See Game of Thrones cast members’ initial auditions, and other GoT esoterica

Ever wonder what your favorite Game of Thrones actors and actresses went through to get their parts? Did you think an actor like Jason Momoa, who was clearly made for the role of Khal Drogo, was just given the role on a silver platter? The answer is no, as seen in this video of several now-famous cast members auditioning for their parts, and a few who didn’t make the cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCh9obs8Xag

You have to love how Rose Leslie just nailed the “You know nothing, Jon Snow” line from the start. And what was Emilia Clarke auditioning with? Then there’s Jason Momoa getting all primal at the end of the video. Conan Stevens, who appears right before Momoa, may have been bigger, but Momoa brought a lot more intensity. (Stevens was cast as the first Mountain, incidentally.) My gods, he better be a good Aquaman.

Elsewhere, in England, we bring you an urgent report: a 17-foot-tall sculpture of the Night King from Game of Thrones was put on display at the Bankfield Museum in Halifax, according to the Examiner UK. It is neat.

This particular rendering of the Night King is taken from the landmark Season 5 episode “Hardhome.” The project took over 5,000 hours to complete, and its creators used a wide-range of textile and mixed media materials to craft it.

Next, FX recently ran a promo for one of its new shows, Better Things, about an divorcee (Pamela Adlon) raising three daughters. The ad revolves around a Game of Thrones reference. Can you spot it? Of course you can.

If you’re like me, every time you hear a couple of piano keys, you hear Ramin Djawadi’s “Light of the Seven,” the ten-minute long tune that opened “The Winds of Winter.” But have you ever wanted an EDM-ish, slightly alternative rock version of the song? Whether you do or not, you’re in luck, courtesy of YouTuber underwaterrobots.

Using a Native Instruments Maschine Mikro, underwaterrobots mixes in drums, some sort of eerie ghost speak, and even Hodor’s epic line, “Hold the door.” Which just makes us sad all over again.

h/t The A.V. Club