Game of Throne is unarguably one of the best shows (the can exclude the last season if you want) we have seen on television in a long, long time. The show that cost millions has a huge, ensemble cast and hence it’s easy to say that several actors auditioned for the parts but failed to get them.
While we know many Hollywood names were giving their best for parts, did you know some actors who actually landed a GOT gig were also rejected for other characters? Well, it’s true. Whether rejected or schedules not matching, a few Thrones cast members made it to show after more than one try.
So scroll below to have a look at the interesting castings that could have happened in Game Of Thrones. Also, did you know three GOT actors auditioned for Kit Harrington’s Jon Snow? Below is who they are.
Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton) – Jon Snow
We all know Iwan Rheon as the evil and blood-chilling Ramsay Bolton from Game Of Thrones. While he played this character with a vile core to perfection, did you know he initially wanted to play the good guy? As per the actor’s own admission, he said he was in the final round for Jon Snow’s role with Kit Harrington.
Speaking to Interview magazine, he said: “I think it was between me and Kit, which is quite crazy. It could’ve been so different. I’d be dead now. I think they made the right choice, it would have been a very different Jon Snow if I’d played him.”
Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) – Melisandre
We all know Natalie Dormer as the beautiful and smart (after all she was engaged to one and married to two kings during her short life) Margaery Tyrell. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first Game Of Thrones role she auditioned for. In the book, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, James Hibberd spoke to the Game of Thrones cast about the characters they auditioned for but didn’t get.
During this chat, Natalie revealed, “I auditioned for Melisandre.” She added, “Then I got a call from my agents saying, ‘They loved you but want you to audition for another role.’ And I’m like, ‘Damn, this Melisandre role looks f*cking cool!’” The Game Of Thrones actress also said, “Carice [van Houten] did an amazing job, but I always had a chuckle on the couch when a Melisandre scene came on.”
Liam Cunningham (Davros Seaworth) – Ser Jorah
Liam Cunningham aka Ser Davros Seaworth – a man who went from being a pirate to becoming the right-hand man of King Jon Snow in the series – was originally pitched a completely different role. While speaking to GQ, Liam refrained from naming the character he was first called for but said it was one from the first season of Game Of Thrones.
Talking about the role, he recalled the moment he wanted to say no to the show when contacted first saying, “They contacted me and said, ‘It’s dragons,’ and I said, ‘Stop right there,’ and they said, ‘It’s HBO,’ and I said, ‘Send me the script.’” He added, “I read the script and the hair went up on the back of my neck. I ran back to my agent and said, ‘Get me in there immediately.’”
Conleth Hill (Varys) – King Robert Baratheon
If Conleth Hill aka Varys – the eunuch, the spider and Master of Whisperers on the King’s Small Council, had got the role he first auditioned for he wouldn’t have made it alive post-season 1. While Varys is manipulative, he originally auditioned for the naïve and brash Robert Baratheon, the former King.
In a later conversation with Huffington Post, this Game Of Thrones actor said that he thinks that Mark Addy, who later won the role of Robert, was the right call. He added, “I have to say that I came out of the meeting, which went all right, and looked who was in after me, saw who it was [Addy], and went, ‘Well, he’d be all right for it,’ and he was, and he got it. You know, that’s showbiz.”
Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) – Jon Snow
The loyal (though not always) Theon Greyjoy would have been essayed by someone else had Alfie Allen landed the first Game Of Thrones role he auditioned for. As reported by metro.co.uk, Alfie who was a ward of House Stark before becoming Ramsay’s broken pet Reek,
auditioned for the show’s lead role – Jon Snow. The show’s showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff while revealing that Alfie had actually read for the part said they thought, “‘Well, he’s great… but he’s not quite Jon Snow.’”
Joe Dempsie (Gendry) – Jon Snow
Another actor who auditioned for the role of Jon Snow was Joe Dempsie aka Gendry – the bastard son of Robert Baratheon. Speaking to Left Lion, Joe revealed, “I initially auditioned for the part of Jon Snow, and obviously, didn’t get it. Down the line, I got called in again for different roles. I’d been for two or three different parts, and each time I didn’t get them I’d think, “I’m not getting these parts, they obviously think I’m rubbish.”
He continued, “Eventually I auditioned for Gendry and I thought the initial audition went quite well, but the recall was probably one of the worst auditions I’d ever done.I think it was just one of those things where they’d already decided before I went in for the second audition.”
Carice Van Houten (Melisandre) – Cersei Lannister
We all love – well not love, but you get the feeling, Carice Van Houten as the Red Priestess Melisandre from Games Of Thrones. While she served as a close counsellor to Stannis Baratheon, brought Jon Snow back to life, make it onto Aryan Stark’s list and more, did you know she actually wanted to play another character on the fantasy show?
In a 2012 conversation with Vulture, Carice revealed she was asked to audition for the part of Cersei Lannister but was forced to turn it down due to scheduling clashes. She told the publication, “I thought the queen would be a great part, and [the producers] asked me to audition, but I couldn’t do it because I was shooting something else.”
Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister) – Joffrey Baratheon
Eugene Simon aka Lancel Lannister – the first cousin of Jaime, Tyrion and Cercei Lannister, had a different role in mind when he audition for Game OF Thrones the first time around. As per reports, the character who had an incest relationship with Cersei before he the religious movement known as the Sparrows wanted to play her son.
You read it right! Eugene, who died by wildfire, could have met a more gruesome fate on the show if he had ended up getting the role he wanted first King Joffrey Baratheon.
Conan Stevens (Gregor Clegane) – Khal Drogo
Can you imagine anyone other than Jason Momoa playing Khal Drogo in Game Of Thrones? Well, we can’t as much as we try. Interestingly, Conan Stevens aka Gregor Clegane aks the Mountain actually auditioned for Khal Drogo just to put his name on the map. According to a What Culture report, Gregor wasn’t in the pilot episode of Game Of Thrones, so Conan read for the part of Khal Drogo at auditions in the hope that other parts would come up and producers would think of him. It hit the bull’s eye!
Would you have wanted to see any of these above-mentioned characters play the first Game Of Thrones roles they auditioned for? Let us know in the comments.
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