Game of Thrones extra Andrew McClay is nominated for a BACKY Award

Backups are necessary; whether it’s the data you wish to preserve or the support you need in battle when you go Game of Thrones. We hardly recognize them because the sky of the scene is filled with all the important stars. The HBO documentary film, Game of Thrones: The Last Watch, gave us an opportunity to witness and celebrate the entire cast and crew of the show. It came out just after the final season was over, and was a fitting farewell. Andrew McClay was one of the consistent extras on Game of Thrones who featured in the documentary. He has now been nominated for Best Actor for the inaugural BACKY Awards. Read on! (Potential spoiler in the image!)

Andrew McClay became a part of Game of Thrones first in season 5, and continued to appear through the seasons 6, 7, and 8. He served as a Baratheon soldier at first and later kept appearing as a recurring Stark soldier. Anyone who has watched The Last Watch would most certainly remember him. He expressed his love for the show and described it as, “Best thing I’ve ever done.” The director of the film, Jeanie Finlay said, “I’ve found the heart of our film,” talking about Andrew. His name in the last three seasons was Aberdall Strongbeard; not the un-named soldier after all.

McClay was a part of many key moments on the show. When you see, it’s like he was there through all the madness. Considering the survival-rate in the story, it’s no easy feat.

BACKY’s will be given to artists such as background actors, stand-in’s, casting directors. They will be “honoring those who bring realism to film and television.” There are categories like Best Stand-In (separate for male & female), Best Special Ability, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Group Performance and a few more.

Andrew is up against some good competition in the Best Actor category. His fellow nominees are: Ketan Majmudar (Teacher in Blinded by the Light); Kyle Merryman (Radio Station Engineer in Dolemite Is My Name); Jason Mulcahy (Vaudeville Villain in Little Women); Phil Nardozzi (Bartender in Mindhunter). Here’s the voting link.

Besides Andrew, Game of Thrones has also got nominations for Best Background Casting (Carla Stronge) and Best TV Show for Background Acting. Here are the voting links: one & two, respectively.

You can vote once per day till January 27 @12:00 pm EST. The awards will be live on February 1, 2020 @6:00 pm EST on the Facebook page for BACKY Awards. They might not be among top news this awards season but definitely a great first step. We are rooting for Andrew McClay and Game of Thrones. How about you? Go vote for your favorites and tell us in the comments section.

Game of Thrones remains the most successful show to have ever filmed on television. It set the bar for television filming really high, with record viewership and budget. The fantasy series still holds the record for the most number of Emmy Awards won. The cast of the show has won a host of awards as well. Michelle Fairley, who played the brave Lady Catelyn Stark, won an award for her outstanding contribution to the broadcast industry.

Michelle won the coveted Brian Waddell Award at a virtual Royal Television Society Northern Ireland (RTS NI) awards ceremony hosted by Patrick Kielty. “I am so incredibly thankful and honoured to receive this award for outstanding contribution,” she said.

“I feel very lucky to have been given some fantastic opportunities throughout my career. And believe that my “outstanding contribution” really is just that; a contribution to fantastic productions and wonderful creative teams.”

She added, “We would be nothing in this industry without our collaborators. I m truly blessed to work alongside some of the best. Long may it continue.” 

Vikkie Taggart, Chairman of RTS NI praised the actress, “It is a real pleasure to celebrate the incredible talent of Michelle Fairley. She has won the hearts of audiences worldwide. In a glittering career spanning more than 30 years with her many accomplished performances.

Congratulations to all our winners and nominees this year. They represent the best of the bright talent in Northern Ireland.” 

Michelle Fairley highly impressed the Game of Thrones showrunners in the audition itself. Send in your love and admiration for the coveted actress in the comments below!

Game of Thrones is one of the most decorated series in television history. The highly acclaimed series still holds the record for the most number of Emmy Awards won till date. The show’s cast is still winning heaps of praise and awards, showcasing their amazing talent.

Indira Varma, who played the gorgeous Ellaria Sand, the mother of the Sand Snakes, added one more award to her trophy case. Varma received the Laurence Olivier Award for the year 2020. She won the Best Supporting Actress in a play prize for Present Laughter.

Gobsmacked! Thank you ??? https://t.co/CULXRgU7Tj

— Indira Varma (@indyv9) October 25, 2020

Indira’s co-star for the play, Andrew Scott, won Best Actor in a Play for his performance. Other winners at the Laurence Olivier Awards 2020 included Sir Ian McKellen, Sharon D.Clarke and Adrian Scarborough. The ceremony was streamed live on YouTube due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions.

The highly talented actress was amazing as Ellaria Sand on Game of Thrones. Indira’s fans were worried back in March when she was tested positive for COVID-19. She shared the news of her Coronavirus infection on Instagram. The actress maintained self-isolation for weeks and has fully recovered since.

Indira Varma is one of the most versatile actresses in the entertainment industry. Feel free to send your best wishes and congratulate Indira in the comments below!

Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham who played the character of Davos Seaworth in the show has won the inaugural Human Rights Award. It was an important win for the actor and something which he is going to cherish for a long time. Read on.

As per Nova, Cunningham was recently bestowed upon by the award by Syrian refugee Husam Alhraki for his campaigning work on the rights of migrants and refugees. On receiving the award Cunningham felt honored and asked Europe to do more for the refugees. He said:

“It’s an honor for me to receive this award from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, who have been working to make Ireland a freer and better country for almost half a century.
And it comes at a really important moment when Europe is literally allowing refugees to die on our borders. We need to stand up against this, to assert that Europe and Ireland we want to live in are places that offer refuge to people who need our help.”

In another interview recently, he was particularly vocal against the governments for not doing enough for this crisis. He said:

“It’s an ugly, filthy look on our government not to take care of business … we’re not doing as much as we should be doing and as much as we said we would. It’s terrible.”

Cunningham has emerged as a champion of human rights in Ireland and it is so good to see an actor stand up for a real cause.

Let us know your reactions in the comments below!