In not-exactly-surprising news this weekend, HBO confirmed what we suspected from the beginning. The hype from the Mumbai Mirror about Game of Thrones casting bollywood star Neil Nitin Mukesh simply wasn’t true.
As we noted at the time, a lot of that report didn’t pass the smell test. Stunt coordinators don’t offer roles to actors. They might have something to say about stuntmen. But speaking roles, especially for a decently sized named actor? That stretches the imagination. But even if we were to somehow believe that the casting chain of command was circumvented, stunt coordinators who don’t even work on the show offering roles? That defies logic. Clearly someone had something very wrong (at best) or were making things up from whole cloth (at worst.)
The question is, who exactly made up the report? DNA suggests it was Mukesh himself who was telling fish stories. That’s a little concerning for an actor, who might find himself cast a whole lot less if he can’t keep his wishful thinking to himself a whole lot more. (On the other hand, apparently it might qualify him to run for president of the US just fine.)
Unfortunately for Indian fans of the show, some seem to be choosing to believe that Muskesh is somehow being denied a role, instead of never actually offered one.
Why is HBO so "Intolerent" of Indians. I am deleting first 6 episodes of season 5 in protest. https://t.co/vALSxNkJjn
— LeDuke Debauchery (@Stinson_Desi) November 8, 2015
While others saw it as proof that Martin can now stretch all the way back to pre-production to off characters.
Next: GRRM's struggles to keep the TV show from influencing the books