Actor swaps Game of Thrones role for new job as delivery driver

Michael – who played Bowen Marsh, Lord Steward of the Night’s Watch, in the hit series – says he “absolutely loves” his new role as a key worker and was proud to be able to play his part in feeding the nation.

He said: “Every single person has a role to play in these times. People now should really appreciate the hard work that everybody does – I think people who work in supermarkets have often been taken for granted.”

The 42-year-old Belfast-based actor, who’s also starred in The Tudors and in Soft Border Patrol and is a well-known face in Northern Ireland theatres, said he had several pieces of work lined up at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, but those got put on hold.

He said: “A friend of mine said Asda were looking for people to work there so I got in touch. I came down, got a job and I absolutely love it.

“The job means I can continue to have that interaction with people like I get in a theatre. It’s kept me mentally in a good place and it continues to do so.

“I’ve been having a brilliant time meeting people I’ve never met before. I do about 17 to 18 calls a day when I’m working, so I’ve been getting to know lots of different people. Some of them have come to be regular customers too – it’s nice to have a rapport with them.

“Some of the elderly people I see haven’t been able to get out of their homes and they just want to talk.”