Tormund Giantsbane Reveals How He Keeps His Beard So Fresh

The Game of Thrones Season 7 finale gave us a lot to think about as we patiently wait for the final episodes to air next year. Fans are wondering what will happen between Jon & Daenerys once they realize they're related, how long Cersei will survive without Jaime, and what happened to Tormund Giantsbane when the wall fell. We might not have the answer to all of these questions, but we do know the secrets behind Kristofer Hivju's wildling beard.

When we last saw Tormund, he was running for his life across the top of the Wall as the Night King's undead dragon was blasting it to bits so his army could finally march south. With the Wall falling down around them, most of the Night's Watch and wildling fighters were sadly killed in the carnage, but as everyone feared that Tormund would never get to share another moment with his warrior woman Brienne of Tarth - it made me wonder, how does a man grow a beard as glorious as Tormund's?

Apparently I'm not the only person in the world curious about Tormund's incredible beard, as Cosmopolitan asked the same question while speaking with Kristofer Hivju earlier this month. And oddly enough, it's incredibly simple to maintain - so sign me up!

In Game of Thrones, His Beard Was Almost Completely Different

When the viral image of the Swedish actor surfaced without the iconic beard, the internet went nuts imagining how Hivju's beard became so intense after he auditioned for the role of Tormund.

"I didn’t have it when I auditioned—I had a small one, just some stubs. For some reason, the shoot was delayed. The hair department had created a beard for me, but when I came to set, it was full grown and red and ready to go. This is four months and 17 days of beard. Yes, I’m a fast grower."

The fact that Hivju grew such an incredible beard in just four months is a testament to his skill as an actor, right? He willed his own body into crafting a magnificent beard - so much so that the hair department didn't need to use the one they'd created for him! Yet, everyone agrees that his homegrown beard is legendary, and that's exactly what we'd expect from the man who brought Tormund Giantsbane to life.

It must be a mess to maintain though, right?

Ask anyone who has ever grown a beard, and they'll tell you that manscaping is an art. So, Hivju (or HBO's hair department) surely spends hours working on his beard for the show, right? Well, no, so much – at least that's how Hivju explained it when asked if he had any tips for the common non-Wildling man:

"That's the fantastic thing about having a beard. You don’t have to do anything about it. I have a special wax that I use to shape it sometimes. But, you know, people talk about my beard, and I say, What’s more natural, to take a razor blade and cut yourself in the face every day or just do nothing?"

We've seen some of the greatest actors in Hollywood grow beards for their roles, from Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained and Liam Neeson in Batman Begins to Alan Rickman in Die Hard. Yet, even with how much everyone loves his beard, Hivju isn't opposed to shaving it all off for the right role after Game of Thrones.