If you’ve ever watched HBO’s epic Game of Thrones series — and, really, who hasn’t seen at least a few episodes? — you’ve probably had the pleasure (or displeasure, depending on which side of her wrath you’re on) of meeting Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen/Khaleesi.
The Mother of Dragons was one of the most popular characters in the long-running series, though she is ultimately killed by Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) mere feet away from the Iron Throne that she has sought to rule from for most of her life.
Two other Star Wars stars, Pedro Pascal (Din Djarin in The Mandalorian) and newcomer Indira Varma (an Imperial officer in Obi-Wan Kenobi) were also in Game of Thrones, as Prince Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand, respectively.
But as it turns out, Daenerys could have been played by another actress who is famous for her work at one of The Walt Disney Company’s brands — Marvel Studios’ Elizabeth Olsen.
Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently opened up about her “awful” audition for Game of Thrones.
The younger sister of the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, shared with The Hollywood Reporter:
“Yes, I auditioned for Game of Thrones. I auditioned for, like, the assistant to the casting director in a small room in New York with just a camera on me and them reading the script. I was doing the Khaleesi speech when she comes out of the fire. It was awful. I didn’t get a callback.”
Olsen previously shared that she nearly walked out of the audition herself she was so uncomfortable reading for the role:
“It was for Khaleesi — she was just burned alive and then I start making this huge speech,” Olsen said at in 2019. “I was in the smallest room with the casting director, they didn’t even have a reader, and that was the furthest I ever got. It was that bad. It was horrible. I was like, ‘This is uncomfortable for me, I’m sure it’s awkward for her, no one’s going to enjoy this experience.’”
Fortunately, Olsen’s time in the MCU has gone much better — she has appeared in multiple movies in the Avengers franchise, including Avengers: Endgame (2019), which ended the Infinity Saga, and her own streaming TV series, WandaVision.
The hit show was an ode to classic sitcoms, with each episode taking place in a different decade. In the end, Wanda had to admit to herself that she had created idealized suburban lives for her family as a result of her grief over Vision’s (Paul Bettany) death in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
Wanda lost her husband at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin), unknowingly resorting to chaos magic and trapping the citizens of Westview, New Jersey in her “Hex” in the process.
Next up, Marvel fans can expect to see Olsen reprise her role in director Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022) alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Her twin sons, Billy and Tommy, are also expected to appear in the Marvel movie, returning after their stint in WandaVision, as well.
Are you excited to see the Scarlet Witch return to the MCU again next year?
For now, you can catch up on all episodes of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier starring Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon/Captain America) on Disney+. New episodes of Loki starring Tim Hiddleston are currently airing every Wednesday.
Apart from revealing a new trailer for the Game of Thrones mobile game, the 2024 Game Awards showcased the anticipated spin-off Elden Ring: Nightreign....
