A GAME of Thrones star has said that the hit series should have been filmed in Scotland but that it got "messed up".
Scottish actor Rory McCann was speaking on the red carpet at the opening gala of Glasgow Film Festival on Wednesday evening.
McCann – known for his role as The Hound in the hit HBO series – spoke about the importance of film in Scotland ahead of the world premiere of Tornado, the new survival thriller directed by John Maclean and also starring Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Koki.
He said: "We want to try and keep flying the flag, we want business here. There's not enough here, we've had our chances before.
"I was in Game of Thrones, for example, and that should have been shot in Scotland. They did the pilot in Scotland and then messed up, and then it happened in Ireland.
"So anything to promote work in Scotland, to keep our great film industry going here – we've got so much talent here. There's so much going on here with the country, it's a full on set ready to go."
While the pilot episode of Game of Thrones was shot in Scotland – Doune Castle, just outside of Stirling, was initially used as the location for Winterfell – the rest of the show was mostly filmed in Northern Ireland.
McCann added: "I think people are well aware of our landscape and the vastness, you go outside the Central Belt and 'oh my God, it's every corner, can it get any more beautiful?' And it does.
"I think there's awareness of it, I just hope it happens."
