GRRM confirms Bradley as Frey, we add one more

This almost seems like getting the “go to” grumpy guy actor. It will not ruin the show or anything but a familiar face in this smallish but meaty role wouldn’t have been my first choice. Of course, if his audition knocked folks down and won them over, then I gladly look forward to what he does with the part.

Kelsey Catherine: I happy about this, though I think he looks like my imagined Craster. Excited we’ve got the old weasel!    

BRAD DOURIF FOR CRASTER!

Lex: BRAD DOURIF FOR CRASTER!  Quote  Reply

I’m still with you on this Lex :)

My last big question is where is Jeyne Poole! I have been dying to know she at least exists in the show!

Bugger everyone else! Even Roose Bolton! Ya, I said it! :P ;)

“wedding caterer of infamy” :D
Even though I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the HP films I think we have another great actor on board in a role that suits him perfectly. He has the look spot on. Can’t wait to see him first turn up in the series.

PAUL BETTANY for Roose Bolton! :)

So a correct guesss even though some clues were interpreted incorrectly Cohan/Conan rather than Jason/Argo.

Can’t recall seeing Bradley in anything but HP (probably have though) but I’m sure he will do the role justice.

Westeros posted a video of his role in The Tudors as Henrys fool.
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/News/Entry/David_Bradley_as_Walder_Frey/

Stella Maris, Sandor Clegane,

both of these suggestion are mega!!! We need Roose in season 1, another northern baddie.

Didn’t David Bradley play Billy in ‘Kes’ as a kid? Or was this another actor of the same name?

On second thoughts, Malkovich for Roose, Paul Bettany for Rhaegar!!!!! (Fangirl goes aside to gibber quietly in the corner…)

Stella Maris,

I see bettney as ramsey bolton

I think the Tobho Mott news is the best! Why?

I’ve been assuming we won’t see a Roose Bolton because he would likely have been filming by now (not necessarily, but likely), and as such it was unlikely he was cast at all, because we had no word of him.

However, apparently this armourer was cast a while ago, filmed his scenes, and we only now hear about him?

Let the Roose Bolton hopes live on!

spikebrennnan,

Nice idea. I’m personally a fan of Tom Hollander for Bolton
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm284724480/nm0390903

dizzy_34,

Then try this guy
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2067700992/nm0728132

Stella Maris,

I love this idea, but then again I’d die of happiness if Bettany was cast in any role in GoT.

Stella Maris: OhDanyBoy,
Why would they hold out telling us about Roose – they have filmed his scenes and are waiting to see if a multi-season contract is signed before announcing him?    

I dunno, why did they hold out on announcing Tobho Mott?

I’ve always been for Zeljko Ivanek myself as Bolton. He’s got the creepiness, the pale eyes, the soft voice. I think he’s spot on.
And, unlike Malkovitch or Bettany, this actually has real chance to happen.

Caedes,

Yeah, Ivanek has my vote, assuming he can do a British or Irish accent. Looks perfect for the part.

And while we’re shouting out casting suggestions–

Vincent Cassel for the Red Viper!

I know, too big a name and still two years away, but he’d be perfect!

Hear Me Roar,

Did Željko start his career in England?
I am asking because I have never heard of him.

Eggplant,

Agreed. He would be delicious.

Catch up post here for me. There have been alot of new threads coming fast and furious so I’m going to try to give my thoughts on them and some other things as briefly as possible (I know. yeah right LNH you are long-winded blowhard).

Phil
Don’tcha just love it when the Eagles beat the Giants!?! Also, great work on the podcast!

Weaponry
Another great little featurette. The weapons all look good. The comments abut the Valyrian blades appearing too ordinary make sense to me, but I did have this thought. What if they added in some rippling effects in post-production. Sort of light whjat the do with lightsabers, but much, much more subtle. I can’t think of any other natural way to get the look right, especially if you consider the different colorings of the blades.

EW Article. I finally found a magazine at a Target by my house. I checked about every Barnes and Noble in the Phoenix area and couldn’t find one. They are not scheduled to get the new issue until the 26th apparantely. Wierd. The pictures all looked great, especially the shot of Tyrion holding the shield. The other thing that I noticed was that the shot of Jaime’s armor in the picture looked alot better than it did on my computer screen. The white enameled scroll work reminded me much more of a Whitecloak than the yellow-tinged armor as it appeared on my computer screen. Hopefully it shows up this bright for the show.

David Bradley
He was my top choice for Illyn Payne, but with some makeup he’ll do a nice Walder Frey too!

Happy early Thanksgiving to all my fellow American posters and happy early Thursday to everyone else!

Colm Feore for Roose Bolton! Got to get at least one Canadian on there.

Inkasrain,

I think you may be right there. He has been with HBO for quite some time, starting with Oz back in 1997 or so. I coulda swore he had a small part in the Wire as well but I guess I’m wrong; it doesnt mention it on IMDb. Great actor and he would fit the part quite well. I’m hoping he wont get held back by The Event.

Two Feathers,

Miranda Hart for Brienne is inspired…

http://mirandahart.com/?page_id=12#

Beric has already been cast, Two Feathers.

Ewan Stewart should be Roose Bolton: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBhqn1ID7k90Lx1-9FBybUCewLZoncxnhmYOuaXdnqNBqtJB6Sjw

Paul McGann, however, IS Mance Rayder.

Porcupine Tree: Two Feathers, Miranda Hart for Brienne is inspired…http://mirandahart.com/?page_id=12#  Quote  Reply

Thanks for adding the link Pocupine Tree.

Last comment awaiting moderation apparently……. all I said was thanks porcupine tree for adding link. Must be some kind of cyber glitch.

The girl with the unibrow
from the movie dodgeball would be a great brienne

alan777:
You know, you are so right on that one!I think Brienne has been cast!     

Actually, I change my mind. Here is her IMDB page and she is not that ugly at all. She also pretty built.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0701512/

Brienne should be played by Nancy Grace.

Schlafmohn,
http://mirandahart.com/?page_id=12#
and also: just imagine the wedding dress she is wearing there was pink and she had a sword in her hand…brilliant. ;)

Winter Is Coming: Two Feathers, Great suggestion! She is the first actress, out of many brought forth so far, that I could really picture as Brienne.PS I tweeted your suggestion. Do you have a Twitter handle I could attribute it to?  Quote  Reply

Glad you like my suggestion dude . I don`t have a twitter handle, but maybe if she gets the part I will meet her on set and tell her she owes me a beer.

Two Feathers: Silverjaime,
Hi Silverjamie, how u been. ?When you say Bri-EN , is that like Bri as in Brian. I say Bree-en. I find it fun hearing how other folks pronounce some of the names. Will be interesting to hear the names and places when the show airs.    

It is strange that there is discussion over how to say Brienne, since, you know, it is actually a name. That is pronounced the way you pronounce it.

I can see why Daenerys causes problems – that there is a made up name. Brienne is a name that exists already, and is actually very common where I live (French Canada).

OhDanyBoy,

OT… French Canada ?….being Canadian I wonder where French Canada is ?…you must be referring to Quebec ?…funny considering how many English speakers live there…French Canada lol…I only know Canada …

Just for anyone who is interested, and for those who don`t already know, Aoife is pronounced E-fa.

Miranda Hart’s name has been put forward for Brienne before but while she may have the look she is really too old.

Some of the characters such as Ned and Catelyn you can get away with aging up 10 or 15 years but Brienne is meant to be a naive 19 year old.

Can you really see a 38 year old Brienne? Does she spend 20 years on Tarth doing needlework before deciding to go off and beome a Knight?

Lex,

I agree. Bree- ehn sounds much more natural. Bree-EHN-ee is just…I don’t know. It sounds pretty bad.
Sorry George, but I veto your own character’s name. ):

Half Myrish: I adore Paul Bettany as an actor and it would be awesome if he got some kind of role in GoT. But Zeljko Ivanek I could actually see as Roose Bolton. Didn’t realize I’ve already seen him in a ton of TV shows until I googled him. He does crazy well and I can already imagine him pulling off Roose’s soft, bland voice. “Nan, you may remove the leeches.” “Nan, must I have your tongue pulled out?” Why would Ivanek need to look intimidating or big next to Jaimie Lannister? One of the key things in the books is what an ordinary looking man Bolton is, apart from the colorless eyes. That’s part of what makes his sociopathic tendencies, like flaying people, so creepy. Put him in a fur cloak and he’ll look like a northern lord. He’s an actor, if he can’t do an accent already, he can probably learn one.  Quote  Reply

Love Bettany, Ivanek, and Stormare, and any of them would make a good Bolton. For me, Bolton is most creepy because I didn’t really notice him until it was too late. Having a recognizable actor may stop that from happening, but it’s probably worth it to have someone great in the role.

Steve Hugh Westenra,

Funny, I also have always pronounced it Bree-en. When I heard GRRM pronounce it Bree-en-ee it took some getting used to. Definately more original sounding, but harder to wrap my brain around.

I couldn’t remember who Stormare was until I watched the Constantine clip with him playing Satan. I also watched Stormare’s VW commercials, they were hilarious, he’s a good actor. Stormare is definitely more on the burly side (which doesn’t matter to me personally for the character of Bolton). Ivanek would still be my first choice for creepiness though, and he seems like someone we could actually get.

Rami Malek for Ramsey Snow? Hmmm. He is definitely a weirdo/has the creepy eyes thing going on in the Pacific. I think it’s interesting how all the suggestions though for Ramsey are all pretty sexy guys. Ramsey is described in the books as a disgusting young man both inside and out. He’s fleshy and ugly, with his father’s small colorless eyes.

It’s not like Tyrion/Dinklage where uglifying the actor just to match the books serves no purpose. I think Ramsey is supposed to inspire disgust in the reader/viewer. Obviously, acting skills are more important than looks. Personally though, I don’t want a Ramsey that I look at onscreen and say, “yowza, I’d like to hit that.” I want him to be ordinary looking or “hollywood ugly.” You pretty much hate Ramsey right from the start.

Half Myrish,

Boy, I’m totally with you on Ramsey. He’s not just a regular guy engulfed by harsh times, and certainly not a honey underneath a disgusting veneer. In fact, I think ( judging by GRRM’s recent readings ) the veneer may come later ( we should be so lucky, to see it brought to life ) and the effect is exactly in the reverse. :)

Well I’ll be one of the Miranda Hart detractors here. I think Brienne needs to look like she would kick your ass. I’m not thinking body builder or anything but at least look convincing swinging a sword around.

how about Lauren Socha from Misfits for Brienne?
(not sure if this link will work but here goes… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6kkvZbp_2A

My preference is still for Zoe Bell but I don’t think she can hide her NZ accent

Caedes,

I’m all for this. Let’s make it happen. He’s got a work history with HBO to boot.

dizzy_34,

I’m with you on this. Personally, I feel like the two main factors for me when casting an actress for Brienne are acting ability and being able to sell a fight. Then comes height, and finally physical appearance. That said, the best case scenario for me is that they cast a complete unknown who fits perfectly, like they did with John Bradley-West as Sam.

Like I’ve mentioned before, I feel like Natalia Tena’s casting as Osha may give an idea of how much they may want to fudge with certain aspects of a character for the series vs. the book. GRRM mentioned that he first thought Natalia was too young, but after seeing her was completely sold. Osha is described as being tall in the books, whereas Natalia Tena is 5’5″. Osha is also described this way: “She scarcely looked like a woman; tall and lean, with the same hard face as the others.” Granted HBO’s makeup department may work wonders on her, but you’ll have to go a long way to make Natalia Tena scarcely look like a woman.

Fans have been very forgiving about this, though. GRRM has given his seal of approval, I’ve gotten over my misgivings. It’s HBO’s show and they can do what they want. Plus, who doesn’t like Natalia Tena?

Now, some people seem invested in making everything HBO does fit canon. They argue that “scarcely looks like a woman” actually means “looks like a woman,” which is technically true. They’ll say that 5’5″ may be considered tall as far as Bran was concerned, and even though GRRM stated that he thought she was too young at first and then was won over they’ll ignore that fact and say that the books never give an age so we don’t know how young she was supposed to be.

I have a suspicion that the same thing will happen with Brienne, where something will slip. I personally think it may be the height, followed by looks. Not only that, but I feel like the change will be defended by some folks. I’ve already seen arguments with people that say perhaps Brienne’s “ugliness” is just a lack of feminine charms that those describing her feel are necessary for beauty.

So, again, my prediction:

There will be a problem with Brienne. Some will find her too attractive, or perhaps not tall enough. A few vocal fans will be VERY pissed. We’ll get a statement from GRRM about how he’s as surprised as we are that this actress was cast but she blew all the other people auditioning out of the water. People will defend the casting. Some people will try to show how the casting actually fits with the books. Everyone will calm down. Eventually there will be a shot of the actress as Brienne and most of the naysayers will get won over.

My opposite prediction:

Everything I’ve just said is wrong and Brienne will be everything everyone ever wanted.

I hope the second one is true. I’m often wrong.

I’m doing this for you.

I think people who went Zoe Bell as Brienne are living in a dream world – she is much too short at 5ft 8″. That’s just a tiny bit taller than me and put me next to somebody of a similar height to NCW, such as my brother, and I look ridiculously short. There is no way that Zoe Bell couild fight opposite NCW and realistically make it look as though she could kick his arse. Not a chance. The reason Brienne can stand up to NCW and all the other knights is not because she has some fancy moves and can whip around a la Red Viper in a particular fight, but because she’s got the strength to just push them around. Not to mention that she’s how old? 32? We’re not casting Buffy the Vampire Slayer here, where we get adults to play school students; the actress, imo has to be mid-twenties tops. I’d be quite happy if they go along the route that they have done for many of the other roles – turn to the stage schools.

Samantha Hirst,

haha, differnt people different opinions. ;) I do not think she has to be that tall to convincingly kick Jaime’s ass. Just well built, musceld, broard shoulders, perhaps like a female swimmer…

Osha never really needed to be tall and muscular IMO, but Brienne kinda needs to be.

Book-Brienne is as musceled as a well-built man, and that might be hard to find, but she should at least look quite strong and athletic. And she should be able to learn how to fight convincingly. Theres limits to how much a good trainer can do with you in a short amount of time if you initially don’t have the physique for it.

I take it all back… Gwendoline Christie for the win!

http://pics.livejournal.com/lovedforaday/pic/0013yxte

http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/regulars/how-we-met-gwendoline-christie–polly-borland-854953.html

Fire And Blood,

FaB won science. Between Christie and Hart, Christie is clearly the better choice.

Two Feathers: OhDanyBoy,
Never been to French Canada, and I can safely say that in my 47 years living in N.Ireland I have never met anyone called Brienne.But I would like to hear how you would pronounce a common Irish name like Aoife.    

I have no idea how to pronounce (or didn’t until you told me). But the beauty of an online community like this is, in a matter of seconds, I can ask some good person like yourself to tell me :) That was all I was saying – since we have members from all over – why haven’t these names been cleared up a long time ago.

Of course, leave it to GRRM to throw a wrench in that anyway ;)

Coltaine777: OhDanyBoy,
OT… French Canada ?….being Canadian I wonder where French Canada is ?…you must be referring to Quebec ?…funny considering how many English speakers live there…French Canada lol…I only know Canada …    

Yes, French Canada refers to Quebec, and specifically those areas of Quebec that have very few English speakers (i.e. pretty much anywhere outside of Montreal).

I only indicated that I live in French Canada to a) show why I am so familiar with a French name like Brienne, and b) help those members here who may not be as familiar with Canadian geography or language demographics with a simple description: French Canada – the part of Canada where the french language is predominant. I expect saying I live in Quebec will not help a whole lot of our Irish friends for example.

Fire And Blood,

Thumbs up with that one Fabio.

Hmm the link option didn’t work, so I’ll just paste it here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/regulars/how-we-met-gwendoline-christie–polly-borland-854953.html?action=Popup

Take Gwendoline Christie. Give her 20 more pounds, if possible.
Cut her hair in a medieval, page-like, masculine way, a la prince Valiant, for example. But keep it fuzzy and unkempt.
Give her fake teeth.
Make her up as if she doesn’t have had make up ever.
Suit her in a big, broad, bulky armor.

…and the angels would sing and the world would smile in nerdgasm joy.

In the matter of casting for Brienne, I like the mental image I have of Miranda Hart dressed in her armoured finery but I’m not so sure of her skills in dramatic rather than comedic acting. But hey, there have been plenty of comedy actors who have had fantastic and suprising success doing more serious stuff than their normal fare.

But is it just me or do you think that when (fingers and toes crossed) season two is greenlit that the one person the producers should turn to when they are looking to cast Brienne, a role that requires an actor to be larger than most men and skilled at the martial arts, is Conan Stevens!? With his acting and action background, along with his involvement in the Society for Creative Anachronisms, I would imagine he could come up with a few names that fit the role, at least physically and skills wise, that also have some acting talent.

Fire And Blood,

OH MAN. I forgot about Gwendoline Christie. Can you believe it? I can’t believe it.

I emailed her agents back in March. I just sent them another one with a link to this thread.

http://unitedagents.co.uk/gwendoline-christie

paulgude,

I suppose it is fairly easy for filmmakers to make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse!

:-)

Off topic, but Winter HAS come… early this year to Vancouver. It’s snowing like crazy.

Lex: Off topic, but Winter HAS come… early this year to Vancouver. It’s snowing like crazy.  Quote  Reply

Winter has come early to N.Ireland aswell Lex. It has been snowing here for the last couple of hours.

Lex,

I am not sure where they are at filming wise at the moment,(anyone know?) but I think the cast and crew would prefer to work in the fake stuff.In the cold weather the actors are always well pampered between takes but I do feel sorry for the poor extras and the hair and makeup people.I was at Winterfell this time last year in the pilot and I was feckin freezin, as they say round these parts.

OhDanyBoy,
I hear ya… I just found the term ‘French Canada ‘ strange…considering French are found throughout the whole country…yes I know …highly concentrated in Quebec…even here in my province of Ontario there are many French communities…no offense was intended…

coltaine777: OhDanyBoy,I hear ya… I just found the term ‘French Canada ‘ strange…considering French are found throughout the whole country…yes I know …highly concentrated in Quebec…even here in my province of Ontario there are many French communities…no offense was intended…  Quote  Reply

That’s very true. I’m French Canadian and grew up in a French community but have no relations in Quebec whatsoever, they’re all from New Brunswick or Alberta.

Steve Adams: According to this post on Twitter, we’re getting a 15 minute “inside Game of Thrones” feature on Dec. 5 before the Boardwalk finale…  Quote  Reply

!!!!!!!!!1

Can we trust this guy, though?

sjwenings,

I know that Ran (@westerosorg) is looking into it. Seems pretty likely that they’ll show something, though — it is the finale of HBO’s flagship series.

http://twitter.com/westerosorg/status/7964749765541888

Ran just confirmed the rumour: On December 5th HBO will give us a 15 minute programme about Game of Thrones. Great!

I wonder how much new material they’ll show in a 15 minute making of, bearing in mind that the HBO audience for that is not our merry fellowship of detail minded Winterlings that have devoured every frame, word and sound made about our Precious. HBO knows they can feed us on a very little and we’ll gnaw on it for a week or more. I think the 15 minutes will be 90% what we’ve seen before.

I’m happy for a Gwendoline Christie Brienne, but how does it go for a woman muscling up for a role? Is it a permanent career choice? Quite a lot to ask her to do. As for her age, the cast ages the books all over the shop – as long as she looks of an age with Renly I think all is well. She looks to have a bit of stage acting behind her, and to be fair there are lots of actors in this cast with less experience.

In general internet hunting I found Aisling Daly…http://www.mmamania.com/2010/6/22/1531406/aisling-daly-added-to-bellators
Wonder if she can act? She’s not tall and definitely not big boned, but there she is for your consideration

Are there any Womens Basketball ladies with acting experience who can pull off an english accent?

FlayedandDisplayed: I’m happy for a Gwendoline Christie Brienne, but how does it go for a woman muscling up for a role? Is it a permanent career choice? Quite a lot to ask her to do.  Quote  Reply

First of all, it’s very hard for a woman to pack on muscle anyway. She’d only have (less than?) a year before filming starts, and wouldn’t be able to get a lot bigger without steroids. Second – the muscle you bulk up isn’t exactly permanent. She’d loose quite a bit of it in just a few months of eating a low protein diet and just… relax.

I don’t feel like she needs to be all that burly anyway. As long as she looks convincingly strong.