The second season is now over, and we are eagerly awaiting news from the shooting of the third one, which is soon to start. Three years ago, though, we were not even sure there will be a series, but preparations for the pilot were in full swing.
- The most interesting piece from June 2009 to look at in retrospect is the one on Eugene Simon being up for the role of Joffrey. Destined for a Lannister, he was eventually cast as Lancel, as we know, but based on that photo I can still imagine him in the role embodied so perfectly by Jack Gleeson on the show.
- We discussed True Blood season two premiere getting record ratings, and becoming the most torrented show at that point. Some three years later, Game of Thrones beat those numbers with the opening episode of its second season.
- The role of Bran was still in the casting process at the time, a hard role to fill, which reminds me to be very thankful that we have got Isaac Hempstead-Wright on the show. A very different Drogo was likewise in the rumour mills those days.
- Speaking of casting, we learnt the name of the casting director Nina Gold (in whom we trust) back then, and got hold of some casting pages, alongside character descriptions and audition dialogues for a few characters. Those also gave us an idea that the potential first season would be 10 episodes long.
- Last but not least, WiC.net joined Twitter that month. The account (@WiCnet) is today an indispensable source of quick updates, which you should definitely follow. Even if you do not have a Twitter account, you can still read the tweets.
Hear Me Roar: Chime in in the comments section with your faded memories of those days gone by. (Did that just sound like Delta Dawn lyrics? Not sure where that came from, never mind me …)
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75 Comments
i remember when sean bean was confirmed as ned stark and i almost shit a brick
SolarQuote Reply
I went through some dark days during the summer of 2009. Coming here and talking about the pilot helped me get my mind off of the bad things and excited in a positive way about something.
fuelpaganQuote Reply
Sean Bean was a awesome reveal!
SuperdeluxeQuote Reply
My favorite moment, was, when toodling around on facebook, the announcement:
“Calm down Game of Thrones fans….Winter is Indeed coming to HBO”.
I cried hysterically and copied and pasted that announcement for a week to all my friends, colleagues, and strangers on the street.
angelQuote Reply
I still hadn’t made the jump from Not a Blog to WiC in June 2009…
Anyway, I laughed at this comment in the Eugene Simon thread:
In the end The Hobbit could cash in on some of the fantasy buzz created by GoT ;-)
Of course, as someone else in that thread said, without LOTR, HBO would probably never have picked up GoT…
(btw, we really have to be thankfull to have Isaac on the show – so easy to forget he’s 2 years younger than Maisie and 3 years younger than Sophie!)
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Eugene Simon could have done well with Joff, I think, but I am thrilled with Gleeson in the role and also think a better Lancel is hard to imagine.
Nina Gold is such a major reason for the success of the show.
ZackQuote Reply
I was up in arms over Mark Addy! Just could not see the fat guy from Knight’s Tale and Viva Rock Vegas pull of the Warrior King. He proved me wrong on so many counts and he’s interpetation is now the definitve one for me. On re-reading GOT I used his voice and likness for King Robert. He was in my opinion even better than Peter Dinklage simply because I knew DInklage could pull it off, but I did not think the same of Addy.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Haha had to laugh when reading WinterisCOming’s post on Eugene Simon stating that Joffrey, “is not a demanding role so an exceptional actor is not needed.” I think Jack Gleeson changed our minds on that one.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Man, we were so free and easy with the spoilers back then. Good ‘ol day syndrome, I know. What happened to Brude BTW? Retreated to Westeros?
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Wow – going back and reading that thread (about Drogo) makes me so thankful we’ve got Nina Gold rocking the casting.
How perfect was Jason Mamoa for Drogo? I totally bought him as Drogo and picture him every time I read any of the books with Drogo. He IS Drogo. She hit it out of the park with that one, as she has with so many others.
We’re so lucky.
EdQuote Reply
Hahahaha!! This might be the best of them!
> Anonymous
> Posted June 24, 2009 at 2:23 pm | Permalink
I’ve given up on this show already. Whatever happens, let them cast Mike Tyson as Drogon. I don’t care anymore. All the actors except for Tyrion will be complete unknowns. And it won’t look anything like any of you imagined so why argue, children.
EdQuote Reply
In Nina Gold we do trust! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better cast production. Remember the pages and pages of prose we spun about casting Brienne? We could not have a better Brienne. In fact everyone is so right on it’s amazing. The only misstep IMO is Talisa and that has nothing to do with Oona. I think she would have made an interesting Jeyne. She could have breathed some life into a character who was largely off scene in the books. But to change her into another person entirely was and is a HUGE mistake. Worse even than the addition of Ros. (I don’t mind Ros, she is a composite of whores from the books)
It was such a long wait for the start of the first season and here we are waiting for the 3rd season !! (and season 4) Nina’s got her work cut out for her!
OldGranQuote Reply
Yeah that cracked me up too – how naive we all were back then :D
Nick LarterQuote Reply
From the Nina Gold Thread, there’s a person recommending Carice Van Houten — for Cersei (he/she is roundly shouted down). As well as Natalie Dormer.
Perhaps in an odder segment, Gary Oldman is suggested for the Hound, and the complaints against the suggestion are oddly based on age, not size.
I mean, really, Gary Oldman’s not intimidating anyone in a physical fight. But it’s the fact that he’s old that is apparently the problem there. :)
AlanQuote Reply
It’s crazy, but I didn’t know this show was getting made until about two weeks before it aired. My mom mentioned to me one day, “Did you see HBO is doing ASOIAF?” (she’s a big Sean Bean fan), at which point my jaw dropped in disbelief. I did have HBO at the time, but I hadn’t really watched it very often since Rome ended several years previously. So, I was completely in the dark.
And, for years, I’d been one those guys who would prowl around Westeros.org reading theories, but never posting any of my own (even now that I do post, I don’t post too often, because, knowing the way that I am, I’d probably end up writing about it all day long). But, I hadn’t been on that site since about 2005 or 2006, when AFfC came out, so I had no idea what was coming. What a pleasant surprise it was. I ended up rereading AGoT the week before the show aired, because it had been about a decade since I’d read it. And then, with the release of ADwD in conjunction with the show, it was like a double-whammy. I completely lived ASOIAF all of last summer, and haven’t come back to reality yet.
Varamyr FourskinsQuote Reply
Ah, good all times..
All I remember from June 2009 is the True Blood post.
(Just to mention that back then I had no idea what True Blood was. I was so irritated by that post staying for so long – with no exciting GOT related news. I think it was a moment I ve decided to look for the news all over the net. The rest was history ;))) )
The RabbitQuote Reply
I only found this website a few months ago so I can’t contribute any memories, but I did spend a weekend going through all the past posts and I really enjoyed reading all the casting speculations. It was interesting going through the comments having already seen seasons 1 and 2. I was particularly amused by all the unknown actors and the mad scramble to try and find at least a picture.
JessQuote Reply
Ed,
I agree. Jason Momoa IS Drogo.
Did the woman in charge of casting read the books? Or does D&D write a few paragraphs on the looks, demener and what they are looking for in an actor to play whatever character?
Nina does a great job. I wonder if she read the books as “homework” for her casting role in GoT.
ArthurQuote Reply
True Blood spawned “rabbit” hunting? Thank you True Blood:)
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Still my favourite all time WiC memory. I went apeshit.
And not just because I love Sean Bean… but because, at that point, Ned Stark was still a relatively unknown, non-mainstream character that only really existed inside my head. Sean Bean playing Lord Eddard Stark was, for me, the first sign of ASOIAF going mainstream. It felt very surreal.
LexQuote Reply
Lex,
I will have the same reaction if he’s LOTR brother David WHenham is cast as Edmure Tully.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
I didn’t find this site till a few months before season 2 began airing, when I stumbled on some of FaB’s interviews (I think Sophie Turner was the first one, then I read them all immediately afterword). Reading all these old posts is still pretty interesting, though, even if I wasn’t around for them.
AndrewQuote Reply
Intresting to note in the Nina Gold Casting layout article that it’s stated Theon will be in season 1 and 2, but not season 3.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
I admit, I didn´t know the books nor heard anything about the show until I saw the trailer on german TV. They aired the whole first season in three evenings (thank Gods it was a weekend). I ordered the books the following Monday :) We didn´t have to wait long until season 2 either, just had to upgrade our PayTV and two months later we were back in Westeros. It´s gonna be a looooong wait until S3, but I hope we´ll be getting enough informations to get over the off-time.
I didn´t mind the bunch of no-name-actors, although I was happy to see Sean Bean again. I didn´t anyone from LOTR either, except Sean, Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen (I did know John Rys-Davies, but didn´t recognize him).
Amazing how many people have been addicted to GoT for years. Let´s hope our numbers will grow further :D
blackbird7309Quote Reply
Momoa is Drogo in the tv show but he hasn’t changed my book image of Drogo.
The image of a beefier Yul Brynner remains book Drogo for me.
sbj2k1Quote Reply
blackbird7309,
Got a similar story, when it aired I could not wait till the evil bosses of South African tv eventually aired it (six months later) so I watched it online. THis year however season 2 showed five days after it aired in the USA. Funny how we freak out an entire year about an event that lasts only ten weeks.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
sbj2k1,
Are we thinking Yul Brynner in Kings of The Sun? If so, yes please.
MachaQuote Reply
Bad news. Ian McElhinney may not be returning. At least, that tweet he sent out about the show isn’t about GoT.
https://twitter.com/#!/somethingbehind
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
A woman thinks you may be presuming too much here. According to McElhinney’s imdb page he is involved in 2 other tv series, but that does not mean he is out of GoT since it appears that these 2 series may already be finished filming (from other comments on those threads). Let’s wait and see before causing a panic amongst Barristan-stans.
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
This post reminds me what a huge fan I am of Eugene Simon’s under-appreciated performance as Lancel!
He supplies consistent comic relief, starting out as a meek and hapless pretty-boy bullied by Robert, morphing into an arrogant and vain knight in service to Cersei and back to meek and hapless again, thanks to Tyrion. His acting choices are pitch-perfect.
I can’t wait to see him get all pious as he becomes “born again” after his wound at the Battle of the Blackwater.
MATTHEWQuote Reply
MATTHEW,
I enjoy him immensely, every time he is on screen I just want to slap him silly! An excellent thing as I felt the same about his character in the books. Loved the scene where Tyrion says that even torturing him isn’t fun and he asks Bron to kill him if anything happens to Tyrion. Was dissapointed by his short lived action scene in Blackwater.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Josh Parker,
Dude be careful what you say, you might send some of us in a frenzy that would make Loras’ deadly temper tantrum in ACOK look like benign pillow fight.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Actually, this woman thought it was quite surprising to see Lancel swing a sword in a real battle at all! It was assumed he would cower behind his shield and perhaps just stick his sword out once in a while, but he actually went on the offensive. I can’t imagine anybody else as Lancel now, more Simon as Joffrey. Simon could have carried it off, but Gleeson has really added “bite” to Joffrey with his attitude and sharp-toned voice. Nina and co. are brilliant with their choices.
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
If I ever publish a book that gets turned into a movie, I hope I can get Nina Gold to do my casting! In Nina Gold We Trust, Indeed!!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
I may be mistaken but if I remember correctly he is a little bit more brave in the books, hence my suprise at his qick retreat. Gleeson’s portrayal of Joffrey is perfect, his best scene for me was the scared little boy look on his face he had when Lancel told him that his mother was summoning him back.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Aegon the Conqueror,
Mark Addy also starred in Robin Hood ( remake ) alongside Russell Crowe and
Cate Blanchett. I think he was a fat friar that made and sold wine. Yet nothing
has me LOL more than his law enforcement roles. All were well acted and very
versatile , it was just difficult to pinhole him as any particular character ( until
King of Westeros & the Seven Kingdoms , I reckon ). I love Addy’s personification
of Robert the hammer.
WildSeedQuote Reply
WildSeed,
Yep he played a bee loving mead brewing Friar Tuck. Don’t get me wrong I loved the guy. I was eleven when Knight’s Tale came out and instantly became one of my favourite movies. Watched it about a hundred times and since then held Mark Addy close to my heart. It was the fact that he was such an easy going comical character that I could not imagine him playing Robert. Glad I was wrong, King Robert easily makes my top 5 favourite characters of season 1. Incidentally King Robert was not one of my favourite characters in GOT which just shows how good his performance was.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
“Then again, Joffrey isn’t a demanding role, so you wouldn’t need an exceptional actor to pull it off.”
And isn’t it amazing how Jack Gleeson has grabbed the role by the throat and is shaking every single ounce of drama out of it?
KGQuote Reply
After going back and reading the casting tidbits S1, it looks like that Dante Nero dude would make an excellent Strong Belwas! And they already have his screen test on file…
patchy faceQuote Reply
Of course a woman meant “NOR” Simon as Joffrey. Missed the edit. Also would love Rufus Sewell on GoT, he could be several characters, depending on how they cast things. Yeah, Connington would be cool. He could carry that on his pinkie finger.
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
A woman loved that scene too! Joffrey went from blustery warrior to little boy in less than a heartbeat! Talk about whipped! Joffrey is Mommy whipped (well, not all the time).
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
Don’t worry, sure we all got it. As always we find your posts highly entertaining and insightful.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
I was yelling at the television telling Joffrey just how much more of a man the half man actually was. So much for his big words on killing his uncle and the Robb, both true warriors. I could’ve respected the cruel bastard if he at least was a powerful warrior. Nobody liked Attila the Hun but at least his millitary prowess commanded respect.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
A woman SO agrees with you about Joffrey…if he had but his sword out there and made an effort to lead, well you could at least respect him for SOMETHING. As it was, he did nothing but stand around and “cop attitude” and was neither helpful in the battle nor inspirational to the fighters out there. Schmuckaroni. Spoiled entitled brat. Monster.
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
A woman thanks you (blushes). : – )
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
My best recollection of Joffrey GoT scenes was at Tyrion’s arrival to KL. Joff
got all panicky when his uncle asked if he knew there was a war being fought
beyond the walls of his name day celebration. Gleeson ended with ” why are
you here”, he sounded like an 11 y/o.
WildSeedQuote Reply
WildSeed,
Haha yes where he Tyrion says “we were looking for you on the battlefield, you were no where to be found.” Joffrey’s face is priceless.
Mrs. H’ghar
Cannot wait too see Joffrey choke and claw open his throat, think Gleeson will rock that scene.
However I don’t agree with Cersei’s theory that Joffrey’s cruel nature is because of her incest. Someone somewhere reffered to a scene in season 1 where Cersei talks to Joffrey, think it’s in episode 3. She tells him that he slew the direwolf, when he disagrees she tells him that the world will be as he makes it one day. Imagine the physcological impact that would have on a child if he heard something like that everyday. Then when his teeange years of natural rebellion roll along he finds he has the most powerful title in the world and no one to restrain him, hence “the king can do as he likes!” and “A king does not ask, he commands!”
From all that I hear Jack Gleeson is actually a very nice guy, would kill to see what went through his parents’ heads when they watched the series.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Delta Dawn rules! That reference made my day.
Team SansaQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
BTW rolled around on the floor laughing way back when you took out Knurk cause of his flashing RIP ASOIAF avatar
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
One of my favorite Joffrey scenes, this was first season though, was not long after he became king and Cersai slaps him and he pretty much scolds her and tells her she can’t do that ever again or she will be punished… It’s the first time you see how much his power (even over his mother) excites him, and the “oh crap” look on Cersai’s face was priceless when she realized that she may have created a monster :) Great scene between those two wonderful actors!
Bonnie BlueQuote Reply
I was unhappy and didn’t know it, because I’ve NEVER heard about GoT, three years ago…
Thiago WaldhelmQuote Reply
Bonnie Blue,
An excellent follow up scene was where Cersei admitted to Tyrion that she has lost all control over Joffrey.
Gosh Lena Headey has been so good this season she ruined 300 for me. I can’t watch queen Gorgo anymore and think she’s awesome. All I think is “Fuck I would love to run a spear through that woman!”
Lena deserves that emmy!
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Yes, I agree! She is a perfect Cersai. Cersai is one of my favorite characters! I know a lot of people love to hate her, but I just can’t!
Bonnie BlueQuote Reply
Bonnie Blue,
oh shit! My ex said exactly the same thing. In fact she went as far as too say she identifief with Cersei. Three months later I discovered she was just like and awoke the same spear emotion in me that Cersei does.
Really hope you arent as evil.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Aegon the Conqueror,
LMFAO! I have to say, I feel like she is not as evil as a lot of the male characters on the show, but people judge her more harshly. I don’t know if I identify with her, but I can understand why she is the way she is! And, I’m really not evil! Maybe just not a “super happy” type person. Misery loves company, I suppose! :)
Bonnie BlueQuote Reply
A-Freakin-Men PJ!!!
EdQuote Reply
Oh, but that was not a “take down” really, just a woman’s gentle plea to spare our eyes. Happy to have amused you though! Isn’t it so much more pleasant without the flashing avatars up in here?
PS, Oh yes, can’t wait for Joffrey to get his comeuppance someday, whenever it comes I, too, shall be quite full of joy.
Mrs. H’gharQuote Reply
OT- voting on the Portal Awards has begun – GOT has nine nominations http://http://airlockalpha.com/specials/portal-awards-2012.html. P.S. George R R Martin is nominated for the Gene Roddenberry award.
AnneQuote Reply
I tried to edit my comment and it disappeared. OT voting on the Portal Awards has begun – GOT has nine nominations (G R R M for the Gene Roddenberry award) http://airlockalpha.com/specials/portal-awards-2012.html
AnneQuote Reply
I only remembered Addy from The Full Monty!! And that was as far away from Westeros as possible!!
Yep he played a bee loving mead brewing Friar Tuck. Don’t get me wrong I loved the guy. I was eleven when Knight’s Tale came out and instantly became one of my favourite movies. Watched it about a hundred times and since then held Mark Addy close to my heart. It was the fact that he was such an easy going comical character that I could not imagine him playing Robert. Glad I was wrong, King Robert easily makes my top 5 favourite characters of season 1. Incidentally King Robert was not one of my favourite characters in GOT which just shows how good his performance was.
NicNicQuote Reply
Not sure if any of you heard already but at the 10th Annual Astra Awards in Australia, Game of Thrones (Season 1) won Favourite International Program. I only heard tonight when I was watching the channel it was on.
AmyQuote Reply
Josh Parker,
I think it would be strange if he didn’t return for S3, simply because; he created a twitter account not so long ago … he named it serianmc and set Barristan Selmy as his profile picture. And he talked to the westeros.org people about the character’s history a while ago. :D
(sry for the offtopic)
PepiQuote Reply
Delta Dawn what’s that flower you have on…
Damn you, Hear Me Roar! Now my day will be filled with the sound of Helen Reddy’s voice.
LangkardQuote Reply
Thanks for posting that link. I went and voted. I had a difficult time choosing between Maisie Williams and Jack Gleeson for the Best Young Actor category. Since Maisie was also nominated for Supporting Actress, I went ahead and voted for Jack. He doesn’t get enough accolades for his performance and Maisie is likely to be getting plenty of awards.
LangkardQuote Reply
I think it’s entirely possible that they don’t want him to announce a return to Game of Thrones because, after all, it’s a spoiler to the people who haven’t read the books.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Bonnie Blue,
The irony of Cersei’s character being that she will never be truly happy because she has decided at a fundementally early stage she will never be happy because she had been born without the privaleges of Jaime which she believed she deserved. Every time she makes a power grab to be more happy the realm suffered. She thought she would be happy when obert was gone, the result Joffrey. She thought she wold make a better ruler, so when Joffrey dies she gets her chance and again the realm suffers. Was exactly the same thing with my ex. So now I’m wary to introduce my current girlfriend to GOT.
I think the reason why people hate her so is because we can live with the idea of a truly evil man. We see it every day, but a evil woman scares us in the same way a child murderer would. It’s something we don’t understand, and we always fear what we don’t understand.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Mrs. H’ghar,
No I think you said out loud what pretty much everyone of us were thinking.
It will be a bittersweet day. YAY! The end of that bastard’s reing! NAY! the last time we will see the magnificent acting of Jack Gleeson (if his comments on ending his acting career are true.)
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
I love that stupid song.
KGQuote Reply
Anne,
nice! thanks for posting.
voted!
Thiago WaldhelmQuote Reply
So true! :)
Bonnie BlueQuote Reply
When I went to find an old version of it on Youtube, while trying to avoid the nasty twang version that was Tanya Tucker’s at the time, I found a wonderful interview with the now 70-year old Helen Reddy. Good stuff. She’s happy and living comfortably and cheaply in Sydney, Australia.
But it’s still Hear Me Roar’s fault for making that song play in my head all night! I shall get revenge! I’m thinking maybe mentioning something cheesy like The Bay City Rollers, “Saturday Night”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBn2ux5vRHk
Take that, Hear Me Roar!
LangkardQuote Reply
Bonnie Blue,
only thing scarier than running into White Walkers would be running into female White Walkers.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply
Never mock the Bay City Rollers!!!!!! Try Agga Doo by Black Lace to drive slowly insane!!!!!!!!
NicNicQuote Reply
lol that’s exactly what I came here to write. I know they expanded the role for Joffery, but seriously, Jack Gleeson is amazing! Yes there’s a lot of Joffery-haters, especially since the show seems to really make him into a villain, but every time Gleeson’s on screen, i’m entranced by the performance. Can you imagine this kid (and all the other kid actors) in 10 years!? Let’s have the oscars polished for them already.
JessQuote Reply
Jess,
That’s the sad thing, after this Jack Gleeson is done. He has stated that he doesn’t like acting or to be in the spotlight. He will retire, so to speak, to focus on his academics.
Aegon the ConquerorQuote Reply