Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, better known as Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane on HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” took time away from Westeros to step into the sought-after role of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel.
In a new campaign for its “Double Crispy Colonel Sandwich” which is exactly as it sounds (two crispy chicken patties), KFC enlisted Björnsson as its special “Double Colonel.”
But wait, if the colonel is supposed to be from Kentucky, then how does Björnsson explain his Icelandic accent (besides this being a totally made-up character?) Well, KFC has the receipts. You see, the Double Colonel left his native Kentucky as a child and went to Iceland (as all kids do) “to train, to become more — twice more.”
In the video, which you can watch above, Björnsson pulls a “world record” amount of Double Crispy Colonel Sandwiches across the room. Before his “Game of Thrones” fame, Björnsson was known as a professional strongman – he currently holds the title for “World’s Strongest Man.” He is the first to have ever won the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man and World’s Strongest Man in the same calendar year.
But have no fear Jason Alexander, who currently plays the normal-sized Colonel. A spokesperson for KFC tells TheWrap that Björnsson will be used only for this specific campaign.