Mark Strong has revealed how he nearly starred in Game Of Thrones, although he’s staying coy on which character he was offered.
The 56-year-old actor was previously rumoured to have turned down the role of Stannis Baratheon (played by Stephen Dillane) on the HBO fantasy series, taking up a role on AMC remake Low Winter Sun in 2013 instead.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about his rumoured connections with the show, Mark confirmed he had been offered a role on Game Of Thrones but didn’t want to reveal the character’s identity.
‘I was offered a role in it but I can’t ever say who it was,’ Mark said. ‘Because I don’t want to belittle the person who eventually did it because they may have no idea they weren’t first choice.’
Asked if he turned the role down, Mark added: ‘No it came my way and we were flirting a while with it, but I didn’t have to turn it down.’
While it’s an elusive answer, it could possibly indicate he was pipped to the role by another actor, despite being offered it first.
Game Of Thrones came to an end with its eighth and final season in May this year, with the controversial finale still a hotly contested topic.
While the show’s final season has been controversial with viewers, it’s still proving popular in award circles – recently achieving 32 nominations at this year’s Emmys.
Despite missing out on Game Of Thrones, Mark probably isn’t too upset – going onto star in The Imitation Game, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Deep State and most recently DC’s Shazam!
He’s also turning his attention to producing for new Sky drama Temple, where the actor stars as a surgeon pushed to set up an illegal underground clinic in the tunnels beneath London.
Temple airs Friday 13 September on Sky One at 9pm.
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