Freddie Stroma explains why he’s not reprising the role of Dickon Tarly in Season 7

Last year, we reported that actor Tom Hopper (Black Sails) had joined the cast of Game of Thrones in the role of Sam’s brother Dickon. We briefly met Dickon in Season 6, when Sam stopped by Horn Hill for an unspeakably awkward family dinner—in that scene, he was played by actor Freddie Stroma (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). Now, Stroma has confirmed to IGN why he’s not coming back: shooting Season 7 would have interfered with the filming of his new series on ABC, Time after Time, where he plays author H.G. Wells.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4C4Ar5BLo

According to Stroma, when he was originally cast as Dickon, he was told that “there’s a chance this is going to be coming back,” but by the time things firmed up, he was already committed to Time After Time. “I was shooting this, so my character, I wouldn’t be able to go back now,” he said. “It was still fun. I got to be in that world. I’ve watched all of it. It’s just an incredible TV show.”

"Even just to get such a toe in there is fun. Just to be on set and kind of feel like I was in that world, I was a fan sitting there at the table doing that scene."

If you’ll remember, Dickon is an affable but thick-headed young man and the clear favorite son of his father Randyll (James Faulkner). In fact, Randyll preferred Dickon to Sam so much that he forced Sam to join the Night’s Watch so Dickon could inherit the Tarly name.

HBO has yet to officially confirm that Tom Hopper has been re-cast as Dickon, but that’s where all the signs are pointing. James Faulkner will also return as Randyll Tarly in Season 7.

It’s too bad we won’t have a consistent Dickon, but it’s hard to begrudge Stroma the lead in a network show. Time After Time premieres on March 5 of this year.