bones’, where the White Walkers attack the Wildling village, and Jon and Tormund fight them off before jumping in my boat to escape.
“I got to hang out with the likes of Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, and Kristofer Hivju, who plays Tormund, during takes and at breakfast! My brothers were also in the ‘Battle of the Bastards’ episode and we were White Walkers in the last two episodes of the latest season [season 7]. We’re also booked in for the new season.”
Hounded by fans
However, Ross says that their parts in ‘GoT’ have not overshadowed Odin and Thor’s - this is only the beginning of the direwolves superstardom. Soon after season one was finished, Ross and his family began getting requests from people across Ireland and worldwide to meet the two dogs, and so they started up Direwolf Tours (www.direwolftours.com).
“They meet hundreds of people everyday!” says Ross. “The bus collects all visitors near Belfast and takes them to many of the show’s locations such as Tullymore Forest – where the direwolf pups were found and where the White Walkers were first spotted.
“Then, after lunch you meet the direwolves, dress up in cloaks and have your picture taken with them. We also visit Castle Ward, the original Winterfell. All of our guides have been extras in the show so they can give a first-hand experience of what it’s like to be on set. This way, people can feel closer to the show.”
And on that note, I’m off to watch the Game of Thrones® episodes from season one again. Although, visiting the sets in Northern Ireland, and Odin and Thor, sounds like a better way to fill in time before the new series starts!