Game of Thrones is one of the TV events of the century, with a huge fan base and compelling characters. It has made the careers of many of its cast members, including Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke and others.
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00:00Most actors would probably love a chance to score a role in HBO's Game of Thrones, and
00:05there have been plenty of A-list celebs who have tried to get on the hit series to no
00:09avail.
00:10But there was a time when that wasn't the case.
00:12Whether it was because of the grueling overseas filming schedule, gripes with the cast pay
00:17scale, or sheer confusion over the George R.R. Martin-inspired story, here's a look
00:22at some actors who refused Game of Thrones roles.
00:25Tamsin Merchant
00:27Before Emilia Clarke gained international fame as Daenerys Targaryen, Tamsin Merchant
00:32was originally cast as the Mother of Dragons for the show's original, unaired pilot.
00:36The first version of the pilot was, according to showrunners D.B.
00:40Weiss and David Benioff, a massive problem, and 90 percent had to be redone.
00:44We had this great opportunity when HBO decided to pick up the series, despite all the problems
00:50with the pilot, we got a chance to go back and rewrite it.
00:52When HBO re-shot, Merchant dropped out of the project for unknown reasons and moved
00:57on to Salem, opening the door for Clarke to take over.
01:01Jennifer Ehle Merchant wasn't the only original Game of
01:05Thrones star to walk away after its early problems.
01:08Pride and Prejudice star Jennifer Ehle was also in the original pilot, playing Catelyn
01:12Stark, but she, too, walked away after the first take spelled trouble, due to unavailability
01:17for the reshoots.
01:19She went on to star in films such as The King's Speech, The Adjustment Bureau, and Zero Dark
01:23Thirty.
01:24She was also nabbed a part in the television series A Gifted Man, so her career hasn't
01:28really been hurt by her decision to skip out on the role that ultimately went to Michelle
01:32Fairley.
01:33Jamie Campbell Bauer
01:35Another actor featured in the original pilot who had to drop out was Jamie Campbell Bauer.
01:40The Twilight and Harry Potter actor was originally cast for the role of Night's Watchman Waymar
01:45Royce in the scrapped pilot, but became unavailable once reshoots were scheduled.
01:50Around the same time, the actor was starring in the small-screen series Camelot and readying
01:54for a lead role in The Mortal Instrument, so he was replaced by Rob Osleary.
01:59It might not have made much of a difference for his career anyway, since Royce was killed
02:03in the show's opening scene.
02:05Maybe that was an omen?
02:06Brian Cox
02:08Given his impressive resume, Scottish actor Brian Cox might seem like a good fit for one
02:13of the Seven Kingdoms, and somebody on the show must have agreed.
02:16He admitted he was once offered a role early on, but turned it down over the lack of loot.
02:21He told Vodzilla, quote,
02:23"'Stupidly, I turned it down in the early days because they didn't pay enough money.
02:27Now they have more money.
02:29And I was silly.
02:30I was silly.
02:31It was silly because I'm a complete addict now."
02:33end quote
02:34Cox admitted that he regrets missing out on his chance, especially since it's featured
02:38some of his old friends.
02:39He hopes he hasn't closed the door on that opportunity for good.
02:43Quote,
02:45"'Maybe I could do…
02:46I mean, I just watched my friend Ian McShane and I thought, ooh, Ian's in it, so I settled
02:51down to watch him.
02:52And I thought, Ian did that?
02:54And immediately I thought, God, they must have paid him well, because I know Ian.
02:58I'm still waiting for the call for Game of Thrones and if they've got more decent money,
03:02I'll be there."
03:03end quote
03:04Hopefully they listen, because, seriously, no one wants to be on the receiving end of
03:08an angry Brian Cox.
03:10"'Then you, my friend, don't know crap about life.
03:13And why the f----- are you wasting my two precious hours with your movie?"
03:19Dominic West
03:21While it's not quite known which Game of Thrones role Dominic West was originally courted for,
03:26many suspect the affair star may have been asked to appear as Mance Rayder, the former
03:30Night's Watchman who became known as the King Beyond the Wall, for his affiliation with
03:35the Free Folk.
03:36Whatever the role, though, West told Huffington Post in 2012 that he had to decline the lovely
03:41part because of family obligations.
03:43Quote,
03:44"'I was offered something on Game of Thrones and unfortunately I hadn't seen it.
03:47But my nephew and his father said, gosh, Game of Thrones is the only great show on.
03:52And I felt terrible because I'd just turned them down.
03:55It was a lovely part, a good part.
03:57I'm going to regret it.
03:58My problem is, I've got four kids and at the moment I'm reluctant to be away from home
04:02for a long time.
04:03I can get a lot of work in London and still be at home."
04:06End quote.
04:08Gillian Anderson
04:10X-Files star Gillian Anderson also had to say no thanks to a chance at Game of Thrones
04:15due to her obligations as a parent.
04:17She told Stylist magazine in 2013, quote,
04:20"'Whether it's Game of Thrones or Downton Abbey, my 18-year-old cannot believe I've
04:24turned down things she loves.
04:26But with a 4- and 6-year-old, I can't justify spending that kind of time away from home
04:30unless I'm working with Martin Scorsese."
04:33End quote.
04:33While Anderson didn't share which role she might have been offered, many speculate that,
04:37due to her famous red locks, she may have been a match for Melisandre the Red Witch.
04:41"'There is someone I work with I like.
04:44His name is Jon Snow, but I'm not really sure he's the right guy."
04:47"'Why not?'
04:48"'I'm pretty sure he's dead.'"
04:52Jonathan Pryce
04:54Game of Thrones fans will undoubtedly recognize Jonathan Pryce as the actor who portrayed
04:58the duplicitous High Sparrow in seasons 5 and 6.
05:02But believe it or not, he was actually asked to join the show long before that, and turned
05:06it down.
05:07As he told BBC Radio 4, quote,
05:09"'I'd said no to the very original series of Game of Thrones, and all I did was flip
05:13through and look at the names, look on these strange names, strange dialogue, and I thought,
05:18oh, it's not for me.'"
05:19End quote.
05:20What changed his mind, he said, was the High Sparrow's personality and presence.
05:24Quote,
05:25"'High Sparrow.
05:26It's a great character.
05:27He comes into the story.
05:28Everyone's well-established, the goodies and the baddies, and they're all baddies in some
05:32shape or form.
05:33And High Sparrow comes in as, again, quite relevant because of the present pope who presents
05:37himself as a man of the people who'll get down washing their feet and stuff.
05:41Yet he is this incredibly powerful figure who has the wherewithal to dispense justice."
05:45End quote.
05:47Perdita Weeks
05:48This one simply has to hurt.
05:51The Tudors and Penny Dreadful actress Perdita Weeks was originally cast to star as Rosalind
05:55Frey, Edmure Tully's wife.
05:57But she backed out because her commitment to another series called The Heretics required
06:01her to be on location in Romania for six months.
06:05One problem?
06:06The Romanian government refused to let them film, and the whole show got scrapped anyway.
06:10Weeks told the Daily Mail in 2012, quote,
06:12"'I gave up a role on Game of Thrones to take the part and even rang the producers to beg
06:17for it back once I'd heard the news about Romania.
06:20But it was too late.'"
06:21End quote.
06:22The role was ultimately played by Alexandra Doling, although Weeks might not have missed
06:26out on much.
06:27The character has appeared in just one episode and was notably absent when her husband was
06:31returned in Season 6.
06:34Ray Stevenson
06:35Irish native Ray Stevenson was also given a chance to star in Game of Thrones in its
06:40earliest episodes, but he told Movies.com that he turned it down because he was simply
06:44not into the TV scene at the time, and that he's not willing to join it now since it's
06:48already too developed at this point.
06:50Quote,
06:51"'I was offered a role.
06:52I also saw them before they even started, very early on.
06:55I would rather have been cast at the beginning.
06:58I think it's wonderful, but it's not something I would come into at this point.
07:01I don't know if I would add anything to it at this stage.
07:04I would rather have been involved in the growth of a show, even though everyone gets bumped
07:08off left, right, and center.
07:09I kept seeing all the people I knew from Rome in it.
07:12But I can't, man.
07:13I can't."
07:14End quote.
07:15Given that Stevenson joined both Dexter and Black Sails in progress, though, it's possible
07:19he could still change his mind.
07:21Lily Allen
07:23According to singer Lily Allen, she turned down the chance to star in Game of Thrones
07:27opposite her real-life brother, Alfie Allen.
07:30He would have been Yara Greyjoy to his Theon, because of the ick factor associated with
07:34the roles.
07:35She wrote in a Reddit AMA in 2014,
07:37"'I've been asked to do a Game of Thrones cameo.
07:40They asked me if I'd be interested in playing Theon's sister.
07:43And I felt uncomfortable because it would have had to go on a horse and he would have
07:46touched me up and s----.
07:48Once they told me what was entailed, I said no thanks.'"
07:50Then again, she may have been pulling the internet's leg that time.
07:54Her brother himself later came forward to dispel her claim, telling Vulture that her
07:57words weren't true and that Jemma Whelan was always the original choice for the role.