15 Actors Who Almost Starred In Game Of Thrones

If you were a struggling actor in the U.K. in the early 2010s, odds are you probably auditioned for "Game of Thrones." Set in the epic world created by George R.R. Martin and considered one of the best fantasy shows of all time, the series showcased an expansive roster of widely beloved (and horribly loathsome) characters. That cast included all-time greats of British film and theater, like Sean Bean and Charles Dance, as well as future stars like Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington.

However, as with any popular show, many actors auditioned or were offered parts that never materialized, or perhaps not in the way they had anticipated. From future A-listers who HBO unbelievably rejected to big names the show wasn't able to convince to be a part of the pop culture phenomenon, these are 15 actors who were almost cast on "Game of Thrones," but thankfully, for the actors who went on to get the parts both big and small, they weren't. 

Spoiler warning for "Game of Thrones" ahead!

Jamie Campbell Bower has had a successful career, appearing in the "Harry Potter" films as well as "Stranger Things," but he nearly had an important role in the very first scene of "Game of Thrones." For the unaired HBO pilot for "Game of Thrones," Bower appeared in the very first scene of the show as Waymar Royce, the Night's Watchman son of Yohn Royce (Rupert Vansittart), who is slain by a White Walker. However, when reshoots took place, Bower was unable to reprise the role due to scheduling issues, leading the show to cast Rob Ostlere in his place. 

To make matters worse, Bower nearly got a second shot at joining the television franchise with the "Game of Thrones" prequel series "Bloodmoon," in which he co-starred in the pilot alongside Naomi Watts and Naomi Ackie. Sadly, the show didn't end up getting developed beyond the pilot, and HBO instead opted to produce "House of the Dragon." Maybe there's a chance for Bower to finally get to be a part of a future prequel or spin-off. 

It's hard to imagine "Game of Thrones" without Emilia Clarke playing Daenerys Targaryen, but if things had gone a little differently, she may have never been discovered by HBO. For the pilot, the original Daenerys actress was Tamzin Merchant, whose notable roles include period pieces like Joe Wright's "Pride & Prejudice," Showtime series "The Tudors," and more recently, the Amazon Prime series "Carnival Row." In fact, it was in one of Merchant's scenes as Daenerys where George R. R. Martin made a rejected cameo on "Game of Thrones." 

Even though the role of Daenerys, as played by Clarke, would go on to become one of the most iconic performances in television history, Merchant has little regret about getting recast. She claims that, even before shooting, she had tried to back out of the project, but ultimately relented. For whatever reason, the showrunners felt that Merchant's chemistry with co-star Jason Momoa, who played Khal Drogo, didn't work, but luckily, that just meant that Merchant didn't have to reshoot those incredibly uncomfortable scenes from the first episode. 

For as legendary of an actor as Brian Cox, it's surprising that he wasn't ever on "Game of Thrones." Although he later dominated HBO as Logan Roy on "Succession," Cox walked away from an early opportunity to join Westeros. As it turns out, before the producers saw Mark Addy's amazing audition for the role, Cox was the original choice for King Robert Baratheon. Cox's reasoning for turning it down was, ironically, very Logan Roy-esque.

As the actor explained, he knew that King Robert would die early into the show's run after being mauled by a boar, so the lack of longevity to the part, as well as the fact that the paycheck wasn't all that great for the first season, convinced Cox to pass. However, Cox regrets turning "Game of Thrones" down, considering how much of a cultural phenomenon it became and, by his estimate, even guest stars like Ian McShane probably walked away with a good sum of the show's budget. 

Elizabeth Olsen, despite coming from Hollywood royalty, didn't make her film debut until the 2011 indie drama "Martha Marcy May Marlene." It wasn't until years later that she started becoming a mainstream star with her role as Wanda Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but things would've likely been very different if the Scarlet Witch had become the Queen of Dragons. That's right, Olsen auditioned for Daenerys on "Game of Thrones," but she told The Hollywood Reporter that it didn't go so well, saying, "I was doing the Khaleesi speech when she comes out of the fire. It was awful. I didn't get a callback."

Even though her own assessment of her audition might be a bit self-deprecating, Olsen later proved critics wrong with her performances, turning "WandaVision" into one of the most critically-acclaimed installments in the MCU, and gaining industry cred for dramatic roles in series like "Sorry For Your Loss" and "Love & Death." Watching "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" might be the best way to get a sense of how Olsen would've done as Daenerys. 

When people argue that the cast of "Skins" became today's biggest well of fresh talent, one name that is often referenced in that cast is Nicholas Hoult. In between his stint on the E4 drama and his later success with projects like "X-Men: First Class" and "Mad Max: Fury Road," Hoult auditioned for a pretty significant role on "Game of Thrones": That of Jon Snow. At the time of his audition, he had been shooting "Clash of the Titans," making him pretty well-prepared for a role that would require a lot of sword-fighting and having long hair. 

As everyone knows, the role of Jon Snow ended up being played by Kit Harington, who won the part over fellow "Game of Thrones" stars who also auditioned for the part: Joe Dempsie (who played Gendry Baratheon) and Iwan Rheon (who played Ramsay Bolton). Given that Harington went on to marry and start a family off-screen with his on-screen love interest Rose Leslie (who played Ygritte), it's safe to say that Harington is probably quite thankful that Hoult's audition didn't go so well.

Jennifer Ehle is an iconic actress of the screen and stage, taking home Tony Awards and BAFTAs for her acting work in the early 2000s. However, she nearly could've given one of the best performances in all of "Game of Thrones" had she stayed on past the pilot as Catelyn Stark, the wife of Ned Stark. At the time the original pilot was produced, Ehle was one of the biggest names cast, though once HBO picked the show up and began reshooting the first episode, Ehle opted out of the role to spend more time with her newborn daughter. 

Ehle was replaced by Michelle Fairley, but her character's fate was quite a tragic one; ultimately, the Red Wedding shattered Fairley in more ways than one. It's a good thing Ehle got to avoid having to endure that acting challenge, though her career's been doing fine without "Game of Thrones" with films like "Zero Dark Thirty," "The King's Speech," and "She Said." 

"Game of Thrones" turned Sophie Turner into an A-list star, but she nearly lost out on the part of Sansa Stark. Although it's hard to imagine anyone other than Turner portraying the cold and calculative woman that Sansa becomes in the later seasons, she originally competed for the role against Izzy Meikle-Small. Thankfully, Meikle-Small found success elsewhere by starring in "Snow White and the Huntsman" as well as recently joining the cast of "Outlander." 

As Meikle-Small recounted, despite being in the final rounds of callbacks against Turner, she was passed up for the part, but chose to look at things with a glass half full mentality: "I was a bit sad, because the show's massive, but I'm not that unhappy, because they all show a lot of flesh, don't they? I don't think my parents would be happy," (via Telegraph). Hopefully, there's no hard feelings between her and Turner, and maybe one day their paths will cross once again, but this time they get to act together while not being in competition with one another. 

The late Ray Stevenson's career spanned the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "Star Wars," most recently starring as Baylan Skoll on "Ahsoka." However, Stevenson turned down a role on "Game of Thrones" not just once, but twice. The Australian actor was offered a role further into the show's run, which some have speculated to be Ian McShane's guest appearance as Septon Ray in season 6. However, Stevenson also revealed he had auditioned for the show before it ever premiered, and though it's not confirmed which role it was for, it'd be very easy to see him as Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound. 

Whatever role it was, Stevenson turned down "Game of Thrones," citing his commitments to "Black Sails," as well as feeling like it was too late to join the show. Sadly, Stevenson passed away in 2023, leaving his role as Baylan Skoll on "Ahsoka" to be taken over by Rory McCann, who coincidentally played The Hound on "Game of Thrones." If only Stevenson had gotten to play The Hound, we could've seen the two future Baylan Skolls share the screen together. 

Fifteen years before "Game of Thrones" premiered, Gillian Anderson was already on one of the best horror TV shows of all time: "The X-Files." She was quite the TV star by the time an offer rolled around for her to join the first season of "Game of Thrones," and not for any throw-away role either. She was purportedly asked to play Cersei Lannister, the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but the reason Anderson refused the role was because she didn't want to spend too much time away from home, admitting she only would've made an exception for a director like Martin Scorsese. 

It all ended up working out, as another sci-fi TV star ended up landing the role of Cersei: Lena Headey, of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Anderson, for her part, kept busy without "Game of Thrones" with more seasons of "The X-Files," "The Fall," and "Hannibal." However, given her accent work in shows like "Sex Education" and "The Crown," it's genuinely surprising to learn that Anderson is American, as her British voice would've fit in seamlessly with the primarily U.K.-based cast of "Thrones." 

Dominic West, like Gillian Anderson, is another actor who turned down an offer to join "Game of Thrones" out of obligation to his family (pause for laughter). After spending several years with HBO as Jimmy McNulty on "The Wire," West was likely offered the part of Mance Rayder in season 2 of "Game of Thrones," the pivotal leader of the Wildlings who Jon Snow encounters beyond the wall. As West told HuffPost, the role would've required him to spend six months in Reykjavik, Iceland. "At the moment, I'm reluctant to be away from home for a long time," the actor said. "I can get a lot of work in London and still be at home."

The role of Mance Rayder ended up going to Ciarán Hinds, a legendary Irish actor whose filmography includes a "Harry Potter" film, "There Will Be Blood," and, surprisingly, the "Frozen" movies. Hopefully, West isn't beating himself up too much about missing out on "Game of Thrones," given how he already starred in one of the best HBO shows of all time. 

Although this star from "Pride & Prejudice" and "About Time" turned down the role of Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, Tom Hollander recently went full "Game of Thrones" with a disturbing sex scene on "The White Lotus," the currently popular HBO series that features more than a few instances of incest. Littlefinger is certainly one of the juiciest parts for a good portion of "Game of Thrones," with Aidan Gillen's take on the character sparking some of the most iconic lines on the entire show, from "Chaos is a ladder" to "Play with her a**." 

However, Hollander had quite an interesting reason for turning down the opportunity of a lifetime, telling The Independent, "I wasn't particularly drawn to the wolf pelt thing. I was thinking, 'Six years of wolf pelt in Belfast?'" It's an interesting reasoning given that Littlefinger doesn't actually spend a lot of time wearing wolf pelts on the show, but since Hollander would go on to win a BAFTA for "The Night Manager," we hope he's not too upset about not being part of the biggest show on TV. 

As one of the most underrated characters on "Game of Thrones, Yara Greyjoy is a true warrior and a true queen who deserves a lot more respect from fans. As the sister to Theon Greyjoy, played by Alfie Allen, her entrance is among the most memorable moments on "Game of Thrones," nearly seducing her estranged brother en route to a reunion with their father Balon, resulting in Theon's disgusted shock at learning the woman he had been fondling was his own blood. Like we said, there's a lot of incest on this show. 

However, Alfie Allen thankfully got to perform this scene with a genuine stranger, Gemma Whelan, and not his real-life sister, English pop star Lily Allen. As Allen alleged in a Reddit AMA, the producers of "Game of Thrones" offered the role of Yara (originally Asha Greyjoy in the books) to her, but she declined out of preference to not be felt up by her actual brother. Interestingly enough, Alfie claims that wasn't true, so it seems that either way, the two siblings have something to work out. 

Lately, fans have been critical of Marvel Studios for wasting an opportunity to have Mahershala Ali star as Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though the actor has two Oscars, it's not the first time a big franchise has lost out on the actor's presence, though in the case of "Game of Thrones," Ali may be the one to blame. In fact, Ali cites his audition for season 2 of "Game of Thrones," in which he tried out for the bit part of Qarth merchant Xaro Xhoan Daxos (played on the show by Nonso Anozie), as the reason he didn't end up joining the HBO series. 

As Ali told Jimmy Kimmel, it wasn't a matter of him not being prepared, but his preparation was thrown off when he had to perform on a high stool with no back, which, according to the casting director, made him look stiff. Granted, the role probably wouldn't have changed Ali's career trajectory, but it's interesting to know he nearly shared scenes with the Mother of Dragons. 

Season 6 of "Game of Thrones" introduced the television world to Bella Ramsey, who joined the series as the scene-stealer Lyanna Mormont, the young head of House Mormont who allies with Jon Snow and Sansa Stark against the Boltons and later the White Walkers. Ramsey's performance was not only an immediate hit with fans, but it eventually led to an audition for "The Last of Us," the latest hit from HBO based on the iconic video game series, where they co-star with another "Game of Thrones" alum, Pedro Pascal.

However, things would've been very different for both HBO series if one "Stranger Things" star had gotten the major "Game of Thrones" role. Millie Bobby Brown had also auditioned for the role of Lyanna but was rejected, which she took hard as she initially considered quitting acting. Fortunately, it wasn't long before she booked "Stranger Things" instead and made her own iconic imprint on TV history with her portrayal of Eleven. Given that Brown's become a star of several Netflix original films since then, everything seems to have worked out for the best. 

It's crazy to think there's perhaps an alternate timeline in which Nicole Kidman's best movies and TV shows include an eight-season stint on "Game of Thrones." The Australian actress has played her fair share of baddies on screen, from the 1995 cult classic "To Die For" to even antagonizing Paddington Bear in 2014's "Paddington," but she was also the top choice to play Cersei Lannister for one integral member of the HBO development team: Original author George R. R. Martin himself.

In 2007, Martin was reportedly asked at a Q&A what his preferred casting choices for the impending HBO series would be, and one of the names he mentioned was Kidman as Cersei, but claimed it would never work because the show would have to find someone who looks like her to play her twin brother Jaime. However, Martin probably has no qualms now with Lena Headey's performance. Interestingly enough, reports claimed the author also named Ron Perlman as a potential casting for The Hound. 

I know what you may be thinking: Wait ... Carice van Houten was on "Game of Thrones," wasn't she? Yes, the Dutch actress who had seen critical success in films like "Black Book" and "The Happy Housewife" starred on "Game of Thrones" from seasons 2 through 8 as Melisandre, the red priestess who allies herself with Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and later Jon Snow. However, before she was declaring other characters as the Prince That Was Promised, van Houten nearly played a much different role on the show: Cersei Lannister. 

Prior to her casting in the second season, van Houten was asked to audition for Cersei in the first season, but opted not to due to commitments to other projects. For the second season, producers returned to her with the offer of Melisandre, but it was only after her friend Seth Meyers encouraged her that she decided to take the part, and the rest is history.