The Olympics isn’t the first time Daniel Wiffen has been on a big stage.
The Irish swimmer, who took home the gold in the men’s 800-meter freestyle and the bronze in the 1500-meter freestyle at the Paris Games, had previously appeared as an actor on “Game of Thrones.”
Wiffen and his twin brother Nathan served as background actors in “The Red Wedding” scene, one of the celebrated series’ most iconic clip, according to BBC presenter Clare Balding.
“I didn’t really know about ‘Game of Thrones’ when I was younger,” Wiffen said, per Olympics.com. “My parents wouldn’t really let me watch it, but I guess my dad watched it all the time, and then my sister got a really good role in ‘Game of Thrones’ — she was one of the Frey daughters.
“So she came in and did her bit and then we came in for the Red Wedding, in the background – which was pretty cool.”
The scene, which occurs in the penultimate episode of the third season, “The Rains of Castamere,” documents a bloodthirsty massacre.
“Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) was there, all the main actors and they were all so nice as well, they were really nice,” the 23-year-old said.
It has been considered by many to be one of the most disturbing scenes in the fantasy drama series.
The brief stint in Thrones did not mark the end of Wiffen and his brother’s acting careers.
In fact, it opened many doors for the twins.
The two starred in the Netflix British TV series “The Frankenstein Chronicles” and several other British children’s shows.
Wiffen etched his name in history books as the first Irishman to earn an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
He edged out Team USA’s Bobby Finke — the reigning champion — in a tight-knit 800-meter freestyle final, clocking in at 7:38.19, with Finke right behind him at 7:38.75.
Shortly after, the Irish dynamo snagged the bronze in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle final, becoming Ireland’s first swimmer to win multiple medals — in any sport — at a single Olympic Games.
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“I don’t normally cry, so I really hope that nobody’s gonna see that,” Wiffen said. “But, yeah, it did come out of me, and it’s obviously just a special moment.
“I’ve never heard that national anthem at an Olympics before, and it’s just crazy to say that it was me standing on a number one podium here for the first time.”
Paris marked a significant milestone for the young star, who finished below the top ten in both his races at the Tokyo Games.
