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After a year off from HBO‘s “Game of Thrones,” actor and DJ Kristian Nairn is returning to his role as the beloved giant who speaks only one word (“Hodor”). When last we saw the character, he was accompanying Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to his fateful meeting with the Three-Eyed Raven, a mystic living deep in the northern part of Westeros.

Nairn, a resident of Belfast, talked to Speakeasy about his time away from working on “Game of Thrones” and how he reacted to the scripts for season 6, which premieres April 24, while also touching on his music career and his love of superhero movies. An edited excerpt follows.

How does it feel to get back into the “Game of Thrones” swing after a year off?

It was weird. I missed it for a year. I missed the social aspect of it. I missed my friends. I’m a big fan of our storyline. It was strange to take a break of that. I was anxious to see where it was going to go, as well. It was difficult to wait for a year to find out what would happen to us.

When you got the scripts for season 6, how did you feel once you saw where Hodor was?

I’m happy. Obviously, I can’t say too much. I’m very happy how season 6 has played out for us. It’s a very cool turn of events. It’s worth the wait.

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Were you worried we might have seen the last of Hodor?

Not after season 4. Really, what’s Bran going to do without him. They’re inexorably tied together. They can’t really survive without each other at the moment. They’re kind of symbiotic. I wasn’t worried they were just going to write him out, [with him] left beneath this tree as a sort of fertilizer. [Laughs.]

What was it like to see things from the outside in for that one season, to be one of the fans in a way?

It was strange. I live in Belfast, where it’s mainly filmed. To see everyone coming in, and not taking part, it was very weird. I definitely kept myself busy that year. I didn’t have much time to sit and get upset about it.

At what point did you realize that Hodor was taking off as his own thing?

I always knew he was popular, I always knew there was something about him. But it might have been one of the premieres, maybe for season 2 or 3, I can’t remember. Every time you appear, or every time Hodor appears, the crowd just goes nuts. There are much bigger characters there, like Peter and Lena, amazing actors and incredible characters, and all you hear is people yelling “Hodor!” And I say, “wow.” People can get behind him. He’s easy to get behind.

I’m DJing a lot, and I’m producing my own music as well. I’ve also got a number of TV and movie projects coming up.

I’m not going to name them, but I’ve got a Netflix thing coming up, and also a sort of period movie. They’re both pretty good productions, and pretty big parts, so I’m pretty happy with the way things are going. My time is completely taken, and I’m grateful for that. And it’s all thanks to “Game of Thrones.”

I’m working with an Australian artist at the minute, Brendan Maclean. He’s also an actor, as well. He was in “The Great Gatsby.” He’s a producer, as well. He’s a singer. I’m working on some remixes of one of his tracks at the minute. That will be released very shortly. I think worldwide, actually. The track’s called “Tectonic.”

I don’t watch much TV. I’m more of a movie guy.

What’s your favorite movie right now?

I’m a superhero fan. I’m into the Marvel and DC universes big time, and I always have been. I was an avid comic collector as a kid … It’s great to see them coming on the screen and being authentic. I haven’t managed to see “Batman v Superman” yet, but I’ve heard some very mixed reviews about it. But I don’t really put in any stock in those. I think the internet has made people forget how to enjoy things. You know what I’m saying? Everyone’s a movie critic. Everyone’s a TV critic. Everyone’s a music critic. You know what, man, it’s a movie about three superheroes beating the crap out of each other. What more do you need? You don’t need a hidden plot line … some sort of avant garde plot line. It just needs some lasers, some shields … what are they expecting?

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