Entertainment Weekly has released its countdown of 2015’s Top Entertainers of the Year. One might think that this honor, which is also bestowed on such luminaries like Aziz Ansari for his show Master of None and Adele for releasing 25—the biggest album of the year after only being out a single week on the charts—would find itself awarded to George R.R. Martin, who created the Game of Thrones, or perhaps to David Benioff and Dan Weiss for producing it. But no. Rather than deciding who among the cast of thousands (well, ok, hundreds) deserves the honor, EW gave it to all of them.
As the article notes, Game of Thrones has the most series regulars of any show on television right now, with a count of 30 strong. “Yet millions around the world obsess over Thrones’ characters and their riveting story lines, thanks mainly to the actors’ searing performances, which manage to stand out even when they share scenes with literal giants and dragons.”
Even though it’s the entire cast that’s being honored, it’s Benioff and Weiss who speak for the team. “There are so many ways this show could have died in the crib, but the most likely killer would have been the cast. It’s difficult enough to find a single actor who is perfect for a single role, and more difficult still to find, say, five ideal actors. But to find 30, 40, or more? The odds against that are astronomical.”
And yet here we are, with the show still rising in the ratings after five seasons, and the anticipation for Season 6—the first with no books to guide and spoil us for what comes next—at astronomical levels. Every last cast member on the show is part of the show’s continued success, and it’s wonderful to see that EW honor all of them for their work.