There are so many characters in the dramatic fantasy series Game of Thrones, that it’s difficult to notice when the showrunners replaced their stars. Read the list below to see if you recognized when the new faces showed up on your television screen.
Daenerys Targaryen:
Fans are familiar with Emilia Clarke playing the notorious Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains and the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. What they don’t know is that Clarke was not the show’s first pick as the tenacious and fearless leader. The first actress that was chosen for the role was Tamzin Merchant, who is famous for her work as Catherine Howard on The Tudors.
The only reason that viewers weren’t aware of Merchant’s acting is that she starred in the show’s original pilot. After private screenings, the showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff realized that the pilot of Game of Thrones was a disaster — they realized that the episode was a complete mess and that they had to make major changes to salvage their creation, including script rewriting and replacing Merchant for Clarke.
While Clarke is excellent in the role, fans have considered other stars to fill the icy blonde wig. For instance, the actress MalinÅkerman was chosen by the website Gameofcanada.com as a fantastic candidate because of her ethereal beauty and her intensity previous portrayals, like Silk Spectre II for the comic adaptation Watchmen.
Gregor Clegane:
Viewers know Gregor The Mountain Clegane as an enormous and terrifying knight that is always willing to commit acts of extreme violence. What viewers may not know is that this intimidating foe was one of the many Game of Thrones characters recast throughout the seasons — he has actually been portrayed by three different men over the course of the series.
In the first season, he was played by former professional wrestler Conan Stevens and then thestuntman Ian Whyte took on the role between season two and four. The latest incarnation of The Mountain is played by the Icelandic actor and award-winning bodybuilder HafþórJúlíusBjörnsson— the four-hundred-pound athlete was actually given the official title of world’s strongest man in 2018.
Myrcella Baratheon:
Cersei’s only daughter Myrcella went relatively unnoticed by viewers because her cruel brother Joffrey stole the limelight. In the second season, she was shipped off to the land of Dorne to make good on a peace treaty and arrange her marriage to Trystan Martell.
In season five, viewers finally found out what Myrcella has been up to away from her family — she had grown a few years older and had changed her face. The showrunners did not ask Aimee Richardson to reprise the role after season two, going with the actress Nell Tiger Free instead.
Considering how the eighth season will be coming to your screen next year, you should keep your eye out for any other replacements in the cast. Keep your eyes peeled when the episodes come out so that you can spot any new faces standing in for old ones.
