In June, we reported on a blog post from a mystery actress known as TIA about auditioning for a project that sounded very much like Game of Thrones. She ultimately did not get the part. But now she is stating that she has been called back by HBO to audition for another role in the same project.
Then, more excitingly, I finally get called back in for the HBO gig. It was a great start as the guy behind the camera I already knew. He did his own short film last year and wanted me to be in it. I met up with him and loved the script and was eager to be part of it but another job came up that I couldn’t turn down and so I wasn’t able to commit. We have stayed in touch since and he really wants to work with me at some point. So that was nice having someone in there that was definitely on my team. He also suggested we do it twice so he could get a profile shot too. The casting director was more than happy to oblige and there was a general positive vibe in the room so I could really get into it. It’s for a smaller part than the last one, only a couple of scenes in the first season but with the promise of a much bigger role in the second, so potentially much better as the other character I went for died. It would be naked again….
Winter Is Coming: Well the description of the role sounds a lot like Shae. Are they recasting again? I hope not as I rather liked Kekilli’s look and she seemed to be a talented actress as well. Who else could it be though? Of course, there is always the possibility that it is for a completely different project. However, I think we are right about this being Thrones. Which means we are either getting a recasting or the story has been changed somewhat to accommodate a completely new and/or unexpected character.
UPDATE: HBO has confirmed to us that Shae is NOT being recast. Sibel Kekilli is still in. Which of course begs the question, what role did TIA audition for?
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77 Comments
interesting to note that the original part she auditioned for was a character who dies. Any speculation on who she would have been?
tekQuote Reply
If I remember correctly, the speculation at the time was she auditioned for either Doreah or Osha. It seems now that it was Doreah.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Kekilli was always my least favorite casting for any role, so I’m hoping this is a re-casting. She just doesn’t fit my mental image of Shae at all.
VeeloQuote Reply
Was it Alice Henley that we suspected was Tia? It’s stumping me on who this could be except for someone like a Stokeworth or Mya Stone (however nudity kind of throws those out). A Shae recast could be a possiblity as well.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Wasn’t Ygritte thrown up as a possibility of the second role Tia thought she might be called back for.
Some rewriting going on if that is the case though. From what she says it does sound like there may be some recasting for Shae going on.
MormegilQuote Reply
Shae is the most probable possibility
The other possibility is Osha (but I do not think it is her).
The thrid possibility I mentioned on Twitter before, is the Winterfell servant (as I recall) who sleeps with Theon later in ACOK.
Maybe their intention is to introduce her in the first season, just for establish the characters.
The RabbitQuote Reply
Maybe they’ll just make all the characters nude. I wouldn’t mind.
pualoQuote Reply
Pia is the only other character that comes to mind. However if we’re not getting Riverrun theres no way we’re seeing Harrenhal in season one.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
The Rabbit,
I assume you’re talking about Palla the kennel girl, or maybe the tavern wench from the winter town. I’m guessing the kennel girl’s more likely of the two.
GaRQuote Reply
From Not A Blog:
“Okay, okay, not everything is idyllic. There were torrential rains on Malta last week that washed away a whole Dothraki camp (missed that), and back in Belfast two of our actors have taken a dislike to each other and got in a fight that left one of them bloodied… but other than that…”
I wonder who got into a scrap… Speculation time GO!
GaRQuote Reply
New word from GRRM .
Wonder about that fight in Belfast (curious sheRabbit :D)
The RabbitQuote Reply
GaR,
heh, well I hope Conan Stevens wasn’t on anyones bad side. He’s on the other side of the world so I think we can rule him out.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
I found an interview with Sibel Kekilli from october 21st.
The last question is interesting because they mention her role in GoT and ask if it’s her first step to Hollywood. Unfortunately she does not say anything about her role or the show in general.
So that means she was still in on october 21st^^
Mila AyuharaQuote Reply
I wonder if he means two of the wolves, or maybe a wolf and one of the human actors.
spacechampionQuote Reply
spacechampion,
It’s got to be one of the dogs. I don’t think GRRM would leak a fight between human actors.
izakmoQuote Reply
GaR,
Yeah, I thought of Palla.
The RabbitQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
I doubt anyone’d be dumb enough to take on Conan. He’s playing the Mountain for a reason :P
spacechampion,
Hadn’t considered that, it’d be better than two humans getting their hate on; puppy dogs are probably easier to substitute.
GaRQuote Reply
Agree with spacechampion: it was two of direwolves.
No way he would mention an actual fight between actors, something which could sully their professional repuations.
shadallionQuote Reply
izakmo,
Yeah, great idea about the dogs, I seriously doubt GRRM would go with such stuff in public. (if it was humans :D).
The RabbitQuote Reply
I wouldn’t think you could count Palla as a big role in season 2 as Tia says.
MormegilQuote Reply
Mila Ayuhara,
do you have a link?
izakmo,
I think you’re right. If two actors were fighting on set I’m sure HBO wouldn’t want that getting out there. It’d be funny if it were Shaggydog causing the problems.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
dizzy_34,
sure, but it’s in german^^”
http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/11920665/63369/Sibel-Kekilli-neu-im-Kieler-Tatort-ueber-Schubladen.html
Mila AyuharaQuote Reply
Maybe the showmakers decided they didn’t want a lone German accent in the cast. I wondered about that when she was cast, since Shae isn’t described as being a foreigner in Westeros….
izakmoQuote Reply
izakmo,
nah, I guess if her accent was that strong, they would have heard it in her very first audition. Therefore she wouldn’t have been cast in the first place. (Perhaps she even has a turkish accent while speaking english?)
Considering TIA’s suspected identity, I’m hoping for Ygritte. Would fit her well then. They could show the wildling’s gathering…Would not feel so out of place in season 1 then. … They even show Arya beeing taught by Yoren…so…
SchlafmohnQuote Reply
What about Melisandre? She has a pretty big role next season and they might introduce her in this, too, like reacting to the magical upheaval at the end.
RahneQuote Reply
Could it be Jhiqui? Not a big role, but relative to Doreah it’d be significantly bigger over the series as a whole.
DemokritosQuote Reply
Schlafmohn,
I wouldn’t say Ygritte is impossible, but it seems very unlikely. She doesn’t show up until about two thirds of the way through ACOK, so I’m not sure why they’d throw her into season one.
izakmoQuote Reply
Is it possible that it’s Margaery Tyrell, or perhaps an early introduction of Jeyne Westerling?
Steve WestenraQuote Reply
Steve Westenra,
Ahahaha. Wait. Scratch that. I just remembered the nudity thing. ;p
Steve WestenraQuote Reply
Steve Westenra,
Margaery is a good guess!
Or perhaps Meera Reed..? If they are going to introduce her in season 1..
..but..naked..? hm…
Mila AyuharaQuote Reply
More I think of this, more I think it is unfortunately Shae recasting.
I do not see how any of mentioned above could possiblly be in the first Season.
Gilly is at Craster s, and I do not see why would they introduce Craster now.
It is definitely too early for Ygritte to be in.
Casting Melisandre at this stage would cause a lots of problems (they should cast Stannis too, in this case).
And for Jhiqui – it is too late to cast her, because 80% of Dany s scenes are already filmed by now.
Palla is too small role as Mormegil pointed out.
There is also Roslyn (is it Roslyn, Edmure s wife) Frey, but her role gets a little bit more important in ASOS, not in ACOK.
I simply do not see anyone apart from Shae and eventually Osha.
The RabbitQuote Reply
To have Sibel Kekilli leave the project would be a shame, I think. She is one of the greatest German actors of her generation. Her latest film Die Fremde (When we leave) won numerous awards (as did Kekilli herself) and will compete for the foreign language Academy Award.
HerrFickQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
What makes it difficult (and what makes the Roslyn thing unlikely) is that we still have no word on whether the Freys are in the season at all. It really makes speculation about a lot of the possibilities a hard thing to do.
I thought I remembered Jhiqui having been cast/not cast though. Wasn’t there an actress awhile back who was announced, but who we didn’t know the part of?
Steve WestenraQuote Reply
What about the young maid of Grand Maester Pycelle? The maid is only shown once in AGOT. In ACOK, Tyrion catches her having sex with the Grand Maester.
winterqueenQuote Reply
Could it be Chataya? Or perhaps one of her girls. Chataya has a slightly bigger role in Book 2. Another possibility could be Mya Stone, but her role doesn’t really expand.
The fight’s gotta be two of the direwolves. That was my first thought as well.
Ser_GQuote Reply
Ser_G,
Or maybe a horse and a direwolf?
Steve WestenraQuote Reply
There’s a new report up at HBO’s ‘making game of thrones’ site.
It’s about the foulness at Castle Black! Sounds good!
durandalQuote Reply
With a link back to WiC as well.
MormegilQuote Reply
Testing weird picture thing.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Hah shows they read here.
all buzz is good buzz
David DrakeQuote Reply
They said bloodied, not hospitalised. So I think The Mountain is safely out of the picture…..
FanboiQuote Reply
Could the girl have auditioned for the role of Ned’s younger sister, Lyanna, in maybe a flashback?
nightwisp1956Quote Reply
Jeyne Poole ?
doesn’t she get trussed up right at the end of the book ?
SensukiQuote Reply
wait no, not in second season …
probably a re-cast then
SensukiQuote Reply
What about Asha ?
Ed wehrenbergQuote Reply
Ser_G,
I thought this. But isn’t Chataya a Summer Islander so TIA Would have to be dark skinned. Did anything come of the Possible Shara Knite casting rumour?
Crotalidian (Paul)Quote Reply
Hey, WIC, thought I’d let you know that there’s something on the comment page for your most recent news release that’s trying to infect me with a virus :(! You might want to look into that asap.
Also, character theory: Tysha (Tyrion’s girl, think that’s her name) in flashbacks, maybe?
RosaQuote Reply
Steve Westenra,
Margaery is a good idea; she would be naked for the whole “Wed ‘em and bed ‘em” bit, and then come season 2 she’d have a much bigger part. Dunno.
Samantha HirstQuote Reply
If TIA is Alice Henley, as more than a few people have offered, I still think she would do fantastic in a role like Ygritte. Literally she looks exactly as I imagined that character, and has a sort of self-assured Ygritte swagger (one could say overconfidence) to her as well.
But she can play the wide-eyed ingenue–one that can go from innocent to not-nearly innocent in the blink of an eye, which would make her excellent as the turncoat Shae too, though I would be sorry to lose a talent like Sibel Kekilli.
Loved her in Rome. Henley and Simon Woods (Octavian) were a few of the best parts of Rome’s rushed second season.
Other roles… mm, Margaery is a possibility, though they’d be aging (and sexing) that role up–and Margaery’s whole schtick is, “Is she a virgin or not?” Possible but doubtful.
As per Rose’s suggestion, I would LOVE a Tysha-and-Tyrion flashback or two. We either get to see glimpses of that doomed marriage, or Dinklage has one hell of a long monologue, just talking about it.
Henley’s too old to play Jeyne Poole; as Sansa’s best friend and confidante she should be somewhere near 14 years old as well. It’s a kid’s role.
Really, the “naked” part is the kicker. Shae, maybe Osha… maybe someone we just don’t know yet.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
I loved Alice Henley in Rome, so I hope it’s her, and that she’s coming on board. I wouldn’t even mind if she wound up as Shae, as I’m not attached to Kekilli yet. Asha and Margaery were my main thoughts, as to her potential character. All the other characters are too small to fit the description given.
SteveThePirateQuote Reply
SteveThePirate,
I would think that Kekilli has much more the right coloring for Shae than Henley does, though of course that could change and is a fairly minor matter. To be sure, Shae is a small part in book one which expands considerably in two and three.
Another possibility is Kyra, who appears only in book two, to my recollection, as Theon’s bedmate. She’s a tavern girl in the winter town outside of Winterfell. If they wanted to give Theon more to do in the first year, a scene with Kyra then, before he’s become more important later on, would be a plausible choice. Remember that Reek mentions an interest in Kyra as well, so we might very well see more of Kyra in volume five, perhaps in connection with the arrival of “Arya.”
Maester TcostQuote Reply
I don’t think it is Shae from the next sentence on the blog…
“It would be naked again…. not as much as the other show I did so I think I can handle it”
Shae is pretty much always naked, so unless “the other show” Tia did was porn we have to assume there is less nudity than Shae’s role would require.
CarlosQuote Reply
Carlos, good point. Hadn’t really noticed that, but you are right, Shae is naked a LOT, so it seems likely she is referring to another character. Of course, she may just mean she isn’t naked as much in this first season only. Shae would have, what, one nude scene? Hmm…
I had been pretty certain it was Shae, but now I’m not so sure. Who else could it be though?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
After her turn on Entourage this year I am actually convinced that those lobbying for Sasha Grey to play Shae were entirely in their right minds. And practically any part she played would have less nudity than her prior roles…..
JQuote Reply
Samantha Hirst,
I’d actually completely forgot about that part of the book somehow, haha. I guess I’ll stick by my initial guess in that case. XD
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
HBO has confirmed to us that Shae is NOT being recast. Sibel Kekilli is still in. Which of course begs the question, what role did TIA audition for?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Reading back through her blog, I’m 99.5% sure that TIA is Alice Henley. Going back over the evidence:
She writes of her first big break role, for an HBO series: “anyway the role was awesome but also raunchy, very raunchy!! I was naked, completely naked and romping for a whopping 2 mins on-screen action.”
Henley played Livia, Octavian’s wife, who appeared in three episodes of Season 2, and the two indeed had a particularly raunchy and extended scene together (even by the standards of that show, which was very much an “everyone gets naked” affair).
She then notes: “but anyway, shortly after that I was cast in a major film with an awesome cast and a great director. This did not require nudity just a bit of kissing (which was nice), and then… well not much”
Henley played a minor role in “Eastern Promises”, the David Cronenberg movie about Russian mobsters in London starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts (actually a VERY good movie). She played a prostitute in a “stable” visited by some of the main characters (she’s the one canoodling up to Viggo’s character, making out with him, pouring vodka into him, etc., before he and Kirill get into a fight; Kirill treats her rather roughly). She didn’t have any lines (at least, not any that made the final cut) but was on-screen enough to be credited.
TIA also mentions a BBC comedy that she had a significant role in, but that is over; Henley had a role in “My Almost Famous Family,” a comedy that ran for 10 episodes. TIA even mentions offhand that “I worked on a soap a few years ago and one of my scenes was with an actor who had played a certain character longer than I’d been alive.” Henley had a one-ep role in “Eastenders”, the long-running BBC soap, in 2008.
Given the scarcity of roles available in GoT for actresses in their late 20′s, a Shae recast does seem like a rather likely possibility. Given her qualms/hesitance regarding nudity (perfectly reasonable, I hasten to add, though I also hasten to add that Ms. Henley is a beautiful young woman and has absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about), and the quote “It would be naked again…. not as much as the other show I did so I think I can handle it, and the script is great so I’ve decided to go for it” … well, I hope she knows what she’s getting into in the second season and beyond if the role is indeed Shae. There’s no doubt the role expands, but I hope she’s aware that the degree of the naked will expand right along with it.
It’s a fantastic role, of course, and I’d have to imagine that it would be incredibly difficult to turn down such an opportunity.
I can’t really think of any other roles that fit with the both description she provides and the roles that she could possibly be considered for. If they were to introduce Ygritte early, well, I can’t imagine they’d have her getting naked before Jon Snow turns up. One of Dany’s other handmaidens is a remote possibility (it does seem that her original audition was for Doreah), but both Irri and Jhiqui are Dothraki, which are being cast as dark-skinned, and there’s no real preface for any nudity from either. Pretty Pia could be introduced early, but there’s no way we’re getting Harrenhal in Book 1. There’s always the possibility of one of the random girls in a King’s Landing brothel (particularly Chataya’s), but there’s not much room for an expanded role for anyone but Alayaya. Ditto for one of the “buried treasures” in Mole’s Town.
The only other possibility I can think of is Kyra, the tavern wench in Winterfell’s winter town that becomes Theon’s plaything in book 2. They could introduce her early (set up a scene in S1 that establishes that Theon is a womanizer) and bring her back after the events of S2. That seems remote, though. We’ll see.
Best of luck to her in any case. She seems like a cool chick and is certainly talented enough that she shouldn’t have to rely on a day job long-term.
Ser_GQuote Reply
It appears I was ninja’d by those that actually have access to HBO people and could clarify that the role isn’t Shae. This to me means that it’s not for Game of Thrones (it seems like it’s VERY late in the game to be casting for us anyway; certainly there would be some sort of “emergency casting call” we’d be aware of).
Ser_GQuote Reply
Great post, Ser_G. To add more evidence to the pile, check out Alice Henley’s Twitter. Notice who she retweets quite a bit.
So yeah, I’m pretty sure it is Henley as well, but have been keeping it off the front page so as not to “blow her cover.” Although, if she gets the part, her cover will be pretty well blown!
Working under the assumption that it is Henley, I think she would be the best fit, lookswise, as Ygritte. Paul Gude suggested on Twitter they could introduce her when Osha and the other wildings are killed/captured but have Ygritte get away. Which is a nice idea, but 1) there isn’t any nudity and 2) they have already filmed that scene.
So I’m starting to lean towards Kyra now. I have heard that they are playing up the “Theon as a womanizer” angle in this first season. So I can see a scene or two at the end with Kyra and Theon that sets up his story arc for season two.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Doing a bit more of digging, I found that on her Professional Stats page, Henley lists among her “additional skills” as being “Highly skilled at Horse Riding and jumping”. Not that this show could find a way to make use of those skills at all…
If it is for GoT, one more off the wall suggestion would be Dacey Mormont, though shoehorning nudity into that particular role would be a bit of a stretch (this is, however, HBO we’re talking about).
Even more off the wall: Lyanna Stark.
Ser_GQuote Reply
Ser_G,
What about Jhiqiu? If they’ve decided to put her in the series that is. She’s the only one with a couple of scenes in the first season and there’s some nudity involved there aswell.
durandalQuote Reply
Yeah, great that Kekilli is still in =)
I saw her in Rome too. Liked her performance very much.
But she does not look like Lyanna or Ygritte. I hope she gets another role..
Would like to see her in GoT.
Mila AyuharaQuote Reply
… “her” refers to Alice Henley…
..sorry^^”
Mila AyuharaQuote Reply
durandal,
The problem with any of the Dothraki scenes is that they have to introduce them as early as Episodes 1-2, which I assume has, for the most part, already been filmed by now. You can film an individual one-off scene here or there for an earlier episode whenever you please, but Jhiqui would have to be established as a presence by now.
I’m a bit more sold on Kyra. Turns out, as reported on Twitter, that she does actually appear in Book 1, however briefly:
So it’s not even so much introducing the character early as it is just throwing in an additional scene – one that it’s already heavily implied is taking place off-screen, anyway.
Ser_GQuote Reply
Ser_G,
Yep, Kyra is more likely. Thanks for reminding me of that scene with Theon and Robb. Should have remembered that after reading, re-reading and re-reading the books. :-)
durandalQuote Reply
So possible options are:
Margaery
Ygritte
Kyra
Pia
Tysha
Lyanna
Mya
Alyana (Chataya’s daughter)
Kyra seems the most likely, although Henley’s got a look that would work for Ygritte.
izakmoQuote Reply
I’m climbing onto the Kyra bandwagon myself. If you set up Theon as an even bigger womanizer than he already is, then his gaffe with Asha during the second season is all the funnier. More of a “You really had that coming, mate,” moment.
So you establish Kyra in season one, and bring her back in season two when Theon sacks Winterfell.
Alfie Allen could use a good actress to play against when Theon goes all Paranoid MacBeth on us. And Ramsay Bolton‘s interest in her is just the cherry on top of the cake…
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Fire And Blood, good point about Theon’s comeuppance. I’m also betting that Kyra will be someone that Theon will confide in and tell her his plans to leave for the Iron Islands at the end of this first season. This will set up some anticipation from the viewers in regards to his story arc for season two.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
They don’t need to make Theon any more of a womaniser; the dude was already shagging just about anything in his path. It’s just that before he had a POV it was all off screen. HBO being HBO, I can see them expanding Kyra’s role specifically to get a bit of that stuff on screen, which as has been mentioned will be a great setup for Theon’s adventures in season 2.
GaRQuote Reply
How is he going to confide in her? He didn’t have plans to return there until Robb is crowned, and she is around Winterfell when he strikes there, so when would this confiding take place?
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
izakmo,
It is possible that role was Lyanna, but she doesn’t have to be naked. In books she is described as wildful and beautiful but she isn’t described as porno girl, ones who read the books knows why. Maybe birth scene, not sex.
Marina DessaQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy, you are right. I had forgotten that Theon was originally sent to the Iron Islands by Robb. I was thinking he went on his own to propose a take-over of Winterfell to his father. Now I remember how it went down.
At any rate, they could still have him interact with Kyra during this period by making her become a camp follower of Robb’s army.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
But then how does she get back to Winterfell, where her role increases when Theon brings her into the castle from the winter town?
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
I like the Kyra idea but Just to add some spice to the pot:
How about a new younger character that Dany picks up after that battle alongside Mirri. This would be a nude scene and a new character could increase the scope for Season 2 especially if they have fewer handmaidens for Dany (i.e she would replace one and provide even more scope for Dany’s growth and provide a stark contrast of devout loyalty opposite Mirri’s betrayal
as you may have guessed from previous posts on subjects I love me some wild speculating!
Crotalidian (Paul)Quote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Alternately, Theon could have a scene with Kyra where he predicts what Robb is going to do with him, and outline his plans if and when that occurs. He always described the plan as being as much his as it was Robb’s, which means that confiding with a lover re. that plan prior to it being enacted is well within the realm of possibility.
Ser_GQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy, right you are. Kyra needs to be in Winterfell in season two for when Theon captures the castle. Having her travel with Robb’s army presents more problems than it solves.
Ser_G, that’s a possibility. I think there needs to be some setup for Theon’s second season story arc. They could establish this via a scene like the one you describe or they could have a scene where Theon is sent to the Iron Islands by Robb at the end of the first season.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Marina Dessa,
Lyanna, Tysha, Alyana, Pia, and Mya are all long shots for vasrious reasons. I was just compiling suggestions.
izakmoQuote Reply