If We Ran…HBO
Friday, November 14th, 2008
As you may have seen in my post from earlier in the week, HBO has greenlit the pilot episode for George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. Since they picked up the option to the series, I’ve been pondering who would fit which character of the show. I still have a lot of problems figuring out certain characters. I think they are going to have to come up with quite a few unknown actors in order to properly cast the series.
However, I’ve come up with list of preferred actors and actresses to play a majority of the main characters in the story. I only used actors that are known for actually doing television series. If the actor does mostly movies, or is a high-budget actor, they most likely got disqualified from my list. Anyway, keep reading to see…the list! What is your list? Got a suggestion for some of my missing characters? Like Sansa, for example? Post your comments!
Eddard “Ned” Stark – Kenneth Mitchell (Jericho)
Catelyn Stark – Lena Headey (Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Robb Stark – Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights)
Sansa Stark – Tessa Allen (General Hospital)
Arya Stark – Adair Tishler (Heroes)
OR Saoirse Ronan (City of Ember)
Bran Stark - Mickey Graue (Lost)
Robert Baratheon – Paul Johansson (One Tree Hill)
Cersei Lannister – Ali Larter (Heroes)
Jamie Lannister – David Anders (Heroes)
Tyrion Lannister – Danny Woodburn (Various Stuff)
Tywin Lannister – Malcolm McDowell (Heroes)
The Hound – Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who)
OR Lance Henriksen (Aliens)
Petyr “Littlefingers” Baelish – James Callis (Battlestar Galactica)
Daenerys Targaryen – AnnaSophia Robb
Jeyne Westerling – Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights)
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There we go! My choices are up. Tough cast to choose, but I think it looks pretty solid.
Damn. That’s a pretty fine cast. I particularly like your choices of Adair Tishler, David Anders, Christpher Eccleston, and James Callis (plus every show needs Malcolm McDowell). The only one I think I would like to change is your casting for Bran. Your choice might be good, but I haven’t really seen that kid do anything. I would cast Jackson Brundage as Bran. He’s been on One Tree Hill the last couple years, and he always steals every single scene that he’s in.
I’m not sure who I’d pick for Sansa Stark. I’m not familiar with enough actresses in that age range.
I can’t remember exactly how old Jon Snow is supposed to be, but I think I would cast either Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles) or maybe Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill). I’m sure there are better picks out there, but that’s what I’m coming up with at the moment.
I think I would cast Mark Sheppard (many guest appearances, most notably Badger in Firefly and Romo in Battlestar) as Varys, “The Spider”.
I think I want to put Alexa Davalos (Angel) and Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) into the cast somewhere, but I’m not sure what roles they should have.
Scratch that! I think I would cast Alexa as Asha Greyjoy, and I would cast Jeffrey Donovan as Renly Baratheon. Renly doesn’t have a huge role in Game of Thrones until the end, but he definitely becomes important later on. I don’t think Asha shows up at all until later, but I could just be remembering incorrectly.
I was trying to come up with someone to play Daenerys Stormborn, but I could think of anyone who fit the part. It’s a very difficult role to figure out.
I actually ran Jackson Brundage through my head a couple times. I’d love his as Bran, because he is awesome on OTH. But ultimately, I just thought he was a little young for the role still. He sticks with that cute pre-schooler style, and it’s hard to tell how he would adapt to a serious role that’s grows up really fast. I had considered that he may make a good Rickon, perhaps. I’m not sure how the Lost kid would do in the role, but he looks dead on Bran, IMO. Plus, I’m not a big Bran fan, so I’m not too picky about how he would be played. Arya and Sansa really need to be cast well though, I think.
Jon Snow should be roughly the same age as Robb, which means in the range of 18-ish. The only problem I have with Thomas Dekker or Chad Michael Murray, is that I don’t think they look tough enough for the role. For some reason, I picture Jon as a fairly normal build, but just a tough attitude to him.
Concerning Alexa and Asha, I could totally see that. And while I don’t know anything about Jeffrey Donovan, I think with the right makeup and props, he could definitely pull off the Renly look.
The problem with casting some of these characters is that you often get a pretty clear visual, but sometimes you don’t. I didn’t even go look at the SoIaF art until after I came up with my cast. I was really impressed on how the visual check came out afterwords. But still, I had a damn hard time trying to cast Sansa, Daenerys, Jon, and Joffrey.
The other bad thing is that casting decisions on the kids can change, depending on fast a project moves forward. Remember, Rickon is the youngest, then Bran, than Arya, then Sansa. Then Theon, Robb, and Jon are all pretty close together. Sansa doesn’t go through through puberty until later in the series, so she’s maybe 13 when the book starts? That puts Arya at 10-12, Bran at 8-10, and Rickon at 5-6, IMO. I believe Daenerys is only a year or two older than Sansa as well. At that age, it’s going to be tough to cast someone, if it takes another year for the first season to get made. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes anyway, since the series is weird in how it’s laid out. Books 4 and 5 happening at the same time are going to be hellish to deal with. At that point, I guess character ages aren’t so important. But I’d still like them to remain close to their book ages.
I’m almost curious if they may not play Sansa and Daenerys’ ages up a little bit. I’m not sure with what HBO is kosher with, but it may be one of those things that may work out for the better. If Sansa went slightly older, then I think I would be able to cast her pretty easily. But at there are very few 14 year old girls that fit the description of “Beautiful” currently. At least not known TV actresses. Had this been a couple years back, Hayden would have totally fit that role. But she’s a little too old for that now.
There were also a few other characters that I wanted to cast, but didn’t have enough of a visual image of them. Like Myrcella. Love the character, but I’m not sure which way to go. Also, the Martels. I got the impression somehow that they may be darker skinned than the rest of the families. So I didn’t want to touch those casting decisions until I could verify that I’m not mis-remembering that.
Needless to say, the casting process really got me excited about seeing some of this on the small screen. I would read these books 5 more times if they weren’t so long. A TV show would fit me well, if done right. Which I think George R.R. Martin will see to. He seems like a fan in an author’s life.
I’ll just repost what I’ve done so far, witha few minor corrections- nice to see you agreed with me in a few places.
Have to say though, I cannot get behind Ali Larter as Cersei or either of your choices for The Hound- Eckleston is no where near physically intimidating enough and Henrickson is far too old.
Ned Stark: Jaime Bamber (Apollo from BSG),
Caetlyn Stark: Lena Headey (Sarah Connor)
Jaime Lannister: Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorenus of Rome)
Cersei Lannister: Sarah Michelle Gellar (duh)
Tyreon Lannister: Peter Dinklage
Tywin Lannister: Patrick Stewart
Varyss the Spider: Bob Hoskins (tons of stuff)
Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish: James Callis, (Dr. Gaius Baltar of BSG)
Vysaris Targareon, Dany’s older brother, the beggar king: Max Pirkis (Octavian the younger of Rome)
Kahl Drogo: Jason Scott Lee (Bruce Lee in the biopic)
Sandor Clegane, The Hound: Ray Stevenson (Titus Pulo of Rome)
Barriston Selmy, Barriston the Bold of the Kingsguard: Michael Ironside (The 80’s)
Brynden Tully, the Blackfish: Timothy Dalton (Bond)
Maester Luwin: Malcom McDowell (WING COMMANDER!)
Grand Maester Pycell: David Bamber (Cicero of Rome)
Lord Mormont, the Old Bear, commander of the watch: Rutger Hauer (The 80’s)
Lyssa Arryn: Amber Benson (Tara of Buffy)
Jorah Mormont: Sean Bean (Sharpe)
Jaqen H’ghar: James Marsters (Spike)
Theon Greyjoy: Kyle Gallner (Cassidy “Beaver” Casablancas from Veronica Mars)
Doran Martel: Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama, so there)
Asha Greyjoy: Kristen Bell (you heard me)
Oberyn Martel, The Red Viper: Lou Diamond Phillips (All he has to do is fight well and die horribly)
Melissandre, The Red Woman: Gillian Anderson (Scully)
Maester Aemon Targareon of the Night’s Watch: assuming he lives long enough, Peter O’Toole
Thoros of Myr, The Red Priest: Michael Chiklis (Vic Mackey of The Shield)
Beric Dondarion, The Lightning Lord: Sean Maher (Simon from Firefly)
Bronn: Adam “Animal Mother” Baldwin
Well, we’re even then. I don’t like Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cersei at all. I know that Ali Larter can play a cold character. But SMG seems off to me. I definitely wouldn’t want to deal with her attitude in another favorite series of mine. Especially since I don’t want to give them another reason to cancel the series before it is done.
I like Eccleston as the Hound. I never pictured the character as physically intimidating besides the disfigurement. I always gathered that the was a more mobile fighter. It’s his brother that’s really physically intimidating. I also don’t like Jamie Bamber as Ned. He doesn’t look old enough for me. He looks like he’d be hanging out with Robb, rather than being his father.
While Patrick Stewart would be the perfect choice for Tywin, I don’t consider him even close to a feasible option. Especially since it would be a multi-season commitment. A small role, but still.
Kevin McKidd as Jaime? I haven’t seen him in anything, so I can’t speak for his talent. However, he doesn’t look attractive enough for the role, IMO. After all, he is Cersei’s twin. So he should look pretty close to her.
I do like Amber Benson as Lyssa. She can obviously do crazy roles, so I don’t have to worry about that. I do have to worry about her looking old enough for the role. If she looks like Sansa’s sister, there is going to be a problem. Speaking of scenes that probably won’t make it, even on HBO….yeah. They are going to be doing some editing to some of those scenes.
From what I remember, I thought The Hound was quite a bit older, at least that’s how I pictured him. His brother was a giant brute, but Sandor Clegane didn’t seem the same to me.
SaberJ, go watch Burn Notice. While Jeffrey Donovan has been in quite a few other shows in a recurring or guest star capacity, Burn Notice is his show, and he is awesome in it. Once you watch an episode or two, I think you’ll get where I’m coming from. The good thing is that Burn Notice is pretty short with only 28 episodes combined between the two seasons.
Chris, I love Peter O’Toole as Maester Aemon. That seems to fit almost perfectly to me. I also like your picks for Theon Greyjoy and Brynden “Blackfish” Tully. However, I don’t get where you are coming from with Melissandre. She always seemed something like a voodoo witch doctor to me. Gillian Anderson is almost the complete opposite of how I saw the character.
Amber Benson’s in her late 20’s; Lyssa is Caetlyn’s younger sister and only has a 5 year old son. Also, one of the problems for Lyssa is that she was married off to a vastly older man in Jon Arryn, it’s one of the reasons she does…. well, what she does.
The Hound is supposed to be extremely intimidating, even if you can’t see the scars. He only looks small incomparison to his brother who is over 7′- they’re going to have to digitally increase the size of the Mountain That Rides. While he’s quick for his size, The Hound is never described as wirey which is about as buff as Eccleston could ever be.
Watch Rome. GRRM is a huuuuuuuuge fan of Rome- talked about it with him at a con last March (went out drinking after, it was freaking awesome, he really does just hang out with his fans)-, and I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised to see a bunch of actors from Rome find their way into ASOIAF; in fact, GRRM was very excited about the thought of Ray Stevenson (Pulo in Rome, Punisher) as The Hound.
McKidd is great in Rome, pathos, depth, presence, rage, passion, conflict, everything- the guy’s fucking amazing. Also, check out last year’s half-season wonder Journeyman where he played the lead, Dan Vasser- it’s a crime that Journeyman didn’t get to continue. Another one for which I’ve only seen his scenes on Youtube is Gunpowder, Treason & Plot which is a BBC mini from like ‘02 or so- I keep meaning to get my hands on it, cause the clips I saw were jsut fucking incredible.
Also, Rome will give you a real appreciation for just what they can get away with on HBO; the story will not have to be cut, at all. Some scenes will be “artfully shot”, but there is no reason to believe they’ll actually cut or alter story elements for fear of public outrage.
Patrick Stewart is- by all accounts- a dork, he really does seem to have a liking for scifi/fantasy. Given the strength of HBO productions and the prestige and awards they can garner, I don’t think it is at all unreasonable to approach him for the role.
Ok, I’ll give you that SMG could be problematic as a personality, but as an actress she could easily do it. Ali Larter on the other hand I cannot take seriously, at all, ever, not even a chance- every “dark” scene she had in Heroes made me roll my eyes and groan; Larter was the single worst aspect of season 1 Heroes, she still would be if they hadn’t some how managed to screw up everything else since then too.
Alternate casting for Cersei, a little more in-line with McKidd’s own age of 33-35: Tricia Helfer, Six from BSG. This woman can ACT, plus she’s, in my opinion, more attractive than SMG or Larter.
I like Tricia Helfer much better for that role. I also like McKidd, now that I realize who he is. NBC never should have canceled Journeyman.
Yeah, I’d be a lot more comfortable with Tricia than SMG. I think she could possibly pull off the character (Though not as well as I’d like), but I just don’t think she fits too well overall.
I’ll have to check out some of these shows at some point then. Though GRRM has said a few times on his Not-A-Blog that he gets no control over casting. So while he made get some room for input, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ultimately go their own direction with casting. Whichever way that may be.
Hey Randy, this is Jess (waynes wife
) I found someone I think might be good for Sansa, Tessa Allen
I think that she is about the right age and would pull off the whole medieval thing lol
Great lists!
If you didn’t know, the executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have gotten a shared account at the A Song of Ice and Fire fan forum, and are solicing serious casting suggestions (serious defined just the way you’re thinking — actors that can concievably be involved in a TV series, not $20 million a picture film stars).
If anyone wants to get the ideas out there in front of them, head on over to http://asoiaf.westeros.org/, get an account, and hitting the Casting sub-forum of the Game of Thrones: The Series forum.
Are you affiliated with westeros.org, Elio? I ask, because you have it set as your homepage. That site is such a terrific source of news and discussion for ASoIaF. I may just take a trip over there and post my thoughts on the casting. Thanks for the heads up.
Good call on Sansa, Liliandren. She’s about as close a match as I think I’ve ever seen. Give her a slightly more blonde hair style, and she’s spot on. Definitely got that natural beauty going for he that I think is important for the character. My wife immediately noticed her, but didn’t know from where. She was from General Hospital.
Saberj,
Yeah, my fianceé Linda and I founded and run Westeros.org. Glad it’s proved useful.
Apparently David and Dan have been perusing it as well as part of their work in creating a series bible. So they tell us, anyways. Exciting times!
Came up with my choices for Sansa (Thanks, Jess!) and Daenerys now. I still don’t have a Jon Snow or Joffrey that screams out to me. But that’s ok.
I like your suggestions except the ones for the Hound. Lance Henrikssen is much too old and he’s quite a small man beside. Eccleston is a better choice, but still not physically intimidating enough. Sandor Clegane is quite tall and quite muscular; it’s a point that’s repeated often in the books.
A relevant quotation from the first book about his build: “Are you training women here?” the burned man wanted to know. He was muscled like a bull. (AGoT 74)
And a link to a report where George R.R. Martin himself says the Hound is six and a half feet tall. http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Brienne_of_Tarth/
A valid point. But I’d take a talented actor that is off in an area or two over someone that is dead on. Granted, if there is a better choice, then by all means they should go that way. But height tricks can be done on camera, and a large portion of the time, you aren’t going to be seeing The Hound’s muscles. We are talking strong men here, not The Incredible Hulk. Still, like I said, I’m definitely interested in finding the right person. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for better choices.
Thanks for the comments.
I think it’s all well and good to have the physical intimidation factor, but I think that for movies and TV, you rely quite a bit more on emotional intimidation….how a character acts. I hope they get actors that fit the personalities of the characters, and if they have to bulk up a lot and/or use camera tricks to match the character descriptions from the book, then that’s what they’ll have to do.
On another note, have they said when this pilot might air? Is it something they’ll try to have ready for the fall? This spring? I hope that they don’t try to rush it out the door. I think that the fall is probably the earliest we could hope to see it.
Generally, the Pilot that networks create in order to decide on the series is not aired unless the show is picked up. Sometimes not even then, if they decide to re-cast and/or re-work some of the pilot. Minor changes were made with the Heroes pilot, but they were still there. Buffy’s pilot was completely changed and re-cast.
Still, if it doesn’t make it to the air, I hope someone leaks it at least. This is one of those series that I would personally pay in order to see made.
BTW, Christopher Eccleston is 6′1.5″, according to IMDB. I doubt that 5″ will keep him out of the role if they like him. I totally agree with you, Polygon on the acting skills being more important than the exact look. By all means, get as close as you can. But when it comes down to talent and a slight different vs dead on, but a weaker actor, I’ll take the talent.
But hoesntly, Ray Stevenson is a stronger actor than either Henrickson or Eccleston.
Also, he’s 6′4″ and over 230lbs.
Watch Rome.
May be. But it’s hard for someone to be my ideal candidate, if I’ve never seen them act before. ;P
Still, he looks pretty similar to Eccleston, other than being a bit bigger. So if his acting is as good as you say, then I’d probably agree with you.
Some characters I left out in my first list
Davos Seaworth, The Onion Knight: Nathan “Mal” Fillion, shrewd, honest, ernest guy who can take a beating
Renly Baratheon: Tahmoh Penikett, Helo from BSG- big pretty guy…. Actually, damn, uh, he’s 33 which really seems to be the right age for Robert-his oldest bastard (Maya Stone) is like 17…… except he’s in killer shape….. damnit. WHY ARE THE BARATHEONS SO HARD TO CAST?!
Oh, wait- I may have something…
Robert Baratheon: W. Earl Brown, Dan Doherty from Deadwood, big guy, physical guy, lots of little parts here and there- who knows, it’s a thought
Sansa Stark: Christina Robinson, Rita’s daughter Astor on Dexter. around 10-12 now
Rob Stark: Mark L. Young, numerous small rolls including a 2 episode stint on Dexter as a young serial killer- promising
Syrio Forrel, Arya’s “dancing master”: Alexander Siddig, Dr. Bashir from DS9- this guy doesn’t get nearly enough work, he’s great.
I can totally see Nathan Fillion as Davos!
I agree with you on Alexander Siddig. He doesn’t get nearly enough work. If you haven’t seen it already, go watch the director’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven. The movie is damn good, and Alexander Siddig is great in his fairly small (but very important) role.
I rather liked Kingdom of Heaven, and yes he is very good in it- also see Syriana
Honestly, he might be wasted on Syrio. He could work in a lot of roles for characters from Dorn, the Free Cities, or the east. I know I cast Lou Diamond Phillips as the Red Viper, but there’s little doubt in my mind that Siddig would be a better actor for the role, come to think of it. Perhaps he could be with the Faceless Men, the Lycenee pirates of Stannis’ navy- ugh, all these small roles!
I thought the director’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven was a completely different movie to what was shown in theaters. The subplots that he brought back in and the general pacing of it was much better for an epic. The theatrical version just didn’t quite work for me, but I think the the extended version is a masterpiece.
I can’t even touch the roles from the other houses. It really depends on the direction they take the ethnicity of those houses. I personally hope they make each region’s inhabitants distinctive. Since Westeros is basically a mid-evil style Europe, I’d be annoyed if it was a mishmash of various actors playing whatever.
Another option for Sansa Stark, Georgia Henley aka Lucy from the Chronicles of Narnia movies- she’s 13
Every time I think of that actress, I see her with her baby fat, so it’s hard to think of her as Sansa for me. Sansa is supposed to be the stereotypical beautiful maiden. I’m not sure if Lucy really fit that role, for me. But we already know she can do the royal role, at least. Still, I’m not sure if she’s a viable option. What with Disney continuing to make Narnia movies. It’s possible, though. The number of movies left with those specific characters should be nearing an end, right?
Adrian Paul has expressed interest in the Game of Thrones
TV Pilot. For more info:
http://www.adrianpaulnewswire.blgospot.com
And jon Snow, he is a important character, and my favorite!!
meybe, Skandar Keynes, yes!!!!
Skandar as Jon, perfect!