With George R. R. Martin not around to drop clues, it was up to Manchester Metropolitan University’s website to break the news that graduate John Bradley-West has been cast as Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones.
A TALENTED Manchester student has been headhunted for a fantasy journey to ‘Middle Earth’!
John Bradley-West, 21, from Wythenshawe, has landed a dream part in the major new TV series Game of Thrones, starring Sean Bean and Lena Headey.
The show, based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, has been described as “The Sopranos in Middle Earth”, and is made for the HBO network which brought us Sex and The City and True Blood.
John, who graduates from MMU’s School of Theatre on July 16, is a graduate of Loreto College, Hulme and St Paul’s RC High School, Wythenshawe.
The article goes on to summarize the show’s plot and has a few quotes from the young theater grad himself.
John plays the role of nobleman’s son, Samwell Tarly, who lives in the shadow of his father and becomes a major character in the second series.
“He’s basically a downtrodden lad who, without giving too much away, comes good in the end,” says John who landed the part at his first audition outside MMU, and joins filming in Northern Ireland in mid-August.
Despite having major roles in MMU theatre productions, The Three Sisters and the Joe Orton farce Erpingham Camp, the Manchester actor admits playing alongside Hollywood actors is a major step up.
“I am going to have to draw upon every ounce of my training and hope I do a good job. That’s all I can do.”
The fantasy drama has generated enormous, online interest for a series at such an early stage and will be on our screens in Spring 2011.
Winter Is Coming: I have no doubt GRRM would have given us hints on this one, if he was around. Oh well, it is just as exciting when it comes out of the clear blue, if not more so. Based on the picture, I’d say this was a good choice. And based on GRRM’s comments awhile back about there being a couple of great auditions for Sam, it sounds like the acting talent is there as well. Welcome to the cast John!
[Hat tip to Westeros for being the first to find this.]
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89 Comments
This is a nice breaking news item right after the holiday weekend. Since another commentator has mentioned we use the word "perfect" too much around here, I will say he is EXTREMELY close to how I pictured Sam, and am glad a theater student got such a big break.
BrienneQuote Reply
looks good!
Daniel J HarrisQuote Reply
Very nice casting. His profile has him at 5'8, which is just about where I picture Sam at. Interestingly, it also says he has experience in stand up comedy. Maybe he can bring some comic relief to the show?
BubbaQuote Reply
SWEET! That is just how I saw Sam in my head! BRAVO!
alan777Quote Reply
BTW, look at these new pics of Jason Momoa as Conan! Talk about Khal Drogo!!! :D
http://www.mania.com/gallery/123809/59147.jpg
alan777Quote Reply
Wow, John may be the first person cast in Game of Thrones where nobody says he does not look the part. He's got those big brown "please stop hitting me" eyes too.
And it's not just emotional; I hope he knows how physical the part is. Things rarely go well for Sam.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Eeeee Yay a Sam!! Congrats John! Its wonderful when theatre students get such breaks.
I'm really looking forward to Winter Coming!
@KelseyCMSchmitzQuote Reply
Damn, spot on as far as appearance goes, I'm sure he has the skill to back it up. As others said, it is always great to see an unknown step up in a role, I wish him the best!
Tyler MetcalfeQuote Reply
Chiming in with another congrats to John Bradley-West!
Sam is another one of my favorite characters, shouldering the burden of being out of step with the dangerous world of his time. Often, as a kid, I'd imagine myself in a time of knights and dragons, or the old west, or an outer space adventure. It always struck me how incredibly ill-suited for those lives I'd probably be, and as I got older and thoughts like that didn't go away, I started thinking about how low my life expectancy in each of those situations would be.
I think that's why I like Sam so much. While I'm sure there are plenty of folks on this board in good health, I sympathize with his troubles whenever I have to walk to pick my daughter up from pre-school.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Looks well bred, bit vulnerable. Hopefully he's big enough
JohnQuote Reply
Yes, and as a theatre guy he should get on well with Kit Harington. (Alright, actually, everyone pretty much starts in theatre.)
That burgeoning friendship could be in peril if the producers scream at Kit to get in tip-top shape while simultaneously trying to fatten John though. "Harington! More chin ups! Bradley-West! More pie!"
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Add to that "More pints"! :D
alan777Quote Reply
Hot Pie! Hot Pie!
spacechampionQuote Reply
flippin fantastique!
syleonQuote Reply
I wonder why they would choose to mention sex in the city and true blood to this, I think the target audience would be more similar to the people who liked Rome and The Sopranos
matQuote Reply
Cute!
OliviaQuote Reply
Not an HBO announcement. Its from the school he graduated from, so maybe they are referencing newer shows?
@KelseyCMSchmitzQuote Reply
No joke, this poor guy is going to get BEATEN.
alan777Quote Reply
Yes. Perfect!
RQuote Reply
They're certainly getting people who look the parts. Sam's a great character that is a huge part in seasons three and four (maybe 5 considering how they break up Feast) Congrats to him.
dizzy34Quote Reply
Yeah!!! I am a bit drunk, and just did one of my many daily checks of this blog, not even really expecting any news. Awesome surprise! He looks the part.
LexQuote Reply
He certainly looks the part! I'm so excited to get more casting news!
SweetMillyQuote Reply
Man… the whole casting process for this show has been SO trippy, seeing characters from the books come to life. I'm staring at that photo, and thinking "I'm looking at SLAYER!"
LexQuote Reply
It's also really weird to picture John Bradley-West standing beside Kit Harington, and looking at a real-life Sam and Jon together.
LexQuote Reply
He looks good :) I’m glad they found Sam finally. I’m just wondering if he’s gonna bulk up to play Sam’s part. I don’t know if they envision Sam as grotesquely fat or just a bit pudgy. We’ll see I suppose.
LukeQuote Reply
The article mentions Sex and the City, True Blood, and Sopraos. I'd say probablyk their most popular 3 shows.
LexQuote Reply
I hope he isn't just a bit pudgy because being fat is a major part of his character because brings the fact that he is a softhearted person to the surface, but I also don't want him to be huge because then I just kind of feel that he would be completely ridiculed as the fat guy who was a pussy.
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
I just realized that the cast is already 30 strong, and not even close to finished!
LexQuote Reply
Consider that the actor playing Illyrio Mopatis is not actually as fat as the description in the books make him sound to me. If they need Sam to be fatter, they can probably pad him out without making him actually gain weight. After all, the Night's Watch are hardly ever without their warm black clothes on, and those could hide a lot of cushion.
KyleQuote Reply
***KINDA SPOILER-ISH***
I notice that he also has had an animal workshop. I wonder if it included ravens?
KyleQuote Reply
Yeah, the important part is his face, and it looks fine. Just the right amount of padding. :)
LexQuote Reply
Nice news for the morning!
Hey, we got Sam!
The_Rabbit01Quote Reply
Grenn, the Old Bear, and others from Castle Black will be needed before Sam, but Sam is the most important character from that set (setting aside Jon, whom we already have) so I suppose that this is why we have heard about Sam before the others.
Good luck to John Bradley-West. He's jumping end at the deep end of the pool, but he'll have a lot of great actors from whom he can learn.
Maester_TcostQuote Reply
just as i pictured
WillQuote Reply
I really like this casting, probably one of my favourites look-wise. He looks "soft" enough and he has that air of kindness and harmlessness that are essential in Sam's character.
NemoQuote Reply
Rome didn't do very well in the U.K. because the BBC reedited the opening few episodes and totally screwed up the promotion. While it's more like to Thrones, it's not generally well known there is my understanding, or at least not as well as it is in the States.
BrudeQuote Reply
The actor playing Illyrio is still very, very fat.
BrudeQuote Reply
I'll copy what I said about this over at Westeros.org: "I think he's got a wonderfully guileless look in his face, which is perfect for Sam."
BrudeQuote Reply
Or even just the HBO shows the person who wrote the article is most familiar with or enjoys the most? Nothing to worry about in my opinion.
paulgudeQuote Reply
What a surprise in the morning. :) If those actors can act the way they look just right for their characters, I'm not afraid for this show to become at least decent…if not great. ;) Whohoo,..I'm trying not to get my expectations too high, right now. Cause everytime I did, I was dissapointed( most recently, Lost and FF13).
LibelleQuote Reply
Exciting exciting! Looks great! Like the look in hie eyes… it's really coming to now… yey!
@LivveHultQuote Reply
Well he's close enough lookwise, he sure looks soft, and those cheeks, very pinchable.
Congrats John! break a leg!
humusTasterQuote Reply
Good morning, people! Always nice to wake up to news. Congratulations are in order! The look is growing on me (the first reaction was not 100% endorsement, maybe I know a few guys with that type of face that I don't like :)), and he fits the role. I like his training and resume, sounds like a Harington type of casting , great :) now I really want to see a showreel or another clip of Bradley-West (and a few more photos).
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Also, you'd better have a two-part surname if you really want to be cast in Thrones :D
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
The slayer is in the house and damn does he look the part!
Apparently he's one of the best of his year:
http://www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/news/item.php?id=350
JBW is a runner-up to the BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award.
As one of only four runners up John will be invited to undertake freelance work as an actor at the BBC during the autumn.
Looks like he did it, but in coop with HBO :)
TremereQuote Reply
For those who want to see the whole deal (and not just a face) you can check out pics from plays he was in. E.g. these two: http://www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk/images/photos… http://www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk/images/photos…
Although many have probably done it already.
MilanQuote Reply
One again the casting people have shown me I do not need to worry about this show. I love it they got another unknown talent.
KnurkQuote Reply
Nice, and in a black coat, too!
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
It didn't do too badly, but the BBC kept changing the time for it, and even though they put it on at 11pm at night they re-edited to take out half of the scenes (which was quite annoying).
But I think what just about summed up the mentality around it was an article I read (in a gossip mag) where they were getting excited about James Purefoy being signed for a second season and that it meant 'he wasn't going to die!!!!!' *shock* – needless to say I was a bit….go pick up a history book – duh!
SarahQuote Reply
I imagine he will wear a fat suit to not just be a guy with extra layers but obese. Or is that just me?
MrCereQuote Reply
After seeing the pictures Milan posted I think that he just needs to be a bit more chunky to fit Sam to a T. To bad I'm not British and cant act very well, not only would I be age appropriate but I'm also obese. :D
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
He is absolutely perfect. Wow, it's as if my imagined Sam looked right back at me.
Well, he can't be that fat in the end, the diet at the wall (and on the way there) would've cost him some pounds already. He'd be like the regualer really fat kid in school.
JennyQuote Reply
I disagree with those who think he needs to be bigger (or wear a fat suit). Judging by those pictures, he looks perfect IMO. Also, I always felt that Samwell imagined himself to be fatter than he really was, as part of his incredibly low self esteem. I see him as chubby/fat rather than obese.
LexQuote Reply
good luck to sam,john
NikoleoQuote Reply
You do realize that Sam WAS "completely ridiculed as the fat guy who was a pussy," right?
go_falconsQuote Reply
Harry Lloyd and Emilia Clarke have both been tipped as UK Screen Stars of Tomorrow by Screen International http://bit.ly/9ye5ru
ScreenterrierQuote Reply
I know they don't have any scenes together but I think this sets an upper limit on how tall the actor cast as Littlefinger can be. I don't recall any references to Sam being noticeably short so if 5'8" is considered within the range of average in Westeros then Petyr needs to be considerably shorter than that – 5'6" max, I would say.
go_falconsQuote Reply
The others such as Mormont may well be cast or more likely in negotiations, being a newcomer JBW's contract may have been simpler to sort out.
I always pictured Sam as blonde (no idea if his hair colour is stated) but I only just realised after seeing JBW that I was basing my image of Sam on a blonde kid I knew at school.
MormegilQuote Reply
Do you reckon a grade 1 British Academy of Dramatic Combat certificate covers running away and wetting yourself?
DampSlayerQuote Reply
Good choice, he does look very much like I thought Sam would, with a little longer hair. http://www.wheeloftime.ru/forum/index.php?action=…
MaryQuote Reply
He's still a bit skinny for my tastes, I always picture the Khal as tall and broad (larger than life if you will) with a layer of fat over muscle.
But at least he has the muscle in these pictures.
world_dancerQuote Reply
Hmmm… I also think he looks the part, if anything, my only thought is that he should put on more weight for the first season (this is meant as a minor critique, not an actual objection. It would apply to anyone not of the physical stature of Chris Farley or John Candy.). Given how brutal the Castle Black scenes are, Bradley-West is probably going to have to eat quite a bit to maintain his rolly polly physique in the first two seasons, since Sam gaining muscle and slimming down should be gradual and happens mainly in the latter two books.
I hope he has the talent to pull off the part, as he's a complete unknown. Good luck to him.
world_dancerQuote Reply
Perhaps Grimtuesday meant memetically, by people who don't read the books or watch the eventual show.
AoedeQuote Reply
but possibly his eyes are brown?
TPFKA Thoros of MYRQuote Reply
Certainly looks the part.
I'm actually very excited that they're casting a bunch of theater people, especially for the younger roles. Lets face it, they had to get a lot of unknowns for many parts due to budget and scheduling. So very glad that they went with people who have some acting chops/training (Hodor notwithstanding), just people we would not of heard of.
@VohdreQuote Reply
I agree. look at http://www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk/images/photos… That is good enough ..heft for the role for me Break a leg, Sam.
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
Sam just came alive before my very eyes!
He conveys a lot of emotion in just one picture, which is a very good sign.
I sympathise with him already :)
NymeriaQuote Reply
Incoming casting rumours via various Twitter posts:
Miltos Yerolemou as Syrio Forel & Luke McEwan as Rast.
Googling reveals no official announcement yet.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Miltos Yerolemou confirmed to WiC and Westerosorg!
NymeriaQuote Reply
Very Syrio-like!
http://www.watfordtheatre.co.uk/images/castMember…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Very!
His listing on CCP:
http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/view.php?uid=161…
Really interesting that he seems very skilled at diverse styles of dancing. Definitely a must for our water dancer! Also, look at all those accents he can do!
More photos:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/2783235083_a2…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u3smwnvSDQk/SuXnKO8j_MI…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_u3smwnvSDQk/SuXnKStTCfI…
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u3smwnvSDQk/SuXnJxg2OdI…
Stella MarisQuote Reply
I liked his showreel on his Spolight page. http://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/949634927…
At 5'5'', his very short, shorter than I imagined Syrio, but I don't think it matters much.
His Greek accent is probably the one he should go with for Syrio, don't you think?
NymeriaQuote Reply
Cool showreel! Thanks for sharing.
I always imagined Syrio as being kinda short. I don't remember exactly how he was described as in the book, but I have this imagine in my head of him being short but makes up for it with litheness. I am also glad he was cast as being shorter because that will put him much closer to Arya's height and will, in my opinion, work favorably for their scenes together.
I am very tempted to say he should go with Greek (definitely something exotic), but whatever accent Syrio uses will set kind of a precedent for the rest of the Braavosi! Not everyone can do a Greek accent. I would love it, though.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
This is great news! That's the face!! :) I can see him weep already! Poor ol' Sam…
Johanna SchauerhoferQuote Reply
Wow, I effing LOVE this guy! He IS Sam the exact way I imagined him (at least his look, don't know about the voice yet).
On a side note, I'm really starting to get sick of this "Sopranos in Middle Earth" thing. Viewers are gonna be tuning in expecting elves, dwarves, dragons and hobbits. I can just see the whole family sitting down to enjoy this and…
…a beheading!
…Fellatio!
…INCEST!!!
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
Looks nice =)
LiesieQuote Reply
Hmm, not sure. I remember them being pale, so blueish seemed right, but you could be right. Tower of the hand didn't help much this time – http://www.towerofthehand.com/reference/k/00580/i…
MaryQuote Reply
Thanks, he fits Amok`s painting just right :)
MaryQuote Reply
To be fair, they should expect those things from the "Sopranos" part. Although personally I hope the sex is more explicit than it was in Sopranos.
pualoQuote Reply
Wonderful news on both. A relatively unknown actor for Syrio and an almost entirely unknown actor for Sam. That's perfect. It allows those actors to expand into the full range of their roles, especially the bigger role of Sam Tarly, without having the audience suffering from Hugo Weaving as Elrond saying "Mr. Anderson" syndrome.
The difficulty in finding a good actor for the physical description of the character probably helped contribute to the casting of Sam with an unknown actor. I expect the same for Brienne. As far as I'm concerned, the harder it is to cast known names into these odder but still large parts, the better off the series will be in the end.
MogonsQuote Reply
Looks wise a great choice I think…the cast is finally coming together …
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Absolutely spot on HBO was with this actor, the guy looks perfect as Sam and appears to be an excellent actor from what I read via the links. His weight is no problem as he appears more than big enough.
Congratulations to Mr. Bradley-West, and repeat after me……Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.
TysnowQuote Reply
i agree…. this is not middle earth
willQuote Reply
Yes, but then we still have to contend with the viewers who think they're gonna see dwarves whacking elves and dumping their bodies in the Withy-Windle.
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
He needs to pass the training first :P
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
That image made me lol :D
But anyway, the tag line doesn't bug me. It's quite catchy, imo. And Middle Earth is the best known pseudo-medieval fantasy world so it makes sense to use it, even though there are other imaginary worlds that might be better suited to describe ASOIAF.
And there are also far worse alternatives. At least we don't have to put up with Eragon.
NemoQuote Reply
All he needs to do now is get his hair braided…
Ingemar SvenssonQuote Reply
whats: A TALENTED Manchester student has been headhunted for a fantasy journey to ‘Middle Earth’! thats about? Its not lotr lol
LadyofRohan55Quote Reply
Awesome! He makes a great Sam and I love his character
ShingoQuote Reply
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