Outlander star Sam Heughan is now leading one of the most popular series in television, but the 39-year-old has revealed Game of Thrones missed a trick and rejected him seven times.
Before becoming a hero to millions as Jamie Fraser, Sam was, understandably, eyeing up a role in the biggest show in the world. But despite seven auditions, he was turned down every single time.
‘I auditioned for Game of Thrones seven times!’ the actor told Vulture. ‘Loads of times.
‘I auditioned for Renly, Loras, some of the members of the Night’s Watch. And I’d always get so close! I’d be like, “Guys, just give me a sword!’” Everyone was going in for those parts.’
Although, it wasn’t long before a silver lining came swooping in as Sam landed Outlander, which eventually became a game-changer. And the star is adamant those failed auditions paved the way for the part which would change his life forever.
‘You’re up for so many things, and coming from those auditions, and testing on other shows, I had more experience, more experience with the process. And maybe I was more confident. And I don’t know, something about this one just felt right,’ he continued.
‘This part felt different. I knew this character. I felt a connection with him. I knew where he had come from.’
He added that he was keen to have material to ‘fall back on’ to research the part.
Metro.co.uk revealed Mark Strong also came close to moving into Westeros, but actually turned down a part in the fantasy epic, while Avengers star Elizabeth Olsen recently recalled her ‘horrible’ Game of Thrones audition for Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, before the part went to Emilia Clarke.
Outlander season 5 comes to Starz in 2020 while Game of Thrones is available to stream on NOW TV.
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